Does Tempest run natively on Apple Silicon?

Yes — the macOS build is native on M-series chips, with an Intel build available for older Macs.

How is this better than iTerm2 + ssh?

iTerm2 is a great local terminal. Tempest adds what ssh-in-a-terminal can't: synced encrypted profiles, a graphical SFTP editor, point-and-click jump hosts, RDP/VNC/Kubernetes sessions, and mobile continuation on iPhone and iPad.

Is there a free version for Mac?

Yes — SSH, Mosh, SFTP, FTP, S3, and WebDAV are free forever. Pro adds RDP, VNC, Kubernetes, serial, unlimited device sync, and the AI agent.

Does it read my ~/.ssh keys?

You can import existing OpenSSH private keys or generate new pairs in the app, and use agent forwarding for chained access.

Can I use it with my iPhone and iPad?

Yes — Tempest for iOS syncs the same encrypted host list, and continuous sessions let you pick up where the Mac left off.

SSH client for Mac

The Mac SSH client that goes beyond Terminal.app

Terminal.app plus ssh works — until you're juggling twenty hosts, three jump-host chains, an RDP console, and files that need editing on the server. Tempest is a native Mac app for all of it, with profiles that sync — end-to-end encrypted — to your iPhone, iPad, and any other machine.

Download Tempest See pricing

Free plan available. Native on Apple Silicon and Intel.

Tempest SSH and SFTP client on macOS — synced connections, editor and terminal in one window

Native, not ported

Fast on Apple Silicon, at home on macOS

Universal build for M-series and Intel, with the keyboard-driven, multi-pane workflow Mac users expect.

Tabs and split screens — terminals, editors, file managers, RDP, and VNC in one grid. Split screens

SFTP file manager with a built-in editor — no separate Transmit or Cyberduck window. SFTP docs

S3, WebDAV, and FTP browsing built in. Cloud storage docs

Continuity, for servers

Start on the Mac, finish on the iPhone

Continuous sessions keep long-running work alive; encrypted sync means the host list on your Mac is the host list on your phone. It's the Apple ecosystem experience, pointed at your infrastructure.

Zero-knowledge E2E encrypted sync of hosts, keys, and settings. How E2EE works

Mosh keeps sessions alive across sleep, Wi-Fi hops, and tethering. Mosh guide

Push notifications when a job finishes or a monitor triggers. Push notifications

Resuming a Mac SSH session on an iPhone — Tempest's Handoff Sessions tab

The whole estate

RDP, VNC, Kubernetes, and serial — on a Mac

Managing Windows servers from a Mac usually means a second app; Kubernetes means a third. Tempest treats them as first-class session types next to SSH.

RDP consoles for Windows Server, in the same grid as SSH. RDP client for Mac

Kubernetes profiles, pod shells, and multi-cluster switching. Kubernetes profiles

USB serial consoles for network gear — no more screen /dev/tty guesswork. Serial guide

Secure by default

Hardware keys, zero-trust, post-quantum

YubiKey and FIDO2 SSH authentication. YubiKey setup

Teleport, Cloudflare Access, AWS SSM, GCP IAP, and Tailscale support. Zero-trust guide

Post-quantum key exchange matching modern OpenSSH. Post-quantum SSH

Frequently asked questions

Does Tempest run natively on Apple Silicon?: Yes — the macOS build is native on M-series chips, with an Intel build available for older Macs.
How is this better than iTerm2 + ssh?: iTerm2 is a great local terminal. Tempest adds what ssh-in-a-terminal can't: synced encrypted profiles, a graphical SFTP editor, point-and-click jump hosts, RDP/VNC/Kubernetes sessions, and mobile continuation on iPhone and iPad.
Is there a free version for Mac?: Yes — SSH, Mosh, SFTP, FTP, S3, and WebDAV are free forever. Pro adds RDP, VNC, Kubernetes, serial, unlimited device sync, and the AI agent.
Does it read my ~/.ssh keys?: You can import existing OpenSSH private keys or generate new pairs in the app, and use agent forwarding for chained access.
Can I use it with my iPhone and iPad?: Yes — Tempest for iOS syncs the same encrypted host list, and continuous sessions let you pick up where the Mac left off. SSH client for iOS

Keep exploring

RDP client for Mac SSH client for iOS Free SSH client Termius alternative Kubernetes terminal SFTP client

Your servers, as polished as your Mac.

Download Tempest Read the docs