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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Stars
55,913
Forks
2,843
Last commit
24 hours ago
Repository age
4 years
License
MIT

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iTerm 2

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

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Stars
17,643
Forks
1,398
Last commit
3 hours ago
Repository age
15 years
License
GPL-2.0

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Detailed Comparison

Both Ghostty and iTerm 2 have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Ghostty wins

Community & Popularity

Ghostty significantly outpaces iTerm 2 in community adoption with 55,913 stars compared to 17,643 stars on GitHub. This 3.2x difference suggests Ghostty has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Ghostty has 2,843 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Ghostty last updated 24 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, C++, Swift, 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 15 years ago, compared to Ghostty which began 4 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