MobaXterm alternative for Mac, Linux and Windows
MobaXterm runs on Windows only and its free edition stops at 12 sessions and 2 tunnels. How Gatesys SSH compares, and when MobaXterm is still the right tool.
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MobaXterm at a glanceMobaXterm vs Gatesys SSHWhere Gatesys SSH is differentWhere MobaXterm is the better choiceSwitching from MobaXtermFAQSourcesMobaXterm is the Swiss army knife of Windows remote access: an SSH client, an X server, RDP, VNC, serial and a set of Unix tools in one window. People look for a MobaXterm alternative for two reasons more than any other. They have moved to a Mac or a Linux desktop, where MobaXterm does not run. Or they have met the limits of the free Home Edition.
We make Gatesys SSH. The facts about MobaXterm below come from Mobatek’s own website, read on 12 October 2026.
MobaXterm at a glance
MobaXterm is a Windows application from Mobatek. Its feature list covers SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, RDP, VNC, XDMCP, FTP, SFTP and serial sessions, an embedded X server, a graphical SFTP browser that opens beside each SSH session, an SSH gateway (jump host) setting, a tunnel manager, macros, and multi-execution, which types the same command into many terminals at once.
The download page sets out the two editions:
| Home Edition | Professional Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $69 or €49 per user, excluding tax |
| Saved sessions | 12 at most | No limit |
| SSH tunnels | 2 at most | No limit |
| Macros | 4 at most | No limit |
| Network daemons (TFTP, NFS, Cron) | Stop after 360 seconds | No time limit |
| Licence | Home licence | Lifetime right to use, with 12 months of updates |
MobaXterm vs Gatesys SSH
| MobaXterm | Gatesys SSH | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Windows | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Free edition | 12 sessions, 2 tunnels, 4 macros | Any number of hosts and tunnels, no account, no time limit |
| Paid edition | $69 per user, one payment | Pro: 3 months free, then $20 a year |
| SSH, SFTP, jump hosts, tunnels | Yes | Yes |
| X server, RDP, VNC, serial, Telnet | Yes | No |
| Run one command on many servers at once | Yes, multi-execution | No |
| Diagnosis of a failed connect | An error message | Which hop broke and at which step, with a fix |
| Server health | A remote monitoring bar | Signals and forecasts, read over SSH with no agent |
| AI assistant | None listed | Farabi, on Pro, with your own model |
Where Gatesys SSH is different
It runs where you work now
Gatesys SSH is the same app on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, on x64 and Arm64 Windows, and on Linux as an AppImage, a .deb or an .rpm. If your team is split between Windows laptops and MacBooks, everyone uses one client and one way of describing a jump chain. See Install.
The free plan has no session or tunnel cap
The Home Edition’s limit of 12 sessions and 2 tunnels is the first wall most people hit. Gatesys SSH’s free plan saves as many hosts as you like and runs as many local, remote and SOCKS5 tunnels as you need. What it limits is different: one terminal per session, with more terminal tabs and split panes in Pro.
Jump chains explain their own failures
MobaXterm sets a gateway per session. Gatesys SSH treats a chain of any depth as one connection, imports ProxyJump from ~/.ssh/config, and when a connect fails, Hop Doctor shows which hop broke and at which step: DNS, TCP, the SSH handshake, the host key or the login. The report quotes the bastion’s own reason, such as administratively prohibited, and offers the fix as a diff of the host’s settings.
It tells you what the numbers mean
On every host, Health turns the live metrics into signals: a process holding a core for minutes, a disk that fills in about three hours, a memory leak, an out-of-memory kill, a failed systemd unit. Nothing is installed on the server; it reads over the SSH session you opened. This is part of the free plan.
Config edits that cannot lock you out
Saving sshd_config through SFTP opens a review sheet: the diff, the server’s own sshd -t, what the change does to the login you are using, a backup, and an optional timer on the server that restores the old file unless you confirm that a fresh login works. See Safe Change.
Where MobaXterm is the better choice
Be honest about what you use every day:
- X11. MobaXterm’s embedded X server shows remote graphical programs on your Windows desktop. Gatesys SSH has no X server and does not forward X11.
- RDP, VNC, serial and Telnet. If one window has to hold a Windows server, a switch on a COM port and a Linux host, MobaXterm does that and Gatesys SSH does not.
- Multi-execution and macros. Typing into twenty terminals at once is a MobaXterm feature with no equivalent here.
- A one-time licence. $69 once may suit you better than a yearly plan.
- A signed Windows installer today. Gatesys SSH’s macOS builds are signed and notarised; its Windows installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen asks you to confirm it.
Switching from MobaXterm
- Download Gatesys SSH for your system.
- MobaXterm keeps its sessions in its own format, so the quickest path is the
sshcommand line. Paste one into the Hosts search box, such asssh -J edge-bastion -p 2223 deploy@10.0.3.4, and it becomes a saved host with its jump host. - If you keep an OpenSSH config under WSL or Git Bash, import it with File › Import from ~/.ssh/config….
- Keys in OpenSSH format work as they are. Pageant and the Windows OpenSSH agent are both read, so keys you load there keep working. See Authentication.
FAQ
Is there a MobaXterm for Mac?
No. MobaXterm is a Windows application. On macOS, Gatesys SSH covers the SSH, SFTP, tunnel and jump-host side. For X11 on a Mac you still need XQuartz, and for RDP a separate client.
What are the limits of MobaXterm Home Edition?
Mobatek lists 12 sessions, 2 SSH tunnels, 4 macros, and 360 seconds of run time for the TFTP, NFS and Cron daemons. The Professional Edition removes them for $69 or €49 per user.
Does Gatesys SSH have an X server?
No. It is an SSH, SFTP and jump-host client. If you depend on X11 forwarding, keep MobaXterm for that work.
Can I use both?
Yes, and many people will. They do different jobs: MobaXterm for X11, RDP and serial; Gatesys SSH for hosts behind bastions, server health and reviewed config changes.
Sources
- MobaXterm features and editions, read on 12 October 2026.
- Gatesys SSH: plans, install and jump hosts.
- More options in the best SSH clients in 2026.
