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iTerm2 vs Kitty ​

Side-by-side terminal feature comparison

Summary ​

iTerm2

94%
238/254 passed
vs

Kitty

91%
230/254 passed

12 features differ between these terminals

Analysis2026-09-28

iTerm2 scores 94% (238/254) vs Kitty at 91% (230/254). iTerm2 leads by 3 percentage points. Only in iTerm2: OSC 52 clipboard read, Sixel support in DA1, Cursor back (CUB), Cursor down (CUD), Cursor up (CUU) and 5 more. Only in Kitty: Report cell size in pixels (CSI 16 t), XTREPORTCOLORS — report color capabilities (CSI # R).

Feature Comparison ​

Character Sets ​

FeatureiTerm2Kitty
DEC line drawing character set✓✓
DEC Special Graphics✓✓
G0/G1 character set switching✓✓
UTF-8 mode✓✓

Cursor ​

FeatureiTerm2Kitty
ANSI restore cursor (CSI u)✓✓
ANSI save cursor (CSI s)✓✓
CPL cursor preceding line (CSI F)✓✓
CUD stops at bottom✓✓
CUP at screen boundaries✗✗
CUP with DECOM✗✗
CUU stops at top✓✓
Hide cursor (DECTCEM)✓✓
Cursor horizontal absolute (CHA)✓✓
HPA horizontal position absolute (CSI `)✓✓
Cursor position (CUP)✓✓
Cursor back (CUB)✓✗
Cursor down (CUD)✓✗
Cursor forward (CUF)✓✓
Cursor home✓✓
Cursor up (CUU)✓✗
Cursor next line (CNL)✓✓
Cursor position report (DSR 6)✓✓
Reverse Wrap (Mode 45)✓✓
Save/restore cursor (DECSC)✓✓
Cursor shape (DECSCUSR)✓✓
VPA vertical position absolute (CSI d)✓✓

Device Status ​

FeatureiTerm2Kitty
Mode Report (DECRPM)✓✓
Request Setting (DECRQSS)✓✓
DSR ?996 — color scheme query??
COLORTERM env variable??
KITTY_* env variables??
LC_TERMINAL env variable??
NO_COLOR env variable??
TERM env variable??
TERM_PROGRAM env variable??
VTE_VERSION env variable??
WEZTERM_* env variables??
WT_SESSION env variable??
Primary device attributes (DA1)✓✓
Secondary Device Attributes (DA2)✓✓
Device status report (DSR 5)✓✓
Feature Reporting (TERM_FEATURES)✓✗
Tertiary Device Attributes (DA3)✓✗
Query Terminfo (XTGETTCAP)✓✓
XTGETXRES — query resource value (DCS + Q)✗✗
XTREPORTCOLORS — report color capabilities (CSI # R)✗✓
Terminal Version (XTVERSION)✓✓
Report window size in pixels (CSI 14 t)✓✓
Report cell size in pixels (CSI 16 t)✗✓
Report text area size in chars (CSI 18 t)✓✓
Report icon label (CSI 20 t)✓✗
Report window title (CSI 21 t)✓✗
Push title/icon stack (CSI 22 ; 0 t)✓✓
Pop title/icon stack (CSI 23 ; 0 t)✓✓

Editing ​

FeatureiTerm2Kitty
DECCARA — change attrs in rectangle✓✓
DECCRA — copy rectangular area✓✓
DECDC — delete columns (CSI Ps ' ~)✓✓
DECERA — erase rectangular area✓✓
DECFRA — fill rectangular area✓✓
DECIC — insert columns (CSI Ps ' })✓✓
DECRARA — reverse attrs in rectangle✓✓
DECRQCRA — checksum rectangular area✗✗
DECSACE — select attribute-change extent✓✓
DECSERA — selective erase rectangular area✓✓
Delete characters (DCH)✓✓
Delete lines (DL)✓✓
Insert characters (ICH)✓✓
Insert lines (IL)✓✓
Repeat character (REP)✓✓
SL — shift left (CSI Ps SP @)✓✓
SR — shift right (CSI Ps SP A)✓✓

Erase ​

FeatureiTerm2Kitty
Erase character (ECH)✓✓
ED at scroll region boundary✓✓
EL erases with bg color✓✓
Erase line (EL 2)✓✓
Erase to BOL (EL 1)✓✓
Erase to EOL (EL 0)✓✓
Erase above (ED 1)✓✓
Erase screen (ED 2)✓✓
Erase below (ED 0)✓✓
Erase scrollback (ED 3)✓✓
Selective Erase (DECSED)✓✓

Extensions ​

FeatureiTerm2Kitty
System clipboard paste??
Font ligatures??
iTerm2 Inline Images (OSC 1337)✓✓
Kitty graphics protocol✓✓
Kitty graphics: animation✓✓
Kitty graphics: display✓✓
Kitty graphics: transmit✓✓
Kitty graphics: Unicode placeholders✗✗
Kitty keyboard protocol✓✓
Kitty keyboard: DISAMBIGUATE (flag 1)✓✓
Kitty keyboard: REPORT_ALL_KEYS (flag 8)✓✓
Kitty keyboard: REPORT_ALTERNATE (flag 4)✓✓
Kitty keyboard: REPORT_EVENTS (flag 2)✓✓
Kitty keyboard: REPORT_TEXT (flag 16)✓✓
Desktop Notifications (OSC 9/777)✓✓
VS Code Shell Integration (OSC 633)✓✓
Icon and title (OSC 0)✓✓
Icon name (OSC 1)✓✓
Foreground color query (OSC 10)✓✓
Reset color palette (OSC 104)✓✓
Background color query (OSC 11)✓✓
Reset foreground color (OSC 110)✓✓
Reset background color (OSC 111)✓✓
Reset cursor color (OSC 112)✓✓
Reset pointer fg color (OSC 113)✓✓
Reset pointer bg color (OSC 114)✓✓
Reset highlight background (OSC 117)✓✓
Reset highlight foreground (OSC 119)✓✓
Cursor color (OSC 12)✓✓
OSC 133;A prompt start (FTCS_PROMPT)✓✓
OSC 133;B command start (FTCS_COMMAND_START)✓✓
OSC 133;C command executed (FTCS_COMMAND_EXECUTED)✓✓
OSC 133;D command finished (FTCS_COMMAND_FINISHED)✓✓
OSC 133;P properties✓✓
iTerm2 Capability Reporting (OSC 1337)✗✗
iTerm2 Cell Size Reporting (OSC 1337)✗✗
Highlight background (OSC 17)✓✓
Set Wayland app-id (OSC 176)✓✓
Highlight foreground (OSC 19)✓✓
Window title (OSC 2)✓✓
Kitty color protocol (OSC 21)✓✓
Pointer shape (OSC 22)✓✓
Kitty color stack push (OSC 30001)✓✓
Systemd context (OSC 3008)✓✓
Kitty color stack pop (OSC 30101)✓✓
Color palette (OSC 4)✓✓
Audio sound (OSC 440)✓✓
Special color (OSC 5)✗✗
Clipboard access (OSC 52)✓✓
OSC 52 clipboard read✓✗
OSC 52 clipboard write✓✓
OSC 5522 advanced clipboard✗✗
Screen flash (OSC 555)✓✓
OSC 633;A prompt start✓✓
OSC 633;B prompt end✓✓
OSC 633;C pre-execution✓✓
OSC 633;D command finished✓✓
OSC 633;E set commandline✓✓
OSC 633;P properties✓✓
OSC 66 text sizing✓✓
VTE termprop (OSC 666)✓✓
Current directory (OSC 7)✓✓
Locale query/set (OSC 701)✓✓
Version query (OSC 702)✓✓
Set normal font (OSC 710)✓✓
Scroll view up (OSC 720)✓✓
Cell size report (OSC 776)✓✓
Notifications (OSC 777)✓✓
Font size query/set (OSC 7770)✓✓
Font + window size (OSC 7777)✓✓
Hyperlinks (OSC 8)✓✓
OSC 9;4 progress bar✓✓
Desktop notifications (OSC 99)✓✓
Text reflow on resize✓✓
Semantic prompts (OSC 133)✓✓
Sixel graphics✗✗
Sixel support in DA1✓✗
Sixel geometry report (CSI ? Pi;Pa;Pv S)✗✗
24-bit truecolor✓✓

Input Protocols ​

FeatureiTerm2Kitty
Button-Event Mouse (1002)✓✓
CSI u Key Encoding✓✓
Kitty click events??
modifyOtherKeys✓✓
modifyOtherKeys mode 3✓✓
Pixel Mouse Reporting (1016)✓✓
urxvt Mouse Reporting (1015)✓✓
X10 Mouse Tracking (9)✓✓

Modes ​

FeatureiTerm2Kitty
Enter alt screen (DECSET 1049)✓✓
Exit alt screen (DECRST 1049)✓✓
Alt-scroll mouse wheel (?1007)✓✓
Alt screen clear-on-enter (?1047)✓✓
Save/restore cursor (?1048)✓✗
Alt screen legacy (?47)✓✓
App cursor keys (DECCKM)✓✓
Application keypad (DECKPAM)✓✓
Auto-wrap (DECAWM)✓✓
Bracketed paste (DECSET 2004)✓✓
Mode 2031 color scheme reporting✓✓
DECCOLM 80/132 column switch (?3)✓✓
DECSCLM — smooth scroll mode??
DECSSCLS — set scroll speed??
Focus tracking (DECSET 1004)✓✓
Insert/replace mode (IRM)✓✓
Left/Right Margins (DECLRMM, Mode 69)✓✓
All motion mouse (DECSET 1003)✓✓
SGR mouse mode (DECSET 1006)✓✓
Mouse tracking (DECSET 1000)✓✓
Origin mode (DECOM)✓✓
Reverse video (DECSCNM)✓✓
Synchronized output (DECSET 2026)✓✓
UTF-8 mouse mode (?1005)✓✓
Pop color palette (CSI # Q)✓✓
XTPOPSGR — pop SGR stack (CSI # })✓✓
Push color palette (CSI # P)✓✓
XTPUSHSGR — push SGR stack (CSI # {)✓✓
XTRESTORE — restore DEC private modes (CSI ? Pm r)✓✓
XTSAVE — save DEC private modes (CSI ? Pm s)✓✓

Reset ​

FeatureiTerm2Kitty
DECALN screen alignment (ESC # 8)✓✓
Backend reset() method✓✓
Full reset (RIS)✓✓
SGR reset clears attributes✓✓
Soft reset (DECSTR)✓✓

Scrollback ​

FeatureiTerm2Kitty
Scrollback accumulates✓✓
Alt screen separate scrollback✓✓
DECSTBM constrains scrolling✓✓
DECSTBM reset to full screen✓✓
Reverse index (RI)✓✓
Scroll down (SD)✓✓
Scroll up (SU)✓✓
Scroll region (DECSTBM)✓✓
Total line count✓✓
Viewport holds on output??

SGR (Text Styling) ​

FeatureiTerm2Kitty
256-color bg (SGR 48;5)✓✓
Bright bg colors (SGR 100-107)✓✓
Default bg color (SGR 49)✓✓
Standard bg colors (SGR 40-47)✓✓
24-bit bg (SGR 48;2)✓✓
Blink (SGR 5)✓✓
Bold (SGR 1)✓✓
Faint/dim (SGR 2)✓✓
256-color fg (SGR 38;5)✓✓
Bright fg colors (SGR 90-97)✓✓
Default fg color (SGR 39)✓✓
Standard fg colors (SGR 30-37)✓✓
24-bit fg (SGR 38;2)✓✓
Hidden/invisible (SGR 8)✓✓
Inverse video (SGR 7)✓✓
Italic (SGR 3)✓✓
Overline (SGR 53)✓✓
Reset all (SGR 0)✓✓
Reset bold/dim (SGR 22)✓✓
Reset inverse (SGR 27)✓✓
Reset italic (SGR 23)✓✓
Reset underline (SGR 24)✓✓
Strikethrough (SGR 9)✓✓
Underline color, indexed (SGR 58;5)✓✓
Reset underline color (SGR 59)✓✓
Underline color, truecolor (SGR 58;2)✓✓
Underline color (SGR 58)✓✓
Curly underline (SGR 4:3)✓✓
Dashed underline (SGR 4:5)✓✓
Dotted underline (SGR 4:4)✓✓
Double underline (SGR 21)✓✓
Underline (SGR 4)✓✓

Text ​

FeatureiTerm2Kitty
Backspace (BS)✓✓
Basic text rendering✓✓
CBT backward tab (CSI Z)✗✗
CHT forward tab (CSI I)✗✗
Combining characters (0 cols)✓✓
Carriage return✓✓
HTS set tab stop (ESC H)✓✓
Index (IND)✓✓
Line feed✓✓
Next line (NEL)✓✓
Overwrite at cursor✓✓
Reverse Index at Scroll Top✓✓
Tab stops✓✓
TBC clear tab stop (CSI g)✗✗
CJK wide chars (2 cols)✓✓
Emoji wide chars (2 cols)✓✓
Regional indicator flags (2 cols)✓✓
Variation selector 16 (emoji presentation)✓✓
Emoji ZWJ sequences (2 cols)✓✓
Text wraps at width✓✓

Unicode ​

FeatureiTerm2Kitty
East Asian Ambiguous Width✓✓
Grapheme Cluster Cursor Movement✓✓
Tab Stops (HT)✓✓
Wide Char at Line Wrap✓✓

Only in Kitty ​

2 features supported by Kitty but not iTerm2:

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