Pick iTerm2 if
mac users who will stay on the GPL binary at $0 while they split a first vim + compile pane — not Warp Build $20 first unless they want a hosted agent, and not a Linux-only build (there isn’t one).
Read the iTerm2 pageiTerm2 vs Wave Terminal
Our take
Pick iTerm2 if mac users who will stay on the GPL binary at $0 while they split a first vim + compile pane — not Warp Build $20 first unless they want a hosted agent, and not a Linux-only build (there isn’t one). Pick Wave Terminal if developers who will stay on Apache Wave at $0 — not Warp Build $20 first unless they want a hosted agent allowance.
Best for
iTerm2 A local Mac terminal you start at a public $
Wave Terminal See the folder next to the prompt at $0
Free plan
iTerm2 $0 · download from the site. Optional donation button on iterm2.com
Wave Terminal $0 · apache-2.0. Download from the site or GitHub releases
Lowest paid
iTerm2 Not published by the vendor
Wave Terminal Not published by the vendor
Runs where
iTerm2 Terminal; models hosted
Wave Terminal
Watch out
iTerm2 macOS-only
Wave Terminal AI features still need a model key
Last checked
iTerm2 2026-10-23 · iterm2.com
Wave Terminal 2026-10-26 · waveterm.dev
Which one, then?
Pick Wave Terminal if
developers who will stay on Apache Wave at $0 — not Warp Build $20 first unless they want a hosted agent allowance.
Read the Wave Terminal page