iTerm2 vs Keycloak
The ultimate side-by-side head-to-head analysis for 2026.
Short answer
- Price: both start at Free.
- How to start: both are free.
These lines are generated from the pricing we track, not from a paid placement. We do not publish a quality score, because we do not have one we can stand behind. They cannot tell you which tool fits your workflow — the sections below are there for that. How we score tools.
iTerm2
Keycloak
Category
Developer Tools
Developer Tools
Base Price
Free
Free
Public API
No
Yes
Mobile app
No
No
Open source / self-hostable
Yes
Yes
SSO (SAML)
No
Yes
Choose iTerm2 if:
Mac users who spend real time in a terminal.
Choose Keycloak if:
Organisations that need enterprise identity without a per-user bill.
iTerm2: pros & cons
- Free and mature
- Split panes and session restore
- Deeply configurable
- macOS only
- Configuration surface is large
- Interface is functional rather than modern
Keycloak: pros & cons
- Full identity server at no licence cost
- Standards support including SAML and OIDC
- Complete control over user data
- Operating it is a real responsibility
- Administration console is dense
- Upgrades need care
Our verdict on iTerm2
The long-standing default on macOS, and still free. Newer terminals win on polish, not capability.
Our verdict on Keycloak
The serious open-source answer to Auth0. Budget for the operations, because the licence saving is not free.