termique vs FinalShell
E2EE credentials vs reversible password storage
The short version.
- Live server monitoring beside the terminal
- A capable SFTP browser
- A generous free tier
- Stored passwords can be decoded with public tools
- Closed source, on a heavy Java runtime
- Sync is a Premium feature and not E2EE
- Encrypted with a key only you hold
- Server monitoring too, installed in one click
- Native Tauri, around 80 MB
termique gives you the same monitoring, without reversible passwords.
Every row, side by side.
Where the two part ways.
01Passwords
- termique
- No known way to recover them without your password.
- FinalShell
- Reversible; public decoders exist.
Read the detail
Reversible password storage vs one-way E2EE. Independent researchers have published multiple tools (finalshellPasswordDecoder, FinalShellDecodePass) that decode FinalShell's stored session passwords - evidence the encryption is reversible by design rather than a one-way scheme. Termique's credentials are encrypted with a key derived on-device from your master password; there is no equivalent decoder path, because the server never holds anything but ciphertext it cannot decrypt.
02Monitoring
- termique
- CPU, RAM, disk and uptime via a one-click agent.
- FinalShell
- Built in, nothing installed.
Read the detail
Built-in server monitoring is a real advantage - and Termique has it too. FinalShell's combined SFTP-and-monitoring view is a genuinely convenient feature. Termique covers the same ground with agent-based server monitoring - CPU, RAM, disk, and uptime - installed over SSH in one click, so you're not giving up that visibility by switching.
03Runtime
- termique
- Tauri, about 80 MB.
- FinalShell
- Java, about 1.7 GB reported.
Read the detail
Heavy Java runtime vs native Tauri. FinalShell runs on a Java runtime with memory usage reported around 1.7 GB. Termique uses Tauri, a native Rust runtime that typically sits around 80 MB at idle - a meaningful difference if you keep your SSH client open all day alongside everything else.
On every device you use.
FinalShell's main platforms, with the monitoring panel that is its best feature. Termique's equivalent is an optional Go agent you install on the server.
FinalShell has a macOS build, but it is the least polished of the three. Termique's macOS build is native on Apple Silicon and Intel and uses the system Keychain.
Moving over from FinalShell.
- 01Find your connection files
FinalShell keeps connection configuration as JSON under a .finalshell directory in your home folder. Each file names the host, port and username.
- 02Rotate, do not just move, your passwords
FinalShell's stored passwords have been shown to be recoverable from the local files without the user's secret. Treat every password in there as exposed and change it on the server rather than copying it across.
- 03Add hosts in Termique
Recreate the hosts and enter the new credentials once. They are AES-GCM encrypted under a key derived from your master password on-device.
Does Termique have server monitoring?
Yes, via an optional Go agent you install on the server. It pushes CPU, RAM and disk every 30 seconds over an agent token, and the desktop shows live status and history. It is opt-in per server rather than automatic.
Why rotate passwords when switching?
Because a credential store that can be decrypted without your secret is not a vault. If those passwords were on that machine, assume they are readable and change them.
Is Termique free?
Free to download. Unlimited hosts and sessions plus SFTP on the free tier; Pro is $5/mo.
Does Termique run on Linux?
Yes - macOS, Windows and Linux, with x86_64 and arm64 Linux builds, plus iOS and Android.
Can I import FinalShell connections?
Not as a file format. Read the host details out of the JSON files and add them in Termique.