maiTerm vs iTerm2
iTerm2 is the mature, deeply configurable macOS terminal. maiTerm is narrower: the same daily ergonomics plus state management for a desk full of agents.
What iTerm2 is
iTerm2 is the long-standing macOS terminal emulator: profiles, split panes, triggers, tmux integration, shell integration, and roughly two decades of accumulated configurability. Free, and about as battle-tested as a terminal gets.
Where iTerm2 is the better choice
iTerm2 is more configurable in almost every dimension, has years more hardening, supports Intel Macs, and has an ecosystem of guides and dotfiles maiTerm cannot match. Its tmux integration in particular has no equivalent here.
Which to use
If you are not running coding agents, keep using iTerm2 — maiTerm is not trying to out-terminal it, and will not win on breadth of configuration or on maturity. The reason to switch is specific: you have several agent sessions going at once and you have started losing track of which one needs you, what it is working on, and what it was doing before the last restart.
Side by side
| maiTerm | iTerm2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Agent awareness | Tracks each agent’s live state — working, waiting for permission, done — per tab, per workspace and in a global footer roll-up. | None. An agent is just a process writing to a terminal. |
| Shared task state | A kanban board the agent and you both work — seven lanes, workstreams, real dependencies, assignment — scoped to the project. | Not applicable. |
| Restart behaviour | Tabs, layout, scrollback, working directories, SSH sessions and agent sessions all come back, with each agent reconnected. | Window arrangements and profiles restore; running sessions do not. |
| Configurability | A focused set of preferences, themes and triggers. | Far broader. Two decades of settings, and tmux integration. |
| Platforms | macOS (Apple Silicon), Windows, Linux. | macOS only, Intel included. |
iTerm2 details are as published by its makers as of 2026-09 and may have changed since — check their own documentation before deciding.
Try it against your own desk
It is a terminal first. Open a project, run a shell, and turn the rest on when you want it.
Also compare: maiTerm vs Warp maiTerm vs Solo