HearthGate icon
HearthGate icon

HearthGate

Secure Mac OpenSSH access manager and VNC-over-SSH gateway with restricted keys, ready-made scripts, bundles, logs, and no cloud account.

Secure Gateway Monitor

Cost / License

  • Pay once
  • Proprietary

Platforms

  • Mac  Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later on Apple Silicon or Intel Mac. Runs on the Mac being accessed; uses Apple Screen Sharing and OpenSSH, and does not include its own VNC viewer.
Connection Creator
Connection Key and Script Bundle Download Screen
+2
Admin Settings
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Features

Properties

  1.  Privacy focused

Features

  1.  Screen Sharing
  2.  Ad-free
  3.  Dark Mode
  4.  No Tracking
  5.  No registration required
  6.  AES-256 Encryption
  7.  VNC Server
  8.  VNC Support
  9.  SSH
  10.  Access Control
  11.  Firewall
  12.  SSH Tunnel

 Tags

HearthGate News & Activities

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HearthGate information

  • Developed by

    TR flagcodnamacs

  • Licensing

    Proprietary and Commercial product.

  • Pricing

    One time purchase (perpetual license) ranging between $39 and $149.

  • Alternatives

    3 alternatives listed

  • Supported Languages

    • English
HearthGate was added to AlternativeTo by codnamacs on and this page was last updated .
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What is HearthGate?

HearthGate is a native macOS security gateway for remote access to a Mac. It manages and hardens the Mac-side OpenSSH access path, while also making Apple Screen Sharing available through secure VNC-over-SSH workflows.

The app runs on the Mac being reached. It helps generate Ed25519 keys, create restricted access profiles, enforce per-key rules, define origin scopes, set expiration dates and time windows, limit sessions, monitor activity, and revoke access when needed. These controls can be used for VNC tunneling, but they are also useful for regular SSH-based remote administration.

For VNC workflows, HearthGate keeps Apple Screen Sharing as the screen server and places access behind SSH tunneling, firewall-enforced VNC lockdown, local-only VNC binding, session visibility, and audit logs. This allows users to connect with their existing SSH and VNC tools without exposing port 5900 directly to the network.

The Connection tab can generate ready-to-use commands, scripts, and connection bundles for different operating systems, including macOS, Linux/Unix, Windows PowerShell, and Windows cmd workflows. Bundles can include launch scripts, connection files, keys, and helper materials so remote access can be prepared without manually writing every SSH command.

HearthGate is designed for Mac admins, homelab users, consultants, studios, developers, and security-conscious individuals who want controlled SSH and VNC-over-SSH access without depending on a proprietary cloud relay or account-based viewer ecosystem. It works alongside existing SSH/VNC tools such as OpenSSH, PuTTY, MobaXterm, RealVNC, TigerVNC, TightVNC, Remmina, AVNC, and Screens.

Security and operations features include restricted keys, VNC-only keys, optional broader SSH keys, per-key origin scopes, expiration dates, time windows, session caps, brute-force IP blocking, one-click disconnect, key revocation, clipboard guard, connection hooks, encrypted exports/backups, System Controls, process visibility, live unified logs, and audit/event history.

HearthGate is not a standalone VNC viewer and it does not replace Apple Screen Sharing or OpenSSH. It secures, manages, and packages the Mac-side SSH and VNC-over-SSH workflow while letting users connect with the SSH client or VNC viewer they already use.

Official Links