BranchShell MobaXterm alternative for Mac and Linux
MobaXterm packs SSH, an X server and remote desktop into one Windows toolbox, with a free Home edition capped at 12 sessions and 2 tunnels. BranchShell is a native SSH client for macOS, Windows and Linux with no cap on hosts or forwards, a vault for your keys and a SQL client, paid for once.
No account. No card. No renewal. macOS, Windows and Linux.
Both are a one-time purchase. Only one covers 2 computers for $20.
No subscription on either side. A BranchShell licence covers 2 computers in any mix of macOS, Windows and Linux, and its updates never expire.
$20 once for 2 computers, updates forever
Free Home edition with limits; Professional is $69 per user with 12 months of updates
BranchShell and MobaXterm compared
What each client is built with, what it costs and what it does in the app. Facts about the other client come from its own website and may change.
| Feature | BranchShell | MobaXterm |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Better: Pay once: $20 for 2 computers, no renewal | Worse: Free Home edition with limits; Professional is $69 per user with 12 months of updates |
| Platforms | Better: macOS, Windows, Linux | Worse: Windows |
| Built with | Rust, drawn on the GPU | Native Windows app |
| Account to use it | None | None |
| Hosts, keys and passwords | Encrypted vault on your computer | Saved sessions, passwords under a master password |
| Port forwarding | Better: Local, remote and dynamic rules, one switch each | Worse: Tunnel manager; 2 tunnels on Home |
| SFTP | Two panes, sudo paths, S3 and R2 buckets | Browser in the sidebar |
| Split terminals | Up to four panes per workspace | Two or four terminal layouts |
| Mosh | Yes | Yes |
| Snippets | Better: Offered as you type, sorted by Laya | Worse: Macros; 4 on Home |
| Databases and SQL | Better: Fourteen engines through SSH, with a SQL client | Worse: No |
| Link to a Git client | Better: Hosts and forwards in the BranchBay tray | Worse: No |
The better side The worse side No colour: the same on both
Why developers pick BranchShell over MobaXterm
On a Mac and on Linux
MobaXterm is a Windows app. BranchShell is native on all three platforms, and one licence covers any mix of 2 computers.
No caps
Every host, forward and snippet you want, during the trial and after, with no edition to upgrade to.
Updates that never expire
$20 once for 2 computers, with updates delivered inside the app for as long as you use it, not for twelve months.
Databases through the same hosts
Connect to MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Redis and more through an SSH host from the vault, with a table grid and a query console.
What MobaXterm does that BranchShell does not
- The built-in X11 server for remote graphical apps
- RDP, VNC and XDMCP sessions
- A Unix command set on Windows, with bash, grep and rsync
- Telnet, rlogin and FTP sessions, plus network servers such as TFTP and NFS
- A portable edition that runs from a USB stick
If one of these is part of your day, keep MobaXterm. The rest of the time, BranchShell does the job from one vault, for one payment.
Is there a MobaXterm for Mac?
Does BranchShell limit sessions or tunnels?
Can I try BranchShell before leaving MobaXterm?
What does BranchShell cost?
Try it next to MobaXterm.
Import your SSH config and connect to the hosts you already have. Nothing to sign up for, nothing to renew and nothing to uninstall until you are sure.