Xshell alternative

Everything Xshell does, on the machine you are actually using

Xshell is a good Windows terminal with a solid session manager. The trouble starts when your work moves — to a Mac, to a Linux box, to a phone at the weekend — or when you notice that file transfer is a second product.

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

Tempest running on desktop and mobile — the same session list everywhere

Tempest vs Xshell

The short version, on the points that make people go looking.

Tempest Xshell
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web Windows
File transfer SFTP, FTP, S3 and WebDAV built in Xftp, sold separately
Session sync Zero-knowledge E2E encrypted across devices Manual copy of session files
Mobile Android & iOS with the same host list None
Other protocols RDP, VNC, Kubernetes, Serial, RCON SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, Serial
Licensing Free plan; Pro subscription or lifetime Free for home and school; commercial use licensed

Xshell remains a capable Windows client with a mature scripting story. This is a comparison of scope, not of quality.

See the full row-by-row comparison: Tempest vs Xshell

Moving over

Your sessions come with you

Two routes, depending on how big the list is.

Import .xsh session files directly for the hosts you use daily. Import Xshell sessions
For a library of hundreds, the spreadsheet importer takes names, addresses, usernames, passwords and the folder tree in one pass. Bulk import from Excel
Per-host encoding survives the move, so GBK and Big5 boxes keep rendering correctly.

One app, not three

SFTP is included, not upsold

The Xshell setup usually means Xshell plus Xftp, and Xmanager if you need X11. Here the file manager is attached to the session you already have open.

Browse, upload, download and edit remote files, with bookmarks and a follow-the-terminal mode. SFTP file manager
S3 buckets, WebDAV shares and FTP servers in the same browser. Cloud storage browser
X11 forwarding to an X server you run, rather than a separate licensed product. Agent & X11 forwarding
The Tempest SFTP file manager and editor beside a terminal session

What replaces the scripts

Snippets, schedules, and an agent that reads the output

Xshell's VBScript and Python scripting is genuinely powerful, and we are not pretending to match it line for line. Most of what people wrote those scripts for is a snippet here.

Save a command block, run it on one host or on a whole selection at once. Snippets & scheduled runs
Schedule the recurring ones instead of remembering them.
For real automation, keep your scripts — and drive them from an AI agent with an audited tool boundary if you want. AI agents for servers

Frequently asked questions

Is there an Xshell for Mac?
No — NetSarang ships Xshell for Windows only. That is the single most common reason people end up here.
Can I import my Xshell sessions?
Yes. Import .xsh files one at a time, or move the whole library through the spreadsheet importer, which also carries folders and passwords. Import Xshell sessions
Do saved passwords transfer?
Not out of .xsh files — Xshell encrypts them against the installation, so nothing can read them out. Passwords you type into the import sheet do transfer.
Do I need a separate product for SFTP?
No. SFTP is part of the same app and the same session, along with FTP, S3 and WebDAV.
What does it cost compared with Xshell?
There is a free plan with SSH, Mosh and SFTP. Pro adds serial, RDP, VNC, Kubernetes, RCON, unlimited sync and the AI agent, as a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase.

Keep exploring

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Same sessions. Any machine you sit down at.

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