PowerShell AlternativesShells and other similar apps like PowerShell

PowerShell is described as '(including Windows PowerShell and PowerShell Core) is a task automation and configuration management framework from Microsoft, consisting of a command-line shell and associated scripting language built on the .NET Framework' and is a very popular Shell in the os & utilities category. There are more than 50 alternatives to PowerShell for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, BSD and iPad apps. The best PowerShell alternative is PuTTY, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like PowerShell are Tabby, Cmder, ConEmu and iTerm2.

filter to find the best alternatives

PowerShell alternatives are mainly Terminal Emulators, but if you're looking for Shells or SSH Clients you can filter on that. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to PowerShell.
PowerShell iconPowerShell
  196
  • Shell
  • Free • Open Source
  • ...

PowerShell (including Windows PowerShell and PowerShell Core) is a task automation and configuration management framework from Microsoft, consisting of a command-line shell and associated scripting language built on the...

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PowerShell alternatives page was last updated Jun 19, 2025
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  1. PuTTY icon

    PuTTY

     1433 likes
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    Free and open-source terminal emulator for connecting to remote systems via SSH, Telnet, and SCP. Portable with no installation required, providing lightweight functionality. Ideal for secure connections with features like command line support and customizable settings. Works offline effortlessly.

    114 PuTTY alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • ReactOS
    PuTTY screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Configurable

    Features

    1.  SSH
    2.  Built-in SSH client
    3.  Telnet client
    4.  Host management
    5.  Graphical User Interface
    6.  No registration required
    7.  Serial terminal
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  Support for SFTP
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  Command line interface
    12.  Portable

    PuTTY VS PowerShell

     
    Comments about PuTTY as an Alternative to PowerShell
    anselmus
    Negative Jan 28, 2024
    2

    PuTTY is not a shell in that sense. PuTTY is an alternative to programs like ssh which can run in powershell.

    PowerShell Icon
    PuTTY icon

    • PuTTY is the most popular Windows & Linux alternative to PowerShell.

    • PuTTY is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to PowerShell.

    • PuTTY is Free and Open SourcePowerShell is also Free and Open Source
    • PuTTY is LightweightPowerShell is not according to our users
  2. Tabby icon

    Tabby

     105 likes
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    Tabby is an infinitely customizable cross-platform terminal app for local shells, serial, SSH and Telnet connections.

    101 Tabby alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • UA flagUkraine

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Tabby screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Support for Themes
    3.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  SSH
    2.  Command line interface
    3.  Support for SFTP
    4.  Multiple Servers
    5.  Dark Mode
    6.  Electron based
    7.  Portable
    8.  Serial-port
    9.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  Ad-free
    12.  Tabbed interface

    Tabby VS PowerShell

     
    Comments about Tabby as an Alternative to PowerShell
    anselmus
    Negative Jan 28, 2024
    2

    Tabby is a terminal emulator and not a shell.

    Guest
    Positive Sep 19, 2019
    0

    Great looking, fast, convenient.

    PowerShell Icon
    Tabby icon

    • Tabby is the most popular Mac alternative to PowerShell.

    • Tabby is Free and Open SourcePowerShell is also Free and Open Source
    • Tabby is CustomizablePowerShell is not according to our users
  4. Cmder icon

    Cmder

     239 likes
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    Cmder is an open-source replacement for the Windows command-line. It relies on ConEmu , extending it with the power of clink and some great looking defaults including a Monokai color scheme and custom prompt...

    39 Cmder alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • clink
    • ConEmu
    • Windows Command Prompt
    • PowerShell
    Cmder screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Tabbed interface
    2.  Command line/bash
    3.  Portable
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  ANSI color support
    6.  No registration required
    7.  Autocompletion
    8. File Explorer icon  Windows Explorer Extension
    9.  Command line interface
    10.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    11.  Built-in SSH client

    Cmder VS PowerShell

     
  5. ConEmu icon

    ConEmu

     385 likes
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    Windows console emulator with tabs, which presents multiple consoles and simple GUI applications as one customizable GUI window with various features.

    58 ConEmu alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • UA flagUkraine

    Platforms

    • Windows
    ConEmu screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Tabbed interface
    2.  Shell integration
    3.  Quake-style
    4.  ANSI color support
    5.  Split-screen view
    6.  Multi-tabs
    7.  Portable
    8.  Multiple window layouts
    9.  Command line interface
    10.  Support environment variables
    11.  Remote Debugging
    12.  Kubernetes

    ConEmu VS PowerShell

     
    Comments about ConEmu as an Alternative to PowerShell
    SamB
    Negative Aug 9, 2015
    9

    ConEmu is not a shell, and PowerShell is not a console emulator. I suppose you could argue that PowerShell ISE sort-of is, but that's not the /point/ of PowerShell ISE, so...

    PowerShell Icon
    ConEmu icon

    • Most users think ConEmu is a great PowerShell alternative.

    • ConEmu is Free and Open SourcePowerShell is also Free and Open Source
    • ConEmu is CustomizablePowerShell is not according to our users
  6. iTerm2 icon

    iTerm2

     171 likes
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    Terminal emulator for macOS enabling split panes, session restoration, advanced customization, search, SSH, automation features, tmux integration, Unicode, mouse support, notifications, inline images, broadcast input, and profile management.

    82 iTerm2 alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    By Itself

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Clean design

    Features

    1.  Supports Python
    2.  SSH
    3.  Integrated Search
    4.  Key binding
    5.  Support for scripting
    6.  Multiple Profiles
    7.  Split windows
    8.  Quake-style
    9.  Notifications

    iTerm2 VS PowerShell

     
  7. Cygwin icon

    Cygwin

     225 likes
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    Cygwin is a Unix-like environment and command-line interface for Microsoft Windows. Cygwin provides native integration of Windows-based applications, data, and other system resources with applications, software tools, and data of the Unix-like environment.

    28 Cygwin alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Cygwin terminals running on Windows 7

    Cygwin Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  Linux on Windows
    3.  SSH
    4.  POSIX-compatible
    5.  ANSI color support

    Cygwin VS PowerShell

     
  9. fish icon

    fish

     105 likes
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    Fish is a user-friendly command line shell for UNIX-like operating systems such as Linux

    31 fish alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Rust
    fish screenshot 1

    Top fish Features

    1.  Sane defaults
    2.  Autocompletion
    3.  Color coding
    4.  Colored Text
    5.  Syntax Highlighting
    6.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    7.  No registration required
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  Command line interface
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  Interpreter

    fish VS PowerShell

     
  10. KiTTY icon

    KiTTY

     187 likes
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    KiTTY is an opensource terminal emulator, forked from PuTTY , that adds many extra features to the original software.

    93 KiTTY alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    transparency settings

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  SSH
    2.  Session Management
    3.  Portable
    4.  SSH Tunnel
    5.  Auto-login
    6.  Multiple Browser Tabs
    7.  Command line interface
    8.  VPS
    9.  Auto-saving
    10.  Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
    11.  Built-in editor

    KiTTY VS PowerShell

     
  11. GNOME Terminal icon

    GNOME Terminal

     158 likes
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    GNOME Terminal is a terminal emulator for the GNOME desktop environment written by Havoc Pennington and others. Terminal emulators allow users to execute commands using a real UNIX shell while remaining on their graphical desktop.

    71 GNOME Terminal alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • GNOME
    GNOME Terminal screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  Background transparency

    GNOME Terminal VS PowerShell

     
  12. Hyper icon

    Hyper

     81 likes
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    Hyper™ is a beautiful and extensible, cross-platform terminal built on open web standards. It provides an elegant command-line experience that is consistent across all supported platforms which includes macOS, Windows and various Linux distributions like Fedora and Debian.

    94 Hyper alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Electron / Atom Shell
    Splitting terminals

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes
    2.  Clean design
    3.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Command line interface
    3.  Electron based
    4.  Split-screen view
    5.  Tiling Panes
    6.  Uses Packages
    7.  Plugin API
    8.  Divisible
    9.  Skinnable

    Hyper VS PowerShell

     
  13. Nu Shell icon

    Nu Shell

     15 likes
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    This project has reached a minimum-viable product level of quality. While contributors dogfood it as their daily driver, it may be unstable for some commands. Future releases will work fill out missing features and improve stability.

    28 Nu Shell alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Nu pipelines use structured data so you can safely select, filter, and sort the same way every time.

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  Support for scripting
    3.  Portable
    4.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    5.  Autocompletion
    6.  Syntax Highlighting
    7.  Rust

    Nu Shell VS PowerShell

     
  14. MinGW icon

    MinGW

     128 likes
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    MinGW ("Minimalistic GNU for Windows") is a port of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) and GNU Binutils. It provides a complete Open Source programming toolset which is suitable for the development of native MS-Windows (x86) applications, which do not depend on any...

    23 MinGW alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Installation Manager

    MinGW Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  C++
    3.  Cross Compiler
    4.  Native application compiler
    5.  C support
    6.  GNU/linux-libre

    MinGW VS PowerShell

     
12 of 66 PowerShell alternatives