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App Open source 3,984 installs/mo

kitty for Mac

GPU-based terminal emulator

Quick answer: kitty is a terminal emulator for macOS. Install it with brew install --cask kitty. The project is open source. It has 3,984 Homebrew installs in the last 30 days.

What kitty is

kitty is a terminal emulator for macOS: GPU-based terminal emulator.

It is distributed as a Homebrew cask, which installs a .app bundle into your Applications folder. The project is open source and lives at https://github.com/kovidgoyal/kitty.

How to install kitty

  1. Open Terminal (press ⌘ + Space and type “Terminal”).
  2. If Homebrew is not installed yet, run the installer below once.
  3. Run brew install --cask kitty.

Homebrew installer, if you need it:

Prefer a graphical installer? Download it from the official site. MacPicks never hosts or mirrors binaries — the Homebrew command always pulls from the vendor's own release.

Alternatives to kitty

Compared within the same category and with a comparable install base, so the list stays useful rather than turning into a popularity chart.

iTerm2Terminal emulator as alternative to Apple's Terminal appApp18,543/moWezTermGPU-accelerated cross-platform terminal emulator and multiplexerAppOpen source2,175/moGhosttyTerminal emulator that uses platform-native UI and GPU accelerationApp29,286/moWarpRust-based terminalApp5,739/moRioHardware-accelerated GPU terminal emulatorAppOpen source188/moTabbyTerminal emulator, SSH and serial clientAppOpen source950/mo

Compare kitty with its alternatives in detail →

Frequently asked questions

How do I install kitty on Mac?

Run brew install --cask kitty in Terminal. This requires Homebrew; if you do not have it, install it first with the command below.

Is kitty open source?

Yes. The project's source repository is linked from its homepage: kovidgoyal/kitty.

Does kitty run on Apple silicon?

Yes, as a universal binary.

How popular is kitty?

It was installed 3,984 times in the last 30 days according to Homebrew analytics, ranking #398 in this catalogue.

What version of kitty is current?

The latest packaged version is 0.49.2.