Autoruns vs electerm
Autoruns
learn.microsoft.comelecterm
electerm.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | Autoruns | electerm |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Remote Connection Manager Software | 8.0 (#12) | 8.1 (#10) |
| Purpose | Autoruns shows programs and drivers configured to run during system boot, login, and when certain built-in Windows applications start. | Electerm combines a terminal emulator and graphical SFTP file manager with SSH, SFTP, FTP, Telnet, serial port, RDP, VNC, and Spice clients. |
| Support | Microsoft says Sysinternals tools are provided as is without official Microsoft support and points users to a community support forum. | The project provides documentation, issue reporting, GitHub Discussions, video guides, and a WeChat community for support and updates. |
Plans
In their own words
Autoruns
Autoruns shows programs and drivers configured to run during Windows boot, login, or when certain built-in Windows applications start. It reports startup items from locations such as the Startup folder, Registry keys, Explorer extensions, services, scheduled tasks, and Winlogon entries. Users can hide signed Microsoft entries to focus on third-party items, inspect startup images configured for other accounts, and disable an entry or delete its configuration. Scan options include signature verification and VirusTotal hash checks; submitting files not previously scanned requires the upload option, and VirusTotal features require accepting its terms. The download includes Autorunsc, a command-line version that can output CSV or tab-delimited data, verify signatures, and scan an offline Windows system. The Autoruns and Autorunsc download is listed as 3 MB, and Microsoft offers a Sysinternals Live option. Autoruns costs nothing, with no limit on installation or use on devices owned or supported by the user, but no redistribution license. Microsoft says Sysinternals tools are provided as is without official support and points users to a community forum.
electerm
electerm combines a terminal emulator with a graphical SFTP file manager and clients for SSH, SFTP, FTP, Telnet, serial, RDP, VNC and Spice. It is free and open-source under the MIT License, and is listed for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web and Windows. The terminal supports multiple tabs, split panes, quick input to one or all terminals, and a global visibility hotkey. Its SFTP manager can edit remote files directly and transfer them by drag and drop. Authentication options include public keys and passwords, with SSH tunnels and global or session proxies. An AI assistant can generate commands, explain them and create scripts using OpenAI Chat Completions, OpenAI Responses or Anthropic Messages formats. The free AI service uses free-tier accounts and may have usage limits; users can configure their own API key. Bookmarks, themes and quick commands can sync through GitHub or Gitee secret gists, WebDAV, custom servers or electerm cloud. The project also offers an MCP widget and deep links such as ssh:// and telnet://.