Motty compared with Termius, Tabby and WindTerm
Motty is a free, open-source (Apache-2.0) SSH client for macOS, Windows and Linux, written in Go on the Viva desktop framework, so it runs no Electron runtime and no embedded browser. A terminal, SFTP and SCP transfer, port forwarding, VNC and RDP desktops, and an MCP server for external agents share one window. Termius is a commercial client with mobile apps and a free Starter tier; Tabby is an MIT-licensed terminal built around a plugin ecosystem; WindTerm is a free terminal whose released source is partially open. The table below compares what each project documents about itself, not what a benchmark says.
| Capability | Motty | Termius | Tabby | WindTerm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Proprietary | MIT | Partially open source (Apache-2.0 for the released code) |
| Price for one person | Free | Free Starter tier; Pro $10/month billed annually | Free | Free |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| SSH and file transfer | SSH terminal, SFTP and SCP with a resumable queue, ZMODEM and XMODEM/YMODEM | SSH terminal and SFTP | SSH terminal and SFTP | SSH, Telnet, serial and SFTP |
| Port forwarding | Local, remote, SOCKS5 and HTTP CONNECT, plus X11 and jump chains | Yes | Yes | Not documented on the project page |
| VNC and RDP in the same window | Yes, with certificate pinning and optional SSH tunnelling | No | No | No |
| MCP server for external agents | Yes: loopback only, bearer token, audit log | No | No | No |
| Built-in assistant | Ask and Agent modes behind a risk-classified approval gate | AI autocomplete on every tier | No | No |
Checked 2026-10-29 against termius.com/pricing, tabby.sh and the Tabby repository, and the WindTerm repository. These products ship often — confirm anything you depend on with the vendor.
Where Motty is ahead
- One window for the whole session: a terminal, a file panel, forwarding rules, VNC and RDP tabs, so a server that needs three tools in three apps needs one here.
- No Electron runtime: the window is drawn through Metal, Direct3D or Vulkan, which is why start-up is short and an idle window schedules no work.
- An MCP server that is off by default, bound to loopback and protected by a bearer token, so an external agent can drive a session without a network listener.
- Apache-2.0 source, including the SSH, forwarding and terminal layers — not just the plugin API.
Where Motty is behind
- No mobile app and no cloud vault: Termius syncs hosts and keys across desktop and phone, and Motty does not.
- Six days old when this page was written: fewer years of edge cases, no long third-party review trail, and no team features.
- One maintainer rather than a company: the issue tracker is the support channel, with no SLA and no commercial contract.
Which one to pick
- Choose Motty if you want a native, open-source SSH client on the desktop and you would rather have SFTP, forwarding and remote desktops in the same window than in four.
- Choose Termius if you need the same hosts on your phone, or a commercial support path.
- Choose Tabby if you want an MIT-licensed terminal with a deep plugin ecosystem and you already live in its configuration.
- Choose WindTerm if you need serial, Telnet and SFTP in one free terminal and do not need VNC, RDP or agent access.
Questions this comparison raises
- Is Motty a drop-in replacement for Termius?
- For desktop SSH, SFTP and port forwarding work, yes: Motty opens the same hosts and gives the terminal and file panel one window. It is not a drop-in replacement for Termius mobile apps or cloud vault sync, because Motty has neither — hosts and keys stay on the machine where you added them.
- Is Motty really free?
- Yes. Motty is licensed under Apache-2.0 and every package for macOS, Windows and Linux downloads at no cost, with no account, no trial and no paid tier. The source, the issue tracker and the releases are all public on GitHub, and no analytics or telemetry library is linked into the application.
- Can Motty and Termius be installed side by side?
- Yes. Both are ordinary desktop applications, and Motty keeps its own host list, vault and settings, so installing it does not touch an existing SSH client. Motty can import OpenSSH config and keys, which makes a side-by-side trial cheap and reversible.
Termius, Tabby and WindTerm are trademarks of their respective owners. This page is maintained by the Motty project and states where the comparison is unflattering; corrections with a source are welcome in the issue tracker.