Terminal AlternativesTop Terminal Emulators and other similar apps like Terminal

Terminal is described as '(also referred to as Terminal.app) is a terminal emulator included in Apple's Mac OS X operating system. It originated in Mac OS X's predecessors, NEXTSTEP and OPENSTEP, and allows the user to interact with the computer through a command line interface' and is a popular terminal emulator in the os & utilities category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Terminal for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Windows, Mac, BSD and PortableApps.com apps. The best Terminal alternative is WinSCP , which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Terminal are PuTTY, Tabby Terminal, OpenSSH and iTerm2.

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Terminal alternatives are mainly Terminal Emulators but may also be SSH Clients or Shells.  Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Terminal.
Terminal iconTerminal
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Terminal (also referred to as Terminal.app) is a terminal emulator included in Apple's Mac OS X operating system. It originated in Mac OS X's predecessors, NEXTSTEP and OPENSTEP, and allows the user to interact with...

More about Terminal
Terminal alternatives page was last updated Aug 3, 2024
  1. WinSCP  icon
     818 likes

    This powerful, open-source file transfer application supports Windows users with SFTP, FTP, SCP, and WebDAV protocols. It offers different GUI styles and tools for file synchronization and editing. Advanced users can automate and use key authentication with SSH, making it suitable for professionals.

    73 WinSCP alternatives
    WinSCP  screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    • Wine

    Properties

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Decentralized

    Features

    1.  Support for SFTP
    2.  Secure Copy (SCP)
    3.  SSH
    4.  File Sync
    5.  Integrated FTP client
    6.  Folder Comparison
    7.  Portable
    8.  Folder Mirroring
    9.  Import sites from FileZilla
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Sudo shell
    12.  Multiple login on one browser
    13.  Directory sync
    14.  Cloud Sync
    15.  Auto-saving
    16.  Multiple languages
    17.  WebDAV Support
    18.  IFTTT Integration
    19.  Built-in viewer
    WinSCP  iconTerminal Icon

    WinSCP VS Terminal

    Is WinSCP a good alternative to Terminal?
     
    • WinSCP is the most popular Windows alternative to Terminal.

    • WinSCP is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Terminal.

    • WinSCP is Free and Open SourceTerminal is Free and Proprietary
    • WinSCP is Lightweight and DecentralizedTerminal is not according to our users
  2. PuTTY icon
     1418 likes

    PuTTY is a free and open-source terminal emulator, serial console and network file transfer application. It supports several network protocols, including SCP, SSH, Telnet, rlogin, and raw socket connection. It can also connect to a serial port.

    110 PuTTY alternatives
    PuTTY screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • ReactOS

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  No registration required
    3.  Works Offline

    Features

    1.  SSH
    2.  Built-in SSH client
    3.  Telnet client
    4.  Host management
    5.  Graphical User Interface
    6.  Serial terminal
    7.  Support for SFTP
    8.  Portable
    9.  Logging
    10.  Session Management
    11.  Tabbed interface
    12.  Xterm emulation
    13.  Download Accelerator
    PuTTY iconTerminal Icon

    PuTTY VS Terminal

    Is PuTTY a good alternative to Terminal?
     
    • PuTTY is the most popular Linux alternative to Terminal.

    • PuTTY is Free and Open SourceTerminal is Free and Proprietary
    • PuTTY is LightweightTerminal is not according to our users
  3. Tabby Terminal icon
     95 likes

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

    97 Tabby Terminal alternatives
    Tabby Terminal screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Support for Themes
    3.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    4.  Works Offline

    Features

    1.  SSH
    2.  Support for SFTP
    3.  Command line interface
    4.  Multiple Servers
    5.  Dark Mode
    6.  Serial-port
    7.  Portable
    8.  Electron based
    9.  Tabbed interface
    10.  Syntax Highlighting
    11.  Support for scripting
    12.  Autocompletion
    13.  Persistent History
    Tabby Terminal iconTerminal Icon

    Tabby Terminal VS Terminal

    Is Tabby Terminal a good alternative to Terminal?
     
    • Tabby Terminal is the most popular Mac alternative to Terminal.

    • Tabby Terminal is Free and Open SourceTerminal is Free and Proprietary
    • Tabby Terminal is CustomizableTerminal is not according to our users
  4. OpenSSH icon
     371 likes

    OpenSSH is a free version of the SSH connectivity tools that technical users rely on. OpenSSH encrypts all traffic (including passwords) to effectively eliminate eavesdropping, connection hijacking, and other attacks.

    61 OpenSSH alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • Cygwin
    • Haiku

    OpenSSH Features

    1.  SSH
    2.  Support for SFTP
    3.  Cross-Platform
    4.  Jailbreak required
    5.  Bundled with macOS
    OpenSSH iconTerminal Icon

    OpenSSH VS Terminal

    Is OpenSSH a good alternative to Terminal?
     
    Comments about OpenSSH as an Alternative to Terminal
     
    RemovedUser

    It's not a terminal emulator.

    Negative commentAug 3, 2024
    1
    Terminal Icon
    OpenSSH icon
    • OpenSSH is the most popular iPhone alternative to Terminal.

    • OpenSSH is Free and Open SourceTerminal is Free and Proprietary
  5. iTerm2 icon
     166 likes

    iTerm2 is a replacement for Terminal and the successor to iTerm. It works on Macs with macOS 10.10 or newer. iTerm2 brings the terminal into the modern age with features you never knew you always wanted.

    79 iTerm2 alternatives
    By Itself

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  SSH
    2.  Integrated Search
    3.  Key binding
    4.  Supports Python
    5.  Support for scripting
    6.  Notifications
    7.  Multiple Profiles
    8.  Split windows
    9.  Quake-style
    10.  Multiple languages
    iTerm2 iconTerminal Icon

    iTerm2 VS Terminal

    Is iTerm2 a good alternative to Terminal?
     
    Comments about iTerm2 as an Alternative to Terminal
     
    Guest

    Cleaner interface, endless customisation with oh-my-zsh, works perfectly.

    Positive commentNov 22, 2017
    1
    quadratic

    iTerm2's UI is more clean and intuitive, but it still allows for more power and customization than the default terminal.

    Positive commentSep 10, 2018
    0
    Terminal Icon
    iTerm2 icon
    • Almost everyone thinks iTerm2 is a great Terminal alternative.

    • iTerm2 is Free and Open SourceTerminal is Free and Proprietary
    • iTerm2 is Customizable and LightweightTerminal is not according to our users
  6. ConEmu icon
     383 likes

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

    56 ConEmu alternatives
    ConEmu screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows

    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
    13.  Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
    14.  Create SSH users
    ConEmu iconTerminal Icon

    ConEmu VS Terminal

    Is ConEmu a good alternative to Terminal?
     
  7. Windows Terminal icon
     76 likes

    Windows Terminal is a new, modern, feature-rich, productive terminal application for command-line users. It includes many of the features most frequently requested by the Windows command-line community including support for tabs, rich text, globalization, configurability...

    96 Windows Terminal alternatives
    White and dark theme showcase

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Tabbed interface
    2.  Multiple shells
    3.  WSL integreation
    4.  Background transparency
    5.  Configured in JSON
    6.  Command line interface
    7.  Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
    8.  Multiple window layouts
    9.  Multi-tabs
    10.  Emoji Text support
    11.  Support for scripting
    12.  Dark Mode
    13.  SSH
    Windows Terminal iconTerminal Icon

    Windows Terminal VS Terminal

    Is Windows Terminal a good alternative to Terminal?
     
  8. Termux icon
     93 likes

    Ready to go. Termux works directly with no rooting or setup required. At first start a minimal base system is installed automatically - you decide what to do next.

    97 Termux alternatives
    htop running natively

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
    • zsh
    • Bash

    Properties

    1.  No registration required
    2.  Ad-free

    Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  Support for scripting
    3.  Integrated into iOS
    4.  MD5 signature
    Termux iconTerminal Icon

    Termux VS Terminal

    Is Termux a good alternative to Terminal?
     
    • Termux is the most popular Android & Android Tablet alternative to Terminal.

    • Termux is Free and Open SourceTerminal is Free and Proprietary
  9. mRemoteNG icon
     220 likes

    mRemoteNG is a fork of mRemote , an open source, tabbed, multi-protocol, remote connections manager.

    75 mRemoteNG alternatives
    Config Connections

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Properties

    1.  Ad-free

    Features

    1.  RDP
    2.  SSH
    3.  RDP Functionality
    4.  Tabbed interface
    5.  Tree view
    6.  Support for Multiple protocols
    7.  Built-in SSH client
    8.  Connect via RDP
    9.  Secure Copy (SCP)
    10.  Supports SSL Certificates
    11.  VNC Support
    12.  VNC Viewer
    13.  Linux Management
    mRemoteNG iconTerminal Icon

    mRemoteNG VS Terminal

    Is mRemoteNG a good alternative to Terminal?
     
  10. PowerShell icon
     187 likes

    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 .NET Framework.

    65 PowerShell alternatives
    PowerShell screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Properties

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions

    Features

    1.  Support for scripting
    2.  PowerShell Scripting
    3.  Optimized for Windows
    4.  Autocompletion
    PowerShell iconTerminal Icon

    PowerShell VS Terminal

    Is PowerShell a good alternative to Terminal?
     
  11. MobaXterm icon
     217 likes

    MobaXterm is an enhanced terminal app that brings the advanced features of a Unix-like command-line to Windows. It takes the power of Cygwin and wraps it in a sleek, visual interface that's super easy to use, lightweight and portable.

    106 MobaXterm alternatives
    MobaXterm tabbed terminal

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Properties

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions

    Features

    1.  X server
    2.  Support for SFTP
    3.  SSH
    4.  Tabbed interface
    5.  Embedded Xserver
    6.  Portable
    7.  RDP Functionality
    8.  Multiple Terminal
    9.  Support for Multiple protocols
    10.  Built-in File Manager
    11.  Windows Explorer Extension
    12.  Secure Copy (SCP)
    13.  Support for FTP
    MobaXterm iconTerminal Icon

    MobaXterm VS Terminal

    Is MobaXterm a good alternative to Terminal?
     
  12. Kitty terminal icon
     46 likes

    Kitty ( not to be confused with KiTTY ) is a powerful, cross-platform GPU-based terminal emulator. It offloads rendering to the GPU and uses OpenGL for fast, cross-platform performance with built-in tiling layouts as well as graphic, unicode...

    79 Kitty terminal alternatives
    Kitty terminal screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Support for Themes
    3.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions

    Features

    1.  GPU based
    2.  Font Ligature Support
    3.  Split-screen view
    4.  Command line interface
    5.  Tiling Layouts
    6.  Full keyboard shortcuts
    7.  Syntax Highlighting
    Kitty terminal iconTerminal Icon

    Kitty terminal VS Terminal

    Is Kitty terminal a good alternative to Terminal?
     
12 of 94 Terminal alternatives