iTerm2 vs TablePlus
The ultimate side-by-side head-to-head analysis for 2026.
Short answer
- Price: not directly comparable — iTerm2 is free, TablePlus is free tier available.
- How to start: iTerm2 is free, TablePlus is free tier available.
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 We do not publish a quality score, because we do not have one we can stand behind.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
TablePlus
Category
Developer Tools
Developer Tools
Base Price
Free
Free tier
Public API
No
No
Mobile app
No
Yes
Open source / self-hostable
Yes
No
SSO (SAML)
No
No
Choose iTerm2 if:
Mac users who spend real time in a terminal.
Choose TablePlus if:
Developers who want a quick, pleasant database client for daily work.
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
TablePlus: pros & cons
- Fast and genuinely native
- Clean interface that stays out of the way
- Handles most common databases
- Free version limits open tabs
- One-off licence covers only a major version
- Fewer advanced features than heavier clients
Our verdict on iTerm2
The long-standing default on macOS, and still free. Newer terminals win on polish, not capability.
Our verdict on TablePlus
Worth paying for if you open a database client every day.