Best Terminal Emulators for Windows
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Compare the Top Terminal Emulators for Windows as of June 2025
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What are Terminal Emulators for Windows?
Terminal emulators are software programs that replicate the functionality of a traditional terminal or command-line interface (CLI) within a graphical environment. These tools allow users to interact with their computer's operating system using text-based commands, offering access to system functions, file management, and programming tasks. Terminal emulators are commonly used by developers, system administrators, and power users for running scripts, managing servers, or debugging applications. They often support features such as tabbed windows, color schemes, customizable key bindings, and integration with remote systems through protocols like SSH. By providing a flexible and efficient way to work with the command line, terminal emulators enhance productivity in both local and remote computing environments. Compare and read user reviews of the best Terminal Emulators for Windows currently available using the table below. This list is updated regularly.
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1
ZOC
EmTec
ZOC is professional terminal emulation software for Windows and macOS. Its impressive list of emulations and powerful features makes it a reliable and elegant tool that connects you to hosts and mainframes via secure shell, telnet, serial cable, and other methods of communication. With its modern user interface, this terminal has many ways of making your life easier. In its own way, ZOC is the Swiss army knife of terminal emulators, versatile, robust, and proven. Tabbed sessions with thumbnails, address book with folders and color-coded hosts, highly customizable to meet your preferences and needs, scripting language with over 200 commands, compatible with Windows 10/11 and macOS 12 Monterey, and administrator friendly (deployment, configuration). Extensive logging, full keyboard remapping, scrollback. User-defined buttons, automatic actions, macro recorder. Emulations are xterm, VT220, TN3270, TN5250, Wyse, QNX.Starting Price: $79.99 one-time payment -
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Rio Terminal
Rio Terminal
Rio is a terminal application that’s built with Rust, WebGPU, Tokio runtime. It targets to have the best frame per second experience as long you want, but is also configurable to use as minimal from GPU. The terminal renderer is based on redux state machine, lines that has not updated will not suffer a redraw. Looking for the minimal rendering process in most of the time. Rio is also designed to support WebAssembly runtime so in the future you will be able to define how a tab system will work with a WASM plugin written in your favorite language. Rio uses WGPU, which is an implementation of WebGPU for use outside of a browser and as backend for Firefox’s WebGPU implementation. WebGPU allows for more efficient usage of modern GPU’s than WebGL. -
3
Tera Term
Tera Term
Tera Term is the terminal emulator for Microsoft Windows, that supports serial port, telnet and SSH connections. Among many other features it also has built-in Macro scripting language. Tera Term is often used to automate tasks related to remote connections initiated from PC. Tera Term is a free software terminal emulator (communication program) which supports serial port connections, TCP/IP (telnet, SSH1, SSH2) connections, log replaying, named pipe connection, and IPv6 communication. It also supports VT100 emulation and selected VT200/300 emulation, TEK4010 emulation, file transfer protocols (Kermit, XMODEM, YMODEM, ZMODEM, B-PLUS and Quick-VAN), and scripts using the "Tera Term Language". Supports Japanese, English, Russian, Korean and UTF-8 character sets, UTF-8 character encoding, and message catalog (in Japanese, English, German, French, Russian, Korean and Chinese). -
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WhippyTerm
WhippyTerm
WhippyTerm is a modern terminal application designed for use on contemporary operating systems like Windows and Linux. It features a sleek, user-friendly interface and supports communication protocols commonly used by embedded developers. The software supports serial communication standards such as RS232, RS485, RS422, and TTL UART, as well as TCP/IP and UDP. Unique capabilities include built-in hex dumps, bookmarks, and extensibility through plugins. WhippyTerm also offers native support for binary protocols and can send blocks of binary or ASCII data. It supports terminal emulations like ANSI by default, with options to add others such as VT100 via plugins.Starting Price: $0 -
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MobaXterm
MobaXterm
MobaXterm is your ultimate toolbox for remote computing. In a single Windows application, it provides loads of functions that are tailored for programmers, webmasters, IT administrators and pretty much all users who need to handle their remote jobs in a more simple fashion. There are many advantages of having an All-In-One network application for your remote tasks, e.g. when you use SSH to connect to a remote server, a graphical SFTP browser will automatically pop up in order to directly edit your remote files. Your remote applications will also display seamlessly on your Windows desktop using the embedded X server. When developing MobaXterm, we focused on a simple aim: proposing an intuitive user interface in order for you to efficiently access remote servers through different networks or systems. You can download and use MobaXterm Home Edition for free. If you want to use it inside your company, you should consider subscribing to MobaXterm Professional Edition.Starting Price: $69 per user per year -
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PuTTY
PuTTY
PuTTY is a free implementation of SSH and Telnet for Windows and Unix platforms, along with an xterm terminal emulator. PuTTY is a client program for the SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, and SUPDUP network protocols. These protocols are all used to run a remote session on a computer, over a network. PuTTY implements the client end of that session, the end at which the session is displayed, rather than the end at which it runs. In really simple terms, you run PuTTY on a Windows machine, and tell it to connect to (for example) a Unix machine. PuTTY opens a window. Then, anything you type into that window is sent straight to the Unix machine, and everything the Unix machine sends back is displayed in the window. So you can work on the Unix machine as if you were sitting at its console, while actually sitting somewhere else. All of PuTTY's settings can be saved in named session profiles. You can also change the default settings that are used for new sessions.Starting Price: Free -
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Muon SSH Terminal
Subhra Das Gupta
An easy and fun way to work with remote servers over SSH. Muon is a graphical SSH client. It has an enhanced SFTP file browser, SSH terminal emulator, remote resource/process manager, server disk space analyzer, remote text editor, huge remote log viewer, and lots of other helpful tools, which makes it easy to work with remote servers. Muon provides functionality similar to web-based control panels but, it works over SSH from the local computer, hence no installation is required on the server. It runs on Linux and Windows. Muon has been tested with several Linux and UNIX servers, like Ubuntu server, CentOS, RHEL, OpenSUSE, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, and HP-UX. The application is targeted mainly toward web/backend developers who often deploy/debug their code on remote servers and are not overly fond of complex terminal-based commands. It could also be useful for sysadmins as well who manage lots of remote servers manually.Starting Price: Free -
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Royal TS
Royal Apps
Powerful connection management is compatible with a variety of connection types. Using RDP, VNC, SSH-based terminals, S/FTP, or web-based interfaces? No worries, Royal TS got you covered! Built-in credential management. Safe team-sharing features. Share a list of connections, without sharing your personal credentials. Command tasks and key sequence tasks make it easy to quickly automate repetitive tasks. SSH-based tunneling (secure gateway) support is tightly integrated into Royal TS. Dynamic Folders allow you to dynamically import data from external sources. You can assign a credential to connections by specifying the name of the credential. This allows you to share a document containing only connections while your personal credential is stored in a private document, protected by your password. Royal TS can handle documents opened by multiple users at the same time and allows you to synchronize document changes without the need for a SQL database back-end!Starting Price: $40 one-time payment -
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PowerTerm InterConnect
Ericom
The PowerTerm InterConnect Series is comprised of several robust terminal emulation applications supporting the host access needs of large and small organizations. It allows enterprises to standardize on a single host access solution. PowerTerm InterConnect products provides fast and reliable access to data residing on the broadest range of hosts, such as IBM Mainframe zSeries, IBM AS/400 iSeries, UNIX, OpenVMS, Tandem, HP. Each of the PowerTerm InterConnect products enables terminal emulation via various communication modes. PowerTerm InterConnect offers a flexible and extensive feature set to maximize users' time while providing a wide range of options. Using Power Script Language, users can automate tasks and increase efficiency. PowerTerm InterConnect's small footprint makes it a simple, fast and effective means of running legacy applications and it is easily installable on any PC. -
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PowerTerm Pro
Ericom
The PowerTerm Pro Series is Ericom Software's premier terminal emulation solution for Windows that simplifies and extends legacy access functionality. Supporting a diverse range of hosts and emulation types, PowerTerm Pro enables corporations to standardize on a single host access solution. Featuring a customizable GUI, SSL, SSH and secure file transfer (SFTP), PowerTerm Pro and PowerTerm Pro Enterprise offer a number of options, so corporations can choose the PowerTerm Pro product that meets their host, security, server and productivity needs. Easy-to-use intuitive GUI (graphic user interface) enables users to do their work quickly and efficiently, with drag-and-drop tools for quick data accessibility and AS/400 DFT for easy file transfer between PC and AS/400 host. PowerTerm Pro terminal emulation software is installed on a central server and accessed via a Windows desktop with per-user licensing. -
11
SecureCRT
VanDyke Software
SecureCRT client for Windows, Mac, and Linux provides rock-solid terminal emulation for computing professionals, raising productivity with advanced session management and a host of ways to save time and streamline repetitive tasks. SecureCRT provides secure remote access, file transfer, and data tunneling for everyone in your organization. Whether you are replacing Telnet or Terminal, or need a more capable secure remote access tool, SecureCRT is an application you can live in all day long. With the solid security of SSH, extensive session management, and advanced scripting, SecureCRT will help raise your productivity to the nth degree. Highlight individual words, phrases, or substrings in the session window to identify errors in log files or streaming output and to highlight prompts. Regular expressions are also supported, making it easier to highlight strings like IP addresses. Keyword display attributes (bold, reverse video, and color) can be combined. -
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OpenText HostExplorer
OpenText
Terminal emulation is the ability to make one computer terminal, typically a PC, appear to look like another, usually older type of terminal so that a user can access programs originally written to communicate with the other terminal type. OpenText HostExplorer is one of best terminal emulator software packages available for IBM® 3270 Mainframes, AS/400s, UNIX and FTP hosts. OpenText™ HostExplorer is a terminal emulator that provides fast, secure and reliable connections from Microsoft® Windows® PCs to a variety of enterprise hosts. HostExplorer enables organizations to benefit from the latest PC and web technologies while protecting their investment in data, information assets and systems. Easy migration preserves user experience, eliminates need for retraining and avoiding business workflow interruptions. Reduces maintenance cost and effort through automatic upgrades and centralized administration. -
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StayLinked
StayLinked
StayLinked enables you to migrate to state-of-the-art devices, measure and optimize productivity with cutting-edge business intelligence, and interface with ground-breaking technologies in the areas of automation, robotics, augmented reality, and location-based services. Keeping employees on the job is a key part of productivity. The architecture of traditional terminal emulation solutions often leads to erratic application connectivity and performance. This results in end users spending time troubleshooting issues with the help desk rather than performing important application tasks. By eliminating dropped or lost sessions, providing centralized application configuration and management, and delivering highly efficient help desk tools, StayLinked keeps applications and end users running at peak performance. StayLinked Terminal Emulation (TE) is the fastest TE solution available for mobile devices. Traditional terminal emulation products send all telnet/SSH traffic to the mobile device. -
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Byobu
Byobu
It was originally designed to provide elegant enhancements to the otherwise functional, plain, practical GNU Screen, for the Ubuntu server distribution. Byobu now includes an enhanced profile, convenient keybindings, configuration utilities, and toggle-able system status notifications for both the GNU Screen window manager and the more modern Tmux terminal multiplexer, and works on most Linux, BSD, and Mac distributions. Byobu includes an enhanced profile, configuration utilities, and system status notifications for the GNU screen window manager as well as the Tmux terminal multiplexer. Byobu is developed and released as free software under the GPLv3.Starting Price: Free -
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Rocket Passport
Rocket Software
Rocket® Passport terminal emulation solutions includes Rocket Passport Web to Host® and Rocket Passport PC to Host. Rocket Passport Web to Host software is a feature-rich, browser-based IBM® 3270 emulator for host access, which can significantly reduce costs for organizations using other desktop terminal emulators. Passport Web to Host includes both enhanced IBM TN3270E emulation and basic TN3270 emulation, as well as IBM® i (TN5250), UNIX/DEC (VT), and secure File Transfer Protocol (FTP). With Passport Web to Host, remote or distributed Windows users get all the tools they need for secure, reliable, productive host connectivity. This includes support for SSL and SSH security, VB Script for macro development, HLLAPI and an Object API for IBM application integration, comprehensive Windows cut-and-paste, and more. Passport PC to Host gives Windows users all the tools they need to create secure, reliable, productive host connectivity. -
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Flynet Viewer TE
Flynet
Flynet Viewer™ TE (Terminal Emulation) provides a browser based, terminal emulator to access key business systems. Access Mainframe, iSeries, Unix, VMS or MultiValue systems, on any device with zero client software. The terminal emulator is installed in a server environment, either on-premise or in the cloud, and centrally managed via the Flynet Viewer administration centre. Flynet Viewer works on all browsers and devices with no Java or ActiveX plugins. Flynet Viewer has all the features you would expect in an enterprise terminal emulator, including client and server-side macro creation, file transfer, single sign-on, MFA and keyboard remapping. Flynet Viewer Terminal Emulation provides the same level of functionality that is associated with a full fat desktop Terminal Emulation client but is delivered over the web and served up via a browser. Flynet Viewer Terminal Emulation will run on any device regardless of operating system or indigenous browser. -
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HostAccess
Perforce
HostAccess is PC terminal emulation software. It offers a suite of terminal emulation tools for Microsoft Windows users. This allows secure access to various platforms, including Linux, Unix, IBM, Windows, etc. The main usage of the HostAccess is to connect to PICK (multivalue) system, such as UniVerse, UniData, D3, ONware, etc., and use own package of programs written in PICK Basic. These programs provide APIs for data exchange and expansive GUI capabilities. Produce reports quickly and integrate data with Windows applications. Connect to multiple systems within one integrated environment. HostAccess offers all the key terminal emulation software features you need in a single page. So, whether you’re looking for asynchronous/synchronous connections, server-based administration, concurrent users, or multiple session access, HostAccess is an ideal solution for you. -
18
OpenText Reflection Desktop
OpenText
Make host apps as easy to use as Office apps. Add modern user-interface elements. Put Microsoft Office productivity features to work. Now your users can do their best work, wherever they are. Streamline and secure your host-access operation by teaming Reflection with MSS. Reflection Desktop works with your Identity and Access Management (IAM) system, including those that are SAML-enabled, to authenticate to MSS. Whereupon MSS seamlessly propagates changes to application settings and user-specific content from a central server. Lock down access to your critical host systems with ease. Grant or deny access based on group or role. Apply changes quickly to align with business needs. Make post-install adjustments on the fly. Replace weak, eight-character passwords with strong, complex ones. Implement best-fit multifactor authentication methods (one-time passwords (OTP), biometric, push token, mobile authentication and more). -
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OpenText Reflection for the Web
OpenText
Configure sessions with hotspots, keyboard mapping, color settings, and more. Build web frameworks around mainframe applications. Centrally install and deploy for instant availability. Once you make updates, users automatically download the new version when they connect. Connect to any major GDS. Use the Airlines Printer component to generate tickets, baggage tags, and boarding passes. Connect to host systems, making IBM, UNIX, Unisys, OpenVMS, and HP data instantly available to browser users, no matter where they are, without the need for Java. The new Reflection for the Web Launcher enables end users to continue access to mainframe and host applications while removing any requirements for Oracle Java. Allow users to work the way that they work best providing terminal sessions, printing, and file transfer. -
20
Entire Connection
Software AG
Terminal emulation software that connects Windows® users to applications on the mainframe, UNIX®, Linux®, OpenVMS, and BS2000 platforms. Available for Natural on the mainframe. Connect thousands of concurrent Microsoft® Windows® users to applications running on the mainframe, UNIX, Linux, OpenVMS, and BS2000 platforms with highly scalable terminal emulation software, Entire Connection. Protect your application from desktop access by requiring a user ID and password to open a terminal session with Entire Connection. Implement SSO by storing the host user credentials encrypted in the share file and using the Entire Connection script language to log onto the host. -
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NetTerm
NetTerm
InterSoft International, Inc. produces award winning products designed to run on Microsoft Windows based workstations, allowing connectivity to IBM, UNIX, Windows and VMS based host computers. Our products are used worldwide by individuals and companies to meet their client / server needs. The robust nature of NetTerm allows it to be used by the military, IBM, federal courts, National Institutes of Health, public libraries, automobile dealerships and thousands of individuals requiring access to Internet accounts, public library systems and their database connectivity requirements. Professionals within the medical, financial and law related industries use NetTerm to search diverse databases located all over the world. The award winning NetTerm is a robust, configurable terminal emulator designed for Internet and intranet connections with support for Telnet, rlogin, dialup, and other connection protocols. -
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FlexTerm
FlexTerm
FlexTerm is written entirely in C# .NET, providing a new user interface that is long overdue for the terminal emulation community. The user interface utilizes the modern ribbon command bar to organize the program's features into a series of tabs at the top of the window. This increases discover-ability of features and functions, enables quicker learning of the program, and makes users feel more in control of their experience with the program. The ribbon replaces both the traditional menu bar and toolbars and is now fully customizable, allowing users to create their own custom tabs and tab groups. A FlexTerm workspace can consist of a single session, or any number of sessions, which may be docked and displayed as tabs and/or floating. Sessions within each workspace can be easily arranged using drag-and-drop functionality. -
23
HCL ZIE
HCL Software
Time-Tested Emulator of choice by Global Mainframe Customers. Extend mission critical terminal applications to the web, mobile or as APIs without touching the existing application. HCL ZIE for Transformation extends mission-critical terminal applications to the web, mobile, or as standard SOAP or RESTful web services without touching the existing application. No rewriting, refactoring, or access to application source code is required. Reduce training costs, increase end user productivity with improved navigation and usability, and eliminate data entry errors. ZIE for Transformation tunable default rendering and screen customization get all the screens of your existing application rendered with a new, intuitive user interface. Deploy apps to web, portal, and Eclipse RCP runtime environments, and allow access by a large variety of web browsers, including mobile. -
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Rocket Terminal Emulator
Rocket Software
Rocket® Terminal Emulator (formerly Rocket® BlueZone®) is a different kind of solution. Highly configurable, users can customize their environment to maximize comfort and efficiency. Its native security ensures your critical business data remains protected, while providing a cost-effective alternative that delivers exceptional value. Switching from your existing terminal emulation solution is straightforward with our migration wizards and exceptional team supporting your move to Rocket Terminal Emulator. Rocket Terminal Emulator enables each user to customize their terminal environment to feel familiar and comfortable. Users of host systems often have shortcuts and hot-keys configured specifically to their most often-used tasks. With Rocket Terminal Emulator, many of those macros will easily migrate from your prior emulator. -
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ConEmu
ConEmu
ConEmu-Maximus5 aims to be handy, comprehensive, fast and reliable terminal window where you may host any console application developed either for WinAPI (cmd, powershell, far) or Unix PTY (cygwin, msys, wsl bash). As Windows console window enhancement (local terminal emulator), ConEmu presents multiple consoles and simple GUI applications (like PuTTY for example) as one customizable tabbed GUI window with various features. ConEmu starts a console program in a hidden console window, and provides an alternative customizable GUI window with various features. Smooth and friendly window resizing; tabs for editors, viewers, panels and consoles. Run simple GUI apps like PuTTY in tabs. Windows 7 Jump Lists and Progress on Taskbar buttons. Easily run old DOS applications (games) in Windows 7 or 64-bit OS. Thumbnails and tiles in Far Manager. Normal, maximized and full screen graphical window modes. -
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OpenText Extra!
OpenText
Our Windows-based emulator connects users to IBM, UNIX, and Linux host applications. Easy to use, manage, and highly secure, OpenText™ Extra! saves time by eliminating repetitive actions through keystroke and macro automation. OpenText Extra! is integrated with Microsoft Office, which enables user to eliminate keystrokes to save time. Complete repetitive actions faster and more accurately with various productivity features. Completely customize your software before deployment with the custom installation wizard. Centrally manage the setting files with the group policy feature, saving time and increasing management control. -
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OpenText Host Access for the Cloud
OpenText
Quickly deliver browser-based access from a central location – without the need to manage Java runtime environments. Make sure you know who is accessing your mainframe, and ensure that only authorized users get to the login screen. Leverage enterprise credentials to move from a potentially unsecure eight-character password, to a one-time pass ticket. Why reinvent the wheel? Provision terminal emulation like other corporate resources, through the corporate user directory. Quickly deploy secure, customized browser-based sessions, with supporting keyboards, quick keys, and macros. Provide HTML5 access to 3270, 5250, VT, Unisys and Airline host applications from a central location – without the need to manage workstation dependencies, or Java runtime environments. -
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TTerm Connect
Turbosoft
Turbosoft's terminal emulation software supports over 80 different emulations for systems such as IBM, HP, OpenVMS, Unix, HP NonStop, Unisys, Wyse & more. Choose from TTerm Connect, our web-based HTML5 offering, TTWin4 for Windows desktops, TTerm for Linux, or, for developers integrating terminal emulation, TTerm for .NET. TTerm Connect, our web-based terminal emulator offers flexible, powerful terminal emulation with nothing more than a web browser. TTerm Connect offers all the features you would expect from a desktop terminal emulator in a lightweight web application. Centrally configured and managed, TTerm Connect requires no client-side installation and can be deployed with its own web client or integrated with your existing website. Any host, any device. Available for any modern web browser and client device and with options for Windows or Linux based servers. Flexible & capable of servicing the terminal emulation needs of thousands of concurrent users. -
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WoTerm
aoyiduo
A powerful open source cross-platform security terminal simulation software, it supports SSH/SFTP/TELNET/RDP/VNC and other mainstream protocols. Support multiple key authentication methods, support SFTP session data backup and synchronization, support multiple sets of skin interface, support tunnel management, support script design, support multiple labels and floating Windows, support administrator mode, support 4K remote desktop, compatible with various VNC remote desktop, support session group management.
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