Comparisons Tabby
PlexusTerm vs Tabby
Tabby is an open-source terminal and SSH and serial client built with Electron, with a plugin system. Both are MIT licensed. PlexusTerm, built with Tauri, adds Mosh, built-in macros, importing sessions from .ini files and an AI chat with your own key.
Checked on October 17, 2026 against PlexusTerm 0.1.5 and Tabby 1.0.238 (2026-10-07).
| Feature | PlexusTerm | Tabby |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Linux and Windows | Windows, macOS and Linux, plus a web app [source] |
| Price | Free, no paid edition | Free [source] |
| Licence | Open source, MIT | Open source, MIT [source] |
| SFTP browser | Yes, follows the folder of the SSH tab | Yes, a panel in the SSH tab [source] |
| Port forwarding | Local, remote and dynamic (SOCKS5) | Local, remote and dynamic [source] |
| Serial and Telnet | Both | Both [source] |
| Mosh | Yes | No (open feature request) [source] |
| Split panes | Up to 4 per tab, with typing into all at once | Multiple nested split panes [source] |
| Jump hosts | Up to 3 jump hosts | Automatic jump host management [source] |
| Macros | Yes, recorded keystrokes that can wait for output | Through a third-party plugin [source] |
| Import | ~/.ssh/config (with ProxyJump) and sessions .ini files | ~/.ssh/config, automatically [source] |
| AI | Chat next to each terminal with your own key (Anthropic, Gemini, OpenAI, OpenCode Go or any OpenAI-compatible server such as Ollama); off without a key; never sends the terminal output | Not built in; a third-party MCP plugin exists [source] |
| Analytics | None | Anonymous usage analytics on by default (version and OS), can be turned off [source] |
Where Tabby is ahead
- A macOS app and a web app.
- A plugin system with third-party plugins and themes.
- Nested split panes without a fixed limit.
Which one to choose
PlexusTerm suits you if you use Mosh, want built-in macros, or an AI chat with your own key. Tabby suits you if you need macOS or a web version, or want to extend the terminal with plugins.
Sources
- https://github.com/Eugeny/tabby
- https://github.com/Eugeny/tabby/blob/master/LICENSE
- https://github.com/Eugeny/tabby/tree/master/tabby-ssh/src/components
- https://github.com/Eugeny/tabby/blob/master/tabby-ssh/src/api/interfaces.ts
- https://github.com/Eugeny/tabby/issues/593
- https://github.com/Eugeny/tabby/blob/master/tabby-electron/src/sshImporters.ts
- https://github.com/Eugeny/tabby/blob/master/tabby-core/src/configDefaults.yaml
Spotted something out of date? Open an issue and it will be corrected.