Xshell Alternatives for Linux

Xshell is not available for Linux but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on Linux with similar functionality. The best Linux alternative is PuTTY, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Xshell and many of them are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to Xshell are OpenSSH, Terminator, Alacritty and Termius.

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Alternatives list

  1. PuTTY icon
     1453 likes

    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.

    117 PuTTY alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • ReactOS
    • Flathub
     
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    1
    PuTTY vs Xshell Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    2

    No post-login script per profile/session

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • PuTTY is Free and Open SourceXshell is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • PuTTY is LightweightXshell is not according to our users
  2. OpenSSH icon
     390 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

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • Cygwin
    • Haiku
     
  3. Terminator icon
     166 likes

    Terminator enables the user to run and manage multiple terminal emulators side-by-side in the same window. The main focus is arranging terminals in a grid. (Tabs is the most common default method, which Terminator also supports.

    93 Terminator alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • GNOME
     
  4. Alacritty icon
     70 likes

    Alacritty is a blazing fast, GPU accelerated terminal emulator. It’s written in Rust and uses OpenGL for rendering to be the fastest terminal emulator available. Alacritty is available on GitHub in source form.

    90 Alacritty alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
     
  5. Termius icon
     38 likes

    Termius is more than a mere SSH client – it’s a complete command-line solution that’s redefining remote access for sysadmins and network engineers. Securely access Linux or IoT devices and quickly fix issues from the comfort of your couch via laptop or phone.

    61 Termius alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • iPad
    • Flathub
     
  6. IT teams often juggle a patchwork of RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) apps, SSH (Secure Shell) clients, and scattered password vaults. Remote Desktop Manager (RDM) turns that sprawl into one searchable inventory—complete with Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile clients—so technicians...

    61 Remote Desktop Manager alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
     
  7. SecureCRT icon
     34 likes

    SecureCRT combines rock-solid terminal emulation with the strong encryption, data integrity, and authentication options of the Secure Shell protocol. SecureCRT provides secure remote access, file transfer, and data tunneling for everyone in your organization.

    63 SecureCRT alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  8. foot icon
     10 likes

    Fast, lightweight and minimalistic Wayland terminal emulator. Supports daemon mode, Sixel, and scrollback search.

    77 foot alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
     
  9. PAC Manager icon
     41 likes

    PAC is a Perl/GTK Gnome replacement for SecureCRT/Putty/etc... It provides a GUI to configure SSH/Telnet connections: users, passwords, EXPECT regular expressions, macros, etc.

    55 PAC Manager alternatives

    Cost / License

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
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    1
    PAC Manager vs Xshell Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Even though it's discontinued, it still offers a huge load of features and is highly customizable.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • PAC Manager is Free and Open SourceXshell is Free Personal and Proprietary
  10. PortX icon
     3 likes

    PortX is a lightweight cross-platform (Windows/Mac/Linux) SSH Client, as well as local shell/terminal emulator. Beautiful tabbed UI for managing multiple sessions. Google Drive syncing session files across devices and OSes is a very handy tool.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
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