Compare›GNU Screen vs iTerm2

GNU Screen vs iTerm2

Side-by-side terminal feature comparison

Summary

GNU Screen

68%

171/251 passed

vs

iTerm2

94%

238/254 passed

74 features differ between these terminals

Feature Comparison

Character Sets

Feature	GNU Screen	iTerm2
DEC line drawing character set	✗	✓
DEC Special Graphics	✗	✓
G0/G1 character set switching	✗	✓
UTF-8 mode	✗	✓

Cursor

Feature	GNU Screen	iTerm2
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

Feature	GNU Screen	iTerm2
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

Feature	GNU Screen	iTerm2
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

Feature	GNU Screen	iTerm2
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

Feature	GNU Screen	iTerm2
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

Feature	GNU Screen	iTerm2
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

Feature	GNU Screen	iTerm2
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

Feature	GNU Screen	iTerm2
DECALN screen alignment (ESC # 8)	✓	✓
Backend reset() method	✓	✓
Full reset (RIS)	✓	✓
SGR reset clears attributes	✗	✓
Soft reset (DECSTR)	✓	✓

Scrollback

Feature	GNU Screen	iTerm2
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	✓	✓

SGR (Text Styling)

Feature	GNU Screen	iTerm2
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

Feature	GNU Screen	iTerm2
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

Feature	GNU Screen	iTerm2
East Asian Ambiguous Width	✗	✓
Grapheme Cluster Cursor Movement	✗	✓
Tab Stops (HT)	✗	✓
Wide Char at Line Wrap	✗	✓

Only in GNU Screen

2 features supported by GNU Screen but not iTerm2:

• CUP at screen boundariesCursor
• DECRQCRA — checksum rectangular areaEditing

Only in iTerm2

69 features supported by iTerm2 but not GNU Screen:

• DEC line drawing character setCharacter Sets
• DEC Special GraphicsCharacter Sets
• G0/G1 character set switchingCharacter Sets
• UTF-8 modeCharacter Sets
• ANSI restore cursor (CSI u)Cursor
• ANSI save cursor (CSI s)Cursor
• CPL cursor preceding line (CSI F)Cursor
• CUD stops at bottomCursor
• Cursor horizontal absolute (CHA)Cursor
• HPA horizontal position absolute (CSI `)Cursor
• Cursor position (CUP)Cursor
• Cursor down (CUD)Cursor
• Cursor forward (CUF)Cursor
• Cursor homeCursor
• Cursor up (CUU)Cursor
• Cursor next line (CNL)Cursor
• Cursor position report (DSR 6)Cursor
• Save/restore cursor (DECSC)Cursor
• VPA vertical position absolute (CSI d)Cursor
• Mode Report (DECRPM)Device Status
• Query Terminfo (XTGETTCAP)Device Status
• Terminal Version (XTVERSION)Device Status
• Report window title (CSI 21 t)Device Status
• Delete characters (DCH)Editing
• Delete lines (DL)Editing
• Insert lines (IL)Editing
• Repeat character (REP)Editing
• Erase character (ECH)Erase
• Erase line (EL 2)Erase
• Erase to BOL (EL 1)Erase
• Erase to EOL (EL 0)Erase
• Erase above (ED 1)Erase
• Erase screen (ED 2)Erase
• Erase below (ED 0)Erase
• Erase scrollback (ED 3)Erase
• Kitty keyboard: REPORT_ALL_KEYS (flag 8)Extensions
• Kitty keyboard: REPORT_ALTERNATE (flag 4)Extensions
• Kitty keyboard: REPORT_EVENTS (flag 2)Extensions
• Kitty keyboard: REPORT_TEXT (flag 16)Extensions
• Background color query (OSC 11)Extensions
• Cursor color (OSC 12)Extensions
• OSC 133;A prompt start (FTCS_PROMPT)Extensions
• OSC 133;B command start (FTCS_COMMAND_START)Extensions
• Hyperlinks (OSC 8)Extensions
• 24-bit truecolorExtensions
• SGR reset clears attributesReset
• DECSTBM reset to full screenScrollback
• Reverse index (RI)Scrollback
• Scroll up (SU)Scrollback
• Backspace (BS)Text
• Basic text renderingText
• Carriage returnText
• HTS set tab stop (ESC H)Text
• Index (IND)Text
• Line feedText
• Next line (NEL)Text
• Overwrite at cursorText
• Reverse Index at Scroll TopText
• Tab stopsText
• CJK wide chars (2 cols)Text
• Emoji wide chars (2 cols)Text
• Regional indicator flags (2 cols)Text
• Variation selector 16 (emoji presentation)Text
• Emoji ZWJ sequences (2 cols)Text
• Text wraps at widthText
• East Asian Ambiguous WidthUnicode
• Grapheme Cluster Cursor MovementUnicode
• Tab Stops (HT)Unicode
• Wide Char at Line WrapUnicode

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