Tabby terminal — Tabby — a free, open-source terminal that treats the shell window as a modern app: tabs and split panes that remember wh
What it is
Tabby is a free, open-source terminal that treats the shell window as a modern app: tabs and split panes that remember where you left them, an SSH client with a real connection manager, a serial terminal for hardware work, and themes you ca
Editor's review
Long-form introduction by the BetterPicker editors · checked against the official site · Nov 5, 2026
Tabby is a free, open-source terminal that treats the shell window as a modern app: tabs and split panes that remember where you left them, an SSH client with a real connection manager, a serial terminal for hardware work, and themes you can restyle down to CSS. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, speaks PowerShell, WSL, Git Bash, Cygwin and CMD in the same window, and the project keeps the whole thing FOSS with downloads straight from GitHub releases. The pitch is simple: the terminal is where technical people spend their day, so it should hold state, look right, and connect to everything without a second tool. Under active development for years, it has accumulated the details people actually ask for -- remembered sessions, proper Windows shell support, serial ports -- rather than chasing novelty.
What it does well
A real SSH workstation: a connection manager with profiles, SFTP and Zmodem transfers, X11 and port forwarding, jump hosts, agent forwarding including Pageant and the Windows OpenSSH agent, login scripts, and an optional built-in password manager sealed behind a master passphrase. It is the closest a free client gets to the commercial SSH suites, and the connection import means an existing setup migrates in minutes.
Comfort features terminals usually skip: quake mode, a global hotkey, tabs on any side of the window, progress notifications, clickable URLs and paths, font ligatures, and multi-pane input that types into several sessions at once. None of these are glamorous, but together they remove the small frictions that make terminal work tiring over a long day.
Extensible and portable: plugins written in JavaScript, CSS-driven theming, a portable mode on Windows, and serial-port profiles with hexdump views for embedded and network gear. Because the code is open, anything missing can be inspected or contributed rather than requested and forgotten.
Who it's for
Tabby suits developers and ops people who live on Windows and want one window for PowerShell, WSL and SSH; homelab users juggling a dozen boxes; and anyone who wants a terminal that restores its layout after a reboot. Serial profiles make it quietly valuable for embedded work, and the FOSS license keeps it safe to install everywhere. It also suits people returning to Windows after years on Linux who want the same terminal habits without fighting the platform.
Where it falls short
It is a full app, not a bare console: memory and startup trail minimal terminals, which matters on old hardware or when a dozen tabs are open. For a machine that mostly idles it is irrelevant; for a modest laptop it is a real consideration.
Community-driven extras: themes and plugins vary in quality, and a broken plugin can be more annoying than a missing feature.
Setup takes a session: the settings tree is long, and dialing in profiles, keys and theming costs an evening you may not want to spend. The default configuration is serviceable, though, so the evening is optional.
Specs at a glance
Facts from the official site · not editorial opinion
| Type | Cross-platform terminal with SSH and serial support |
|---|---|
| Price | Free and open source (FOSS) |
| Shells | PowerShell, WSL, Git Bash, Cygwin, CMD and more |
| SSH | Connection manager, SFTP/Zmodem, port forwarding, jump hosts |
| UI | Split panes, quake mode, CSS themes, clickable links |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Extensibility | JavaScript plugins and community color schemes |
Frequently asked questions
▸Is Tabby free?
Yes, it is fully free and open source, with releases published on GitHub and donations accepted.
▸Does it work on Windows?
Yes -- Windows, macOS and Linux are all supported, with portable mode and Explorer integration on Windows.
▸Can it replace PuTTY?
For most users yes: it covers SSH with a connection manager, SFTP, port forwarding and agent forwarding, plus serial and Telnet.
▸Is it heavy?
It is a full graphical app, so it uses more memory than a minimal terminal; the trade is state, panes and theming.
Video reviews
5 review videos aggregated · praise and criticism included alike · click through to the original video
Channels that covered it
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![The Linux Cast [Matthew Weber]](/avatars/UCylGUf9BvQooEFjgdNudoQg.jpg)
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