termique vs Tabby

Native SSH manager vs Electron terminal

12 features comparedClaims last reviewed July 26, 2026
Tabbytermique
termiquemacOS · Windows · Linux · iOS · AndroidOn-device, E2EEEnd-to-endAll plansFree tier + ProFree · Pro $5/mo
TabbymacOS · Windows · LinuxVia pluginFree, open source
The verdict

The short version.

What Tabby does well
  • Fully open source
  • A real plugin ecosystem
  • Serial and Telnet alongside SSH
Where it costs you
  • Electron, around 400 MB of memory
  • Encrypted credentials depend on a plugin
  • No AI assistant and no built-in sync
What termique does instead
  • Native Tauri runtime, around 80 MB
  • Credentials encrypted end-to-end out of the box
  • Sync, SFTP, AI and audit logs in one app
Bottom line

Want one coherent app with an encrypted vault? termique. Want to read and extend every line? Tabby.

Feature by feature

Every row, side by side.

FeaturetermiqueTabby
PlatformmacOS, Windows, LinuxmacOS, Windows, Linux
SSH host managementYesYes
Encrypted credential storageAES-GCM, E2EEPlugin-dependent
Cloud syncYesNo
Multi-tab SSH sessionsYesYes
SFTP file transferFree, all plansYes
AI terminal assistantFree tier + ProNo
SSH key managerYesBasic
Command audit logsProNo
RuntimeTauri (native)Electron
Memory footprint~80 MB~400 MB+
PriceFree + $5/mo ProFree, open source
Tabby claims last reviewed July 26, 2026Spotted something out of date? Tell us
Key differences

Where the two part ways.

  1. 01Runtime

    termique
    Tauri, about 80 MB.
    Tabby
    Electron, about 400 MB.
    Read the detail

    Native vs Electron. Tabby is built on Electron, which means it ships a full Chromium browser just to render a terminal. Termique uses Tauri - a native Rust runtime. Cold start under 2 seconds, fraction of the memory.

  2. 02AI assistant

    termique
    Reads your SSH session and suggests commands.
    Tabby
    None.
    Read the detail

    Built-in AI vs no AI. Tabby has no AI assistant. Termique's AI is scoped to the active SSH session - it reads your terminal context and suggests commands. You review before anything runs.

  3. 03How it's built

    termique
    Everything ships in one tested app.
    Tabby
    Plugins for credentials, sync and more.
    Read the detail

    Coherent product vs plugin ecosystem. Tabby's power comes from plugins, but that means setup, versioning conflicts, and inconsistent UX. Termique ships everything - credentials, cloud sync, AI, SFTP, audit logs - in one tested, coherent app.

Platform by platform

On every device you use.

All three desktops

Both are cross-platform, so the difference is not availability. Tabby is Electron and bundles Chromium; Termique is Tauri on Rust and uses the OS webview.

Mobile

Tabby has no mobile client. Termique has iOS and Android companion apps that share the same encrypted host list.

Download termique formacOSWindowsLinuxiOSAndroid
Switching

Moving over from Tabby.

  1. 01Open your Tabby config

    Tabby keeps everything in a single YAML file - ~/.config/tabby/config.yaml on macOS and Linux, %APPDATA%\tabby\config.yaml on Windows. Your SSH profiles are listed in it in readable form.

  2. 02Extract the SSH profiles

    Copy the host, port and username of each profile. If you used the vault plugin, decrypt and note the credentials before you remove Tabby.

  3. 03Add hosts in Termique

    Recreate the hosts, or move them into ~/.ssh/config and let Termique import them. Credentials go in once, AES-GCM encrypted on-device.

FAQ

Questions people ask.

Something else? Ask us.

Is Termique open source?

No, the client is not. That is a real trade-off against Tabby and worth weighing if source availability matters to you.

Is Termique lighter than Tabby?

It is built with Tauri on a Rust backend rather than Electron, so it uses the OS webview instead of bundling Chromium. That generally means a smaller install and lower idle memory, though the difference varies by machine.

Does Termique support plugins?

No. Tabby's plugin system is its main advantage. Termique ships a fixed feature set - credential vault, SFTP, key manager, AI assistant, audit logs.

Does Termique support serial or Telnet?

No, SSH and SFTP only.

How is credential storage different?

In Tabby it depends on which vault plugin you use. In Termique it is not optional: AES-GCM with a key derived from your master password on-device, stored in the OS keychain.

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Other tools weighed against Tabby.

All comparisons
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Try it side by side

Run it next to Tabby.

Free to download on macOS, Windows and Linux. No card. Import your hosts and decide for yourself.

termiqueFree · Pro $5/mo
Download free