Does Tempest have SecureCRT's scripting?

No. There is no VBScript or Python runtime for driving sessions. Snippets and scheduled runs cover the repetitive commands, and the MCP server lets an AI agent drive sessions under review for the open-ended ones.

Can I import my SecureCRT sessions?

There is no direct SecureCRT importer. Export your inventory to a spreadsheet and use the bulk importer — for a large session folder that is usually faster anyway.

Is it a perpetual licence?

There is a free plan, a Pro subscription, and a one-time lifetime purchase if you prefer to own it outright.

Does it do Rlogin or TAPI dial-up?

No. If you still need either, SecureCRT is the right tool and we would rather say so.

Is it suitable for a regulated environment?

Session recording, team vaults with per-member grants, and a self-hosted deployment are all supported; credentials are end-to-end encrypted and the server stores only ciphertext.

SecureCRT alternative

The session manager, without the second licence for file transfer

SecureCRT is a serious, mature terminal — and a paid one, with SecureFX sold alongside it for files. Tempest covers the same daily work in one app, adds the protocols that arrived after SecureCRT's design settled, and puts the session list on your phone.

Download Tempest See pricing

Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS & Web. Free plan available.

A Tempest SSH session with the SFTP file manager in the same window

Tempest vs SecureCRT

The points that come up when people go looking for an alternative.

	Tempest	SecureCRT
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web	Windows, macOS, Linux
File transfer	SFTP, FTP, S3, WebDAV included	SecureFX, licensed separately
Session sync	Zero-knowledge E2E encrypted	Config folder, synced by you
Mobile	Android & iOS, same host list	None
Beyond SSH	RDP, VNC, Kubernetes, RCON	SSH, Telnet, Serial, Rlogin, TAPI
Scripting	Snippets, scheduled runs, MCP for agents	VBScript, Python, JScript, PerlScript
Pricing model	Free plan; subscription or lifetime	Per-seat licence plus maintenance

SecureCRT's scripting and its terminal emulation breadth — including TAPI dial-up and Rlogin — remain ahead of what is here. This compares scope and cost, not craftsmanship.

For network engineers

Serial, telnet and the boxes that never got a REST API

The reason SecureCRT lives on a network engineer's laptop is the gear that still has a console port. That work is first class here too.

Serial connections list USB adapters by product name instead of a device path you guess at. Serial terminal guide

Telnet, raw TCP and UDP consoles for the equipment that predates SSH. Telnet guide

Per-host backspace and encoding settings, because old gear disagrees about both.

Output highlighting rules to make someone else's log format readable. Output highlighting

One window

Files without SecureFX

The transfer half of the workflow is in the same app and the same session, not a second product with its own licence and its own host list.

SFTP browser and editor that saves straight back to the device. SFTP file manager

FTP, S3 and WebDAV endpoints in the same browser for backups and firmware. Cloud storage browser

Zmodem for the devices that only know how to do it that way.

Editing a switch configuration over SFTP inside Tempest

What changed since 1999

The parts a mature client did not grow

SecureCRT's design settled before phones, clusters and hardware keys were part of the job.

The host list syncs encrypted across machines, and to Android and iOS. How E2EE sync works

FIDO2 hardware keys and post-quantum key exchange, without config surgery. YubiKey & FIDO2

Kubernetes clusters as saved profiles with pod shells and logs. Kubernetes profiles

Credentials fetched from HashiCorp Vault at connect time instead of stored at all. HashiCorp Vault credentials

Frequently asked questions

Does Tempest have SecureCRT's scripting?: No. There is no VBScript or Python runtime for driving sessions. Snippets and scheduled runs cover the repetitive commands, and the MCP server lets an AI agent drive sessions under review for the open-ended ones. MCP server docs
Can I import my SecureCRT sessions?: There is no direct SecureCRT importer. Export your inventory to a spreadsheet and use the bulk importer — for a large session folder that is usually faster anyway. Bulk import from Excel
Is it a perpetual licence?: There is a free plan, a Pro subscription, and a one-time lifetime purchase if you prefer to own it outright.
Does it do Rlogin or TAPI dial-up?: No. If you still need either, SecureCRT is the right tool and we would rather say so.
Is it suitable for a regulated environment?: Session recording, team vaults with per-member grants, and a self-hosted deployment are all supported; credentials are end-to-end encrypted and the server stores only ciphertext. Self-hosted Tempest

Keep exploring

Xshell alternative MobaXterm alternative Serial terminal Telnet client SSH key management

One licence, one window, every console you own.

Download Tempest Read the docs