What is the main difference between Ghostty and iTerm 2?

Ghostty and iTerm 2 are both terminal emulators but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Ghostty or iTerm 2?

The choice between Ghostty and iTerm 2 depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Ghostty to iTerm 2?

Migration between Ghostty and iTerm 2 is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

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Ghostty vs iTerm 2

Learn how Ghostty and iTerm 2 differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these terminal emulators is best for you.

Ghostty

Experience blazing-fast terminal performance with GPU acceleration and platform-native UI. Cross-platform compatibility meets modern design.

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62,566stars+1,057(+1.7%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
21 hours ago
Repository age
5 years
License
MIT
Repository
ghostty-org/ghostty

iTerm 2

Feature-rich terminal replacement for macOS with split panes, search, autocomplete, and extensive customization options for enhanced productivity.

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18,214stars+119(+0.7%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
3 hours ago
Repository age
16 years
License
GPL-2.0
Repository
gnachman/iterm2

Detailed Comparison

Ghostty appears to have several advantages over iTerm 2, particularly in popularity, growth and licensing. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Ghostty wins

Community & Popularity

Ghostty significantly outpaces iTerm 2 in community adoption with 62,566 stars compared to 18,214 stars on GitHub. This 3.4x difference suggests Ghostty has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Ghostty has 3,710 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Ghostty wins

Growth Momentum

Ghostty is growing faster, adding 1,057 stars in the last 30 days (+1.7%) against adding 119 stars for iTerm 2 (+0.7%). Ghostty is both larger and pulling further ahead.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Ghostty last updated 21 hours ago and iTerm 2 3 hours ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with CSS, Bash, Python, C, Objective-C, Swift, C++, MATLAB. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Ghostty uses GLSL, Zig while iTerm 2 leverages JavaScript, Ruby.

iTerm 2 wins

Project Maturity

iTerm 2 has been in development longer, starting 16 years ago, compared to Ghostty which began 5 years ago. This 11.1-year head start suggests iTerm 2 may have more mature features and established processes.

Ghostty wins

Licensing

Ghostty uses the MIT license, which is more permissive than iTerm 2's GPL-2.0 license, potentially offering greater flexibility for commercial use and integration.

Comparable