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MobaXterm vs xterm

MobaXterm

mobaxterm.mobatek.net

xterm

invisible-island.net

Side by side

FigureMobaXtermxterm
Price from$5.75/moFree
Free planYesYes
Free trialYes—
Open source——
WindowsYesYes
macOS—Yes
Linux—Yes
Plans published41
Spec score · Terminal apps8.9 (#3)7.9 (#26)
Spec score · Terminal Emulators8.6 (#4)7.6 (#34)
DocumentationThe official manual contains extensive interface, protocol, settings, troubleshooting and FAQ sections.The FAQ points to the manual page for command-line options, X resources and other configurable options.
Free planYesYes
PurposeMobaXterm combines remote computing tools and Unix commands in a Windows application for programmers, webmasters, IT administrators, and others handling remote jobs.xterm is a terminal emulator for the X Window System.
SupportThe Home Edition license says Mobatek is not obligated to provide technical assistance or maintenance services.The maintainer says users should report bugs to [email protected] and notes that he also responds through several bug-tracking systems.
Supported platformsWindowslinux,macos,windows

Plans

MobaXterm

  • Professional Edition$69 a year
  • Home EditionFree
  • Professional Edition$69, paid once
  • Professional Edition$69 a year

MobaXterm pricing →

xterm

  • FreeFree

xterm pricing →

In their own words

MobaXterm

MobaXterm combines remote-computing tools and Unix commands in a Windows application. It supports remote sessions over SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, RDP, VNC, XDMCP, FTP, SFTP, Mosh, and Serial, among other listed protocols. Its embedded X server supports OpenGL and extensions for running remote graphical applications on Windows. An SSH session can open a graphical SFTP browser for transferring files between a computer and a remote server. The terminal includes Unix commands, and additional tools can be added through downloadable plugins or the MobApt package manager. The session manager can route connections through an SSH gateway before reaching an end server. MobaXterm is offered as a single executable that can run from a USB stick without admin rights. The Home Edition has limits of 12 sessions, 2 SSH tunnels, and 4 macros; its license does not obligate the maker to provide technical assistance or maintenance. Professional Edition costs $69 per user per year, with first-year updates and optional renewal. The maker, MobaXterm, was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Toulouse, France.

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xterm

xterm is a free terminal emulator for the X Window System, available for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It emulates DEC VT102 and VT220 terminals, selected features from VT320, VT420, and VT520, and Tektronix 4014 graphics. Separate xterm windows can run on remote machines and display locally over the X protocol; SSH support is also listed. The current version implements ISO/ANSI colors using background color erase. If the operating system supports terminal resizing, xterm can notify programs running in its window when its size changes. It works with different flavors of the Athena widgets and includes scripting support. The official page links to source and archive downloads, while the FAQ points to a manual page covering command-line options, X resources, and other configuration settings. Related components add support for encodings beyond ISO-8859-1 and UTF-8, X resource support, and TrueType fonts. The FAQ documents known limitations, including color behavior that can revert to monochrome. The maintainer has worked on xterm since early 1996; its origins are described as a collective effort maintained by the X Consortium.

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