SSH clients for Mac, compared
Most SSH clients now cover the basics: saved hosts, SFTP, jump hosts and port forwarding. They differ in what comes next: monitoring, containers, AI and how your credentials sync. This table shows where each one stands.
Checked . Prices change; follow the sources for current numbers.
| Platforms | Price | Server monitoring | Docker management | AI assistant | MCP server for AI tools | End-to-end encrypted sync | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HostDock | macOS 12+ (Windows and Linux planned) | Free download; sync has a free plan, paid plan planned | Yes, agentless (Linux servers) | Yes: list, start/stop/restart, logs, shell | Built in; HostDock-provided AI service or any OpenAI-compatible model; approval modes and command log | Built in, local, with per-tool tokens and approvals | Yes for servers, credentials and forwarding rules (free); notes, scripts and files are not E2E |
| Termius | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android | Free Starter; Pro $10/month billed annually (sync is Pro) | No | No | AI autocomplete (natural language to command); AI agent announced 2024 as closed beta | No official MCP server (community projects only) | Yes, end-to-end encrypted, on paid plans |
| Tabby | Windows, macOS, Linux, plus a web app | Free | No | Community plugin to open a shell in a container | None built in | Community plugin (tabby-mcp-server), not official | Config sync to a self-hosted Tabby Web; encrypted only if you enable vault encryption |
| Royal TSX | macOS (Royal TS on Windows, iOS, Android) | Free Lite (10 connections); Individual €49 one-time | No | No | Only AI-generated object icons (V26 beta) | No | Encrypted document files you share yourself, or paid Royal Server |
| WindTerm | Windows, macOS (x86_64 build), Linux | Free | No | No | None | No | No cloud sync |
| MobaXterm | Windows only | Free Home edition; Professional $69 one-time | Yes, monitoring bar under SSH sessions | No | None | No | No cloud sync (shared session files) |
| Warp | macOS, Linux, Windows | Free (bring your own key); Build $20/month | No | Docker Desktop extension to open a container shell (macOS) | Full agent with allow/deny lists; BYO key | MCP client only; doesn’t expose your servers to other tools | Encrypted at rest, not end-to-end |
In one line each
- HostDock
- A Mac app for Linux servers: SSH, SFTP, agentless monitoring, Docker, an AI assistant with approvals and a built-in MCP server.
- Termius
- Termius is a commercial cross-platform SSH client for desktop and mobile with a paid, end-to-end encrypted cloud vault.
- Tabby
- Tabby (formerly Terminus) is a free, open-source (MIT) terminal and SSH client for Windows, macOS and Linux built on Electron.
- Royal TSX
- Royal TSX is a commercial multi-protocol connection manager for macOS (RDP, VNC, SSH, web and more), part of the Royal TS family.
- WindTerm
- Free, partly open source; no release since March 2025 and no native Apple silicon build.
- MobaXterm
- Windows only. Includes a remote monitoring bar; the free Home edition is limited to 12 sessions and 2 tunnels.
- Warp
- An AI terminal, not an SSH manager: no saved hosts, SFTP or tunnel screens. Its agent works over SSH sessions you start yourself.
Sources
- Termius pricing
- Termius documentation
- Termius changelog
- Termius AI Agent announcement (2024-11-12)
- Termius encryption overview
- Tabby on GitHub
- Tabby releases
- tabby-mcp-server (community plugin)
- Royal TSX features
- Royal TS pricing
- Royal TSX beta release notes
- Royal TS security and encryption
- WindTerm on GitHub
- MobaXterm editions
- MobaXterm release notes
- Warp pricing
- Warp SSH support
- Warp agent permissions
Bring your servers into one window
Free download for macOS 12 Monterey or later.