Tabby vs MobaXterm
Two of the top three SSH clients, compared rule by rule on published facts.
In short
- Tabby has 81 points and MobaXterm 76, 5 apart on our SSH clients rules.
- Tabby earns more on keys and security, other systems and price; MobaXterm earns more on connections.
- Cheapest uncapped edition, per year: Tabby $0, MobaXterm $23/yr.
- Only Tabby meets: saved logins locked by a master password, open source and other systems.
- Only MobaXterm meets: key generator and key agent and security key or smart card login.
MobaXterm76/100 #3 of 12
Best for: Windows admins who want SSH, SFTP, X11 and remote desktop in one window.
Points by group
| Group | Tabby | MobaXterm |
|---|---|---|
| Connections of 35 | 33 | 35 |
| Keys and security of 25 | 12 | 11 |
| Sessions and workflow of 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Other systems of 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Price of 14 | 14 | 12 |
| Total | 81 | 76 |
Rule by rule
What each vendor publishes, and the points it earns. Sources are on each product page.
| Rule (points) | Tabby | MobaXterm |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in SFTP file transfer (7) | Yes 7 | Yes 7 |
| SSH agent forwarding (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| X11 forwarding (5) | Yes 5 | Yes 5 |
| Port forwarding (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Jump hosts (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| Serial port connections (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Other protocols (3) | Telnet 1 | Telnet, RDP, VNC 3 |
| Key generator and key agent (5) | Not published 0 | Yes 5 |
| Security key or smart card login (6) | Not published 0 | Yes 6 |
| Saved logins locked by a master password (6) | Yes 6 | Not published 0 |
| Open source (6) | Yes 6 | No 0 |
| SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 (2) | Not published 0 | Not published 0 |
| Saved sessions in folders (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Scripting or automation (5) | Yes 5 | Yes 5 |
| Sync saved sessions between devices (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Portable version (2) | Yes 2 | Yes 2 |
| Updated in the last 12 months (3) | Yes 3 | Yes 3 |
| Other systems (8) | macOS, Linux 4 | None 0 |
| Free for work use (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| Cheapest uncapped edition, per year (8) | $0 8 | $23/yr 6 |
Tabby
Tabby suits people who want one free terminal for SSH, serial and local shells on any desktop system. It lists the main forwarding features and an encrypted vault. The catches: the project lists no security key or smart card login, and no key generator.
MobaXterm
MobaXterm suits Windows admins who want connections, SFTP, X11 and remote desktop in one tabbed window. The free Home edition is capped at 12 sessions, 2 tunnels and 4 macros, so heavy users need Professional at $69. The catch: the vendor describes only a Windows application, and the licence does not allow modifying the software.
Both products are scored by the same rules: how we score SSH clients.