The Best SSH Client for Mac in 2026: Built-in ssh and 8 Apps Compared

You need to reach a server, a Raspberry Pi or a Mac across the room, and you want it to be fast, secure and repeatable. Good news: your Mac already includes one of the best SSH clients there is. The apps worth paying for add a visual host list, synced keys and file transfers on top.

We compared the best SSH client for Mac options, starting with the built-in ssh command, then the apps that make managing many connections easier.

Comparison: best SSH clients for Mac

App	Price model	SFTP	Sync	Best for
Built-in ssh	Free, built in	Command line (sftp, scp)	Your dotfiles	Everyone, first
Termius	Free tier; subscription for sync	Yes	Encrypted cloud vault (paid)	Most people
Prompt 3	Subscription or one-time purchase	No	Panic Sync	Apple-only setups
Royal TSX	Free (10 connections); subscription or perpetual license	Yes	Shared documents	SSH plus RDP and VNC
Core Shell	Free; paid premium license	No	No	A native Mac host manager
Secure ShellFish	Free; Pro subscription or lifetime unlock	Yes, in Finder	iCloud Keychain	Files in Finder, tmux
iTerm2 / Warp profiles	Free	No (use the command line)	Your dotfiles	People who already use them
Transmit / Cyberduck	One-time or subscription / free	Yes, full file browser	Varies	Moving files

The built-in SSH client in Terminal

Best for: Everyone, before you install anything · Price: Free (built in) · Website

macOS includes OpenSSH, the same SSH client used on almost every server. Open Terminal from Applications › Utilities, and you’re ready.

Connect to a server

ssh deploy@203.0.113.10

Replace deploy with your username and the address with your server’s hostname or IP. The first time, you’ll be asked to confirm the server’s fingerprint. Add -p 2222 if the server uses a port other than 22.

Create a key and install it on the server

Keys are safer than passwords and save you typing. Ed25519 is the modern choice:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "you@example.com"
ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub deploy@203.0.113.10

Choose a passphrase when prompted. ssh-copy-id adds your public key to the server’s authorized_keys file, so the next login won’t ask for the server password.

Save your passphrase in the keychain

ssh-add --apple-use-keychain ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

This stores the passphrase in your macOS keychain. On macOS versions before Monterey, the older -K flag did the same thing.

Give every server a short name

Create or edit ~/.ssh/config:

Host *
  AddKeysToAgent yes
  UseKeychain yes
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Host web
  HostName 203.0.113.10
  User deploy
  Port 22

Now ssh web connects with the right user, port and key, and you won’t be asked for the passphrase again, even after a restart.

For files, scp file.zip web:~/ copies a file, and sftp web opens an interactive file session.

Tip: To connect to your Mac, turn on System Settings › General › Sharing › Remote Login. For other ways in, including screen sharing, see our guide to remote access on a Mac.

• Pros: Free, already installed, the most capable and best-documented option
• Cons: No visual host list; key and config management is manual

The best SSH apps for Mac

Termius

Best for: Most people, especially across devices · Price: Freemium (subscription for sync) · Website

Termius is the SSH client we’d recommend first if you want an app. Hosts, keys and saved snippets live in a clean sidebar, and connecting is one click. The free Starter plan includes SSH, SFTP, port forwarding, IDE-style autocomplete and a local vault on one device. It also offers serial connections and a known-hosts manager.

Paid plans add an encrypted cloud vault that syncs hosts, keys and settings across Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android, plus session logs, snippet automation and team vaults for sharing access.

• Pros: Polished, runs everywhere, generous free tier with SFTP
• Cons: Sync requires a subscription; you need an account to sync

Prompt 3

Best for: An Apple-only setup with first-class design · Price: Subscription or one-time purchase · Website

Prompt, from Panic, is still sold and still updated. Prompt 3 runs on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, and one purchase covers all of them. Besides SSH, it supports Mosh and Eternal Terminal for connections that survive sleep and network changes, Clips for commands you type often, and free Panic Sync for servers, keys and passwords. You can protect favorites with Face ID or Touch ID and the Secure Enclave, and use a YubiKey for two-factor authentication.

Buy it through the App Store as an annual subscription or a one-time purchase. The current version requires macOS 26 Tahoe or later. It’s a terminal, not a file manager, so pair it with Transmit for SFTP.

• Pros: Beautiful, Mosh and Eternal Terminal, syncs across Apple devices
• Cons: No SFTP; requires macOS Tahoe

Royal TSX

Best for: IT pros who manage SSH, RDP and VNC together · Price: Free (limited); subscription or perpetual license · Website

Royal TSX is a full remote connection manager. In one window you can open SSH and Telnet terminals, Windows Remote Desktop, VNC and Apple Remote Desktop sessions, web pages, and FTP, SFTP and SCP file transfers. Credentials are stored separately and linked to connections by name, so you can share a connection document with your team without sharing passwords. It can also pull credentials from 1Password, KeePass and other password managers.

The free mode never expires, but it’s limited to 10 connections, 10 credentials and one open document. A Desktop license, sold as a subscription or a perpetual license, removes the limits.

• Pros: Every protocol in one app, strong credential handling, generous free mode
• Cons: Busy interface; more than you need for a few Linux servers

Core Shell

Best for: A native Mac host manager that feels like OpenSSH · Price: Freemium (paid premium license) · Website

Core Shell is a Mac-only SSH client focused on one job: managing and logging in to hosts quickly. It’s built on OpenSSH, so options like ProxyJump work the way you expect, and it integrates with the macOS keychain so you don’t retype passwords and passphrases. Each host has an advanced options editor, and its terminal emulation is compatible with Terminal, iTerm2 and xterm.

It’s free on the Mac App Store, with premium features unlocked by a paid time-based license, and it’s also included with Setapp. It requires macOS Sequoia or later.

• Pros: Native, lightweight, OpenSSH-compatible
• Cons: Mac only; no built-in SFTP

Secure ShellFish

Best for: Browsing server files in Finder · Price: Freemium (Pro subscription or lifetime unlock) · Website

Secure ShellFish combines an SSH terminal with file access. On the Mac, your servers show up in Finder, so you can open, edit and drag files as if they were local. Its tmux support is first class, with session thumbnails and Handoff between Mac, iPhone and iPad, so you can pick up a session on another device. Servers sync through iCloud Keychain, and Shortcuts actions automate file transfers.

The free version is useful on its own. Pro, a subscription or lifetime unlock, removes terminal ads, enables uploads through Finder and allows unlimited servers. It requires macOS Sonoma 14.4 or later.

• Pros: Finder integration, excellent tmux support, works across Apple devices
• Cons: Ads in the free terminal; Pro needed for serious use

iTerm2 and Warp profiles

Best for: People who already use a third-party terminal · Price: Free · Website

You may not need a separate SSH app at all. In iTerm2, create a profile for each server in Settings › Profiles, set its command to ssh web, and give it its own colors so production always looks different. iTerm2’s optional SSH integration can also bring features like shell integration to the remote host.

Warp can “Warpify” SSH sessions, bringing its block-based output and input editor to remote shells, and because both run the real ssh command, your ~/.ssh/config works exactly as it does in Terminal. If you’re choosing a terminal, see our roundup of the best terminal app for Mac.

• Pros: Free, no extra app, uses your existing SSH config
• Cons: No visual host list or synced vault

Transmit and Cyberduck (SFTP)

Best for: Moving files to and from servers · Price: Transmit: paid (one-time purchase or App Store subscription); Cyberduck: free (open source) · Website

When the job is files rather than commands, use a file client. Transmit 5, also from Panic, is the most Mac-like: a fast two-pane browser for SFTP, FTP, WebDAV and S3, plus cloud services like Backblaze B2, Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive. It supports YubiKey and requires macOS Ventura or later.

Cyberduck is the free, open-source alternative. It covers SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, SMB, Amazon S3, Azure, Backblaze B2 and many cloud drives, and it can encrypt files with Cryptomator-compatible vaults before they leave your Mac. The Mac App Store version is paid and supports the developers; the download from its website is free.

• Pros: Real file browsers with drag and drop; Cyberduck is free
• Cons: Not terminals; Transmit is paid

Which SSH client should you pick?

• You connect to a handful of servers: The built-in ssh command and a good ~/.ssh/config.
• You want a visual host list on every device: Termius.
• You use only Apple devices and value design: Prompt 3.
• You manage Windows and Mac machines too: Royal TSX.
• You want to work with server files in Finder: Secure ShellFish.
• You mostly move files: Transmit, or Cyberduck if you want it free.

Keyboard shortcuts make any of these faster. Our Mac keyboard shortcuts guide covers the system-wide essentials, and the best Mac apps roundup has more tools worth installing.

How we picked

We looked for SSH clients that are actively maintained in 2026 and available for current macOS, then compared them on:

• Security: Key support, keychain or Secure Enclave integration and how credentials are stored
• Host management: How easily you can save, organize and connect to many servers
• Files: Built-in SFTP, or how well the app pairs with a file client
• Sync: Whether hosts and keys follow you to other devices, and how
• Price model: Free, freemium, one-time or subscription, without quoting prices that change

We checked each app’s current version, requirements and official download source. Apps that haven’t been updated in years were left out.