# Best Terminal Emulators for macOS in 2026

Source: https://listme.name/best/terminal-emulators/macos

Terminal emulators differ on platform reach, built-in features such as tabs and multiplexing, and licensing. This ranking favors terminals that run on several systems and need little setup, then weighs native features for macOS and Windows and the open-source license.

## 1. WezTerm (score 91.5)

A cross-platform terminal and multiplexer with SSH, serial ports and copy mode built in, under the MIT license. Its configuration surface is large, so the first setup takes time.

- Best for: One cross-platform terminal with multiplexing
- Free and open source | Windows, macOS, Linux | open source (MIT)
- Website: https://wezterm.org/
- Page: https://listme.name/software/wezterm

## 2. iTerm2 (score 89.5)

A long-standing macOS terminal with split panes, profiles and shell integration, free under the GPL v2. It runs only on macOS, so it cannot cover a mixed set of computers.

- Best for: Power features on a Mac
- Free and open source | macOS | open source (GPL-2.0)
- Website: https://iterm2.com/
- Page: https://listme.name/software/iterm2

## 3. Ghostty (score 88.0)

A fast, native terminal for macOS and Linux with GPU acceleration and search through scrollback, under the MIT license. Its download page lists no Windows build, and it is a younger project.

- Best for: Fast native terminal on macOS and Linux
- Free and open source | macOS, Linux | open source (MIT)
- Website: https://ghostty.org/
- Page: https://listme.name/software/ghostty

## 4. kitty (score 85.0)

A GPU-based terminal for Linux and macOS with window layouts, a remote control protocol and image display. It has no Windows build, and its GPL-3.0 license requires shared source for modified distributions.

- Best for: Scripting and layouts on Linux or macOS
- Free and open source | Linux, macOS | open source (GPL-3.0)
- Website: https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/
- Page: https://listme.name/software/kitty

## 5. Warp (score 82.5)

A modern terminal with built-in AI agents, available for macOS, Linux and Windows, with a Free plan. Paid plans bill extra agent usage, and its focus on agents differs from a plain terminal.

- Best for: Terminal work with built-in AI agents
- Free plan, paid upgrades | macOS, Linux, Windows | open source (AGPL-3.0)
- Website: https://www.warp.dev/
- Page: https://listme.name/software/warp

## 6. Alacritty (score 79.0)

A fast, minimal OpenGL terminal for BSD, Linux, macOS and Windows under Apache-2.0 or MIT. It has no built-in tabs or splits, and the project describes itself as beta-level software.

- Best for: Minimal, fast terminal with a multiplexer
- Free and open source | Linux, macOS, Windows | open source (Apache-2.0)
- Website: https://alacritty.org/
- Page: https://listme.name/software/alacritty