termique vs Tera Term

Modern SSH manager vs classic Windows terminal

13 features comparedClaims last reviewed August 25, 2026
Tera Termtermique
termiquemacOS · Windows · Linux · iOS · AndroidOn-device, E2EEEnd-to-endAll plansFree tier + ProFree · Pro $5/mo
Tera TermWindowsSCP onlyFree, open source
The verdict

The short version.

What Tera Term does well
  • Serial consoles over COM ports
  • VT100 to VT382 and Tek4010 emulation
  • Tera Term Language macros
Where it costs you
  • Settings in a plaintext INI file
  • Credentials often hardcoded in .ttl macros
  • Windows only; tabs need a plugin
What termique does instead
  • An encrypted credential vault
  • Groups, tags and native tabs
  • macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
Bottom line

Keep Tera Term for the console cable. Use termique once the work is remote.

Feature by feature

Every row, side by side.

FeaturetermiqueTera Term
PlatformmacOS, Windows, LinuxWindows only
Encrypted credential storageAES-GCM, E2EE, on-device key derivationNone - credentials often hardcoded in .ttl macros
Cloud syncYesNo
Host organizationGroups and tagsConnection history dropdown
Tabbed sessionsYesThird-party plugin (TTXTabBar)
SFTP file transferFree, all plansSCP and ZMODEM only, no SFTP browser
AI terminal assistantFree tier + ProNo
SSH key managerYesKey generation via ttssh, no vault
Serial / UART consoleNoYes
Macro scriptingSnippets libraryTera Term Language (TTL)
Mobile appiOS + AndroidNo
Command audit logsProNo
LicenseFree + $5/mo ProFree, open source (BSD)
Tera Term claims last reviewed August 25, 2026Spotted something out of date? Tell us
Key differences

Where the two part ways.

  1. 01Best at

    termique
    Remote SSH hosts, at scale.
    Tera Term
    Serial consoles over a cable.
    Read the detail

    Still the right tool for a serial console. Tera Term talks to UART and serial ports, emulates everything from VT100 to VT382 and Tek4010, and drives it all with the Tera Term Language macro system. For flashing firmware or bringing up a switch over a console cable, it remains excellent and Termique does not replace it. The gap shows up once the work is remote: dozens of SSH hosts, shared credentials, and machines that are not all running Windows.

  2. 02Credentials

    termique
    Encrypted vault, synced as ciphertext.
    Tera Term
    Plaintext INI and .ttl macros.
    Read the detail

    TERATERM.INI and .ttl macros vs an encrypted vault. Tera Term stores its configuration in a plaintext INI file, and because there is no credential store, the common workaround is a .ttl macro that carries the host, username and password in clear text on disk. It works, and it is exactly the kind of file that gets copied to a shared drive or committed by accident. Termique encrypts every credential with AES-GCM using a key derived from your master password on-device, so the ciphertext is all that ever syncs or leaves the machine.

  3. 03Platforms

    termique
    macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android.
    Tera Term
    Windows only.
    Read the detail

    Windows only, in a team that probably is not. Tera Term has run on Windows and nowhere else for its entire life. If part of your team is on macOS or Linux, they need a different client, different saved hosts, and a different way to store credentials. Termique runs natively on macOS, Windows and Linux, with iOS and Android alongside, and the same encrypted host list follows you to all of them.

Platform by platform

On every device you use.

Windows

Tera Term's only platform, and still the right one for serial console work over COM ports. Termique does not do serial at all.

macOS and Linux

Not available, and never has been. Termique covers both natively, plus iOS and Android for the same encrypted host list on a phone.

Download termique formacOSWindowsLinuxiOSAndroid
Switching

Moving over from Tera Term.

  1. 01Read TERATERM.INI

    Tera Term keeps settings in a plaintext INI file next to the executable. Your recent hosts live in the connection history rather than a real session store, so there may be less to migrate than you expect.

  2. 02Retire your .ttl login macros

    Because Tera Term has no credential store, the common workaround is a .ttl macro with the host, username and password in clear text. Delete those files and rotate the passwords in them - they were readable by anything that could read the disk.

  3. 03Add hosts in Termique

    Add the SSH hosts with the rotated credentials. They are AES-GCM encrypted under a key derived from your master password, which is never written anywhere.

FAQ

Questions people ask.

Something else? Ask us.

Does Termique support serial console connections?

No. Keep Tera Term for COM port work - the two tools do not overlap there.

Does Termique run on macOS and Linux?

Yes. Tera Term has been Windows-only for its entire life, which is usually why mixed teams look elsewhere.

Can Termique replace my .ttl login macros?

For SSH logins, yes - that is what the credential vault is for, and it does not leave a password in a file. For serial or terminal-emulation automation, no.

Is Termique free?

Free to download, with unlimited hosts and sessions and SFTP on the free tier. Pro is $5/mo.

Is Tera Term still maintained?

Yes, it still gets releases. The gap is scope, not upkeep: no credential vault, no host grouping, no sync and no macOS or Linux build.

Also compare

Other tools weighed against Tera Term.

All comparisons
termique vsWindTermFast, local-only open-source terminalCredentialsSyncSFTPAICompare termique vsmRemoteNGTabbed RDP, VNC and SSHCredentialsSyncSFTPAICompare termique vsPuTTYThe classic, single-binary clientCredentialsSyncSFTPAICompare termique vsXshellPart of the NetSarang suiteCredentialsSyncSFTPAICompare
Try it side by side

Run it next to Tera Term.

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

termiqueFree · Pro $5/mo
Download free