Best Secure ShellFish Alternatives in 2026
The top Secure ShellFish alternatives are Tabby, OpenSSH and PuTTY: 15 SSH clients our editors would look at instead of Secure ShellFish, in our ranking order.
Secure ShellFish: A capable Apple-focused SSH and SFTP client with strong file access and automation. Where it falls short: supports only iphone, ipad, and mac.
Switching from Secure ShellFish? For most ssh clients buyers the best Secure ShellFish alternative is Tabby, built for developers wanting a powerful free terminal. On a budget, Termius starts at $10/mo.
Why People Look for a Secure ShellFish Alternative
- Supports only iPhone, iPad, and Mac
- Pro features require a subscription or lifetime unlock
- Cloud-server management is limited to DigitalOcean and Hetzner
Quick Picks by What You Need
- Best overallTabby9.2
Developers wanting a powerful free terminal
Visit Tabby - Lowest priceTermius8.6
Paid plans from $10/mo
Visit Termius - Best free optionTabby9.2
Has a free plan
Visit Tabby
All 15 Secure ShellFish Alternatives, Ranked
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
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Best forDevelopers wanting a powerful free terminal
- Better than Secure ShellFish:
- Editor score 9.2 vs 6.6
A free, open-source terminal with broad shell support and advanced SSH workflows.
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Tabby -
Best forMinimal, foundational SSH workflows
- Better than Secure ShellFish:
- Editor score 9.1 vs 6.6
A mature, foundational SSH suite for command-line remote access, transfer, and tunneling.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
9.1/10★★★★★Visit OpenSSH -
Best forUsers wanting a proven free SSH client
- Better than Secure ShellFish:
- Editor score 9.0 vs 6.6
A capable free SSH client with broad protocol support and basic session management.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit PuTTY -
Best forWindows users wanting a simple portable client
- Better than Secure ShellFish:
- Editor score 8.9 vs 6.6
A portable, free Windows client with tabs, file transfer, and automatic reconnection.
- SFTP support
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit Solar-PuTTY -
Best forWindows users focused on file transfer
- Better than Secure ShellFish:
- Editor score 8.8 vs 6.6
A capable Windows file-transfer tool with SSH support, scripting, and synchronization.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit WinSCP -
Best forOrganizations needing enterprise SSH authentication
- Better than Secure ShellFish:
- Editor score 8.7 vs 6.6
A mature enterprise SSH client with broad authentication and tunneling support.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Tectia -
Best forTeams needing polished cross-platform SSH
- Better than Secure ShellFish:
- Editor score 8.6 vs 6.6
A capable cross-platform SSH client with useful free features and paid team management.
- Team session sharing
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit Termius -
Best forFree users wanting a feature-rich desktop client
- Better than Secure ShellFish:
- Editor score 8.5 vs 6.6
A capable free desktop client for SSH, file transfers, forwarding, and organized terminal work.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit WindTerm -
Best forWindows users needing many remote protocols
- Better than Secure ShellFish:
- Editor score 8.4 vs 6.6
A broad Windows SSH client with remote desktops, file transfer, tunneling and team session features.
- Team session sharing
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit MobaXterm -
Best forFree users needing broad SSH coverage
- Better than Secure ShellFish:
- Editor score 8.3 vs 6.6
A broad, free SSH client with file management, tunneling, and multi-platform access.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit electerm -
Best forWindows users wanting mature session automation
- Better than Secure ShellFish:
- Editor score 8.2 vs 6.6
A mature Windows SSH client with automation, forwarding, file transfer, and session management.
- Team session sharing
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Xshell -
Best forProfessional users needing automation and security
- Better than Secure ShellFish:
- Editor score 8.1 vs 6.6
A deep, automation-ready SSH client for professionals who can justify a per-device license.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit SecureCRT -
Best forWindows users needing advanced SFTP workflows
- Better than Secure ShellFish:
- Editor score 8.0 vs 6.6
A capable Windows SSH client for advanced SFTP, tunneling, and remote administration.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Bitvise -
Best forApple users wanting polished SSH and Mosh
- Better than Secure ShellFish:
- Editor score 7.9 vs 6.6
A polished Apple-focused SSH client with Mosh, forwarding, sync, and hardware-backed authentication.
- Port forwarding
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Panic -
Best forWindows users managing mixed remote protocols
- Better than Secure ShellFish:
- Editor score 7.8 vs 6.6
A free Windows tool for organizing SSH alongside a broad mix of remote protocols.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit mRemoteNG
Secure ShellFish Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Secure ShellFish?
Tabby: #1 in our SSH Clients ranking, with an editor score of 9.2 out of 10. A free, open-source terminal with broad shell support and advanced SSH workflows.
Is there a free alternative to Secure ShellFish?
Yes. Tabby, OpenSSH, PuTTY, Solar-PuTTY and WinSCP have a free plan or a free tier (12 of the 15 alternatives on this page).
Why do people look for Secure ShellFish alternatives?
Supports only iPhone, iPad, and Mac; Pro features require a subscription or lifetime unlock; Cloud-server management is limited to DigitalOcean and Hetzner.
How do I switch from Secure ShellFish?
Export your data from Secure ShellFish (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Secure ShellFish.
How to Switch from Secure ShellFish
- Export your data from Secure ShellFish (most tools have an export in their settings).
- Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
- Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
- Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Secure ShellFish.
Secure ShellFish vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Supported protocols | Supported platforms | SFTP support | Port forwarding | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Secure ShellFish | Yes | SSH, SFTP | iPhone, iPad, Mac | Yes | Yes | 6.6 | |
| 1 | Tabby | Yes | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux | 9.2 | |||
| 2 | OpenSSH | Free | SSH 2, SFTP, SCP | Linux, macOS, Cygwin (Windows), and other Unix systems | Yes | Yes | 9.1 | |
| 3 | PuTTY | Yes | Free | SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, SUPDUP, raw, serial, SFTP, SCP | Windows and Unix | Yes | Yes | 9.0 |
| 4 | Solar-PuTTY | Yes | Free | SSH, Telnet, SCP, SFTP | Windows | Yes | 8.9 | |
| 5 | WinSCP | Yes | Free | SSH, SFTP, SCP, FTP, FTPS, WebDAV, WebDAVS, S3 | Windows | Yes | Yes | 8.8 |
| 6 | Tectia SSH Client | SSH v2, SFTP, SCP, TCP tunneling | Windows, macOS, Linux, AIX, Solaris, and other Unix platforms | Yes | Yes | 8.7 | ||
| 7 | Termius | Yes | $10/mo | SSH, SFTP, Telnet, Mosh, local terminal | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, iPadOS | Yes | Yes | 8.6 |
| 8 | WindTerm | Yes | Free | SSH, SFTP, SCP, Telnet, Raw TCP, Serial, XModem, YModem, ZModem | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | Yes | 8.5 |
| 9 | MobaXterm | Yes | SSH, SFTP, SCP, FTP, FTPS, Telnet, Rlogin, RSH, RDP, VNC, XDMCP, Mosh, Serial | Windows | Yes | Yes | 8.4 | |
| 10 | electerm | Yes | Free | SSH, SFTP, FTP, Telnet, serial, RDP, VNC, SPICE | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, HarmonyOS | Yes | Yes | 8.3 |
| 11 | Xshell | Yes | $119/user one-time | SSH1, SSH2, SFTP, TELNET, RLOGIN, SERIAL, RDP, FTP | Windows 10/11; Windows Server 2012/2016/2019/2022 | Yes | Yes | 8.2 |
| 12 | SecureCRT | No | $119/device one-time | SSH1, SSH2, Telnet, Telnet/TLS, serial, RDP, SFTP, SCP, FTPS, HTTPS, FTP, HTTP, Xmodem, Ymodem, Zmodem, Kermit, and TFTP | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | Yes | 8.1 |
| 13 | Bitvise SSH Client | Yes | $3,000 one-time | SSH v2, SFTP v3/v4/v6, SOCKS4, SOCKS4A, SOCKS5, HTTP CONNECT, FTP-to-SFTP bridge, VT-100, xterm, bvterm | Windows desktop and server editions, x86 and x64 | Yes | Yes | 8.0 |
| 14 | Prompt | No | $9.99/yr | SSH, Telnet, Mosh, Eternal Terminal, and port forwarding | macOS, iOS/iPadOS, and visionOS | Yes | 7.9 | |
| 15 | mRemoteNG | Yes | Free | RDP, VNC, SSH, Telnet, HTTP/HTTPS, rlogin, raw sockets, PowerShell remoting, AnyDesk, SFTP, SCP | Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, and 2022 | Yes | Yes | 7.8 |
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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