MobaXterm vs Royal TS (2026): which should you pick?

Pick MobaXterm if

• Fits if you are on Windows and need SSH, X11 forwarding and RDP together
• Works for admins who want a portable app with no install

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you use a Mac or Linux, as it is Windows only
• Tight if you pass 12 sessions, 2 tunnels or 4 macros on Home
• Watch out: Professional includes 12 months of updates and the page gives no price after
• Watch out: for use inside a company the vendor points you to Professional

Pick Royal TS if

• Fits if you juggle dozens of servers and want connections and logins in one place
• Works for IT teams that want shared connection documents

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you stay on Lite: 10 connections, 10 credentials and 1 document
• Pricey if you need both systems: Windows and Mac are separate licences, €79 for the pair
• Watch out: prices are in euros without VAT, and each licence includes only 1 year of maintenance
• Too light on its own for gateway tasks, as Royal Server is licensed separately

MobaXterm

• Runs on Windows only; the vendor describes it as a Windows application.
• The Home Edition caps sessions at 12, SSH tunnels at 2 and macros at 4.
• The Professional price includes 12 months of updates; the page does not state the price of later updates.
• For use inside a company, the vendor says to consider the Professional Edition; it mentions volume discounts.

Royal TS

• Prices are shown in euros, excluding VAT; the page says other currencies may vary with conversion rates.
• Each license includes 1 year of software maintenance, except Extended Global, which includes 3 years.
• Windows and macOS are separate products with separate licenses; the bundle covers both.
• Royal Server, the gateway for remote management tasks, is licensed separately and does not come with Royal TS.

MobaXterm

Tabbed SSH terminal

Tabbed sessions based on PuTTY with antialiased fonts, macro support and a session manager for saved connections.

Embedded X server

An X.org-based server exports DISPLAY from a remote Unix host and carries X11 forwarding over SSH.

Remote desktop protocols

Besides SSH, the Home Edition lists RDP, VNC and Xdmcp for remote desktops, and Telnet, rlogin and Mosh for terminals.

Automatic SFTP browser

Opening an SSH session brings up a graphical SFTP browser so remote files can be edited directly.

Unix commands on Windows

Basic Cygwin commands such as bash, grep, awk, sed and rsync run in a single portable executable.

Plugins and Customizer

Plugins extend the app. The Professional Edition adds a Customizer for startup message, logo and profile script.

Royal TS

Many connection types

The Windows edition lists remote desktop (RDP), SSH and Telnet terminals, VNC, web pages, and file transfer over FTP, SFTP and SCP.

Credential management

Credentials are stored as separate objects that connections and folders inherit or link to, and sensitive document data is encrypted and can be password protected.

Shareable documents

A document of connections can be shared with a team while credentials are assigned by name, so personal passwords stay out of the shared file.

Command and key sequence tasks

Tasks run commands such as ping or traceroute, or replay keyboard input, against one or more connections to cut repetitive steps.

Secure gateway tunneling

SSH-based tunneling through a secure gateway is built in, and dynamic folders can import connection lists from external sources.

MobaXterm

• Home Edition$0

  Free. Max. 12 sessions, 2 SSH tunnels and 4 macros; the vendor points company use to Professional.

• Professional Edition$69

  per user, one-time, with 12 months of updates

  Also listed in euros at 49. Unlimited sessions, tunnels and macros, a Customizer tool and a lifetime right to use.

Royal TS

• Lite€0

  Up to 10 connections, up to 10 credentials and 1 document, for a single user.

• Individual User License€49

  one-time, per user, for Windows or macOS

  Single user on multiple devices; includes 1 year of maintenance. The Windows plus macOS bundle is €79.

• Site License€849

  one-time, unlimited users on a single site

  Windows or macOS edition, 1 year of maintenance included. The Windows plus macOS bundle is €1349.

• Global License€1699

  one-time, unlimited users on multiple sites

  Windows or macOS edition, 1 year of maintenance included. The Extended Global license adds 3 years for €3199.

• Enterprise LicenseCustom

  Unlimited users in all subsidiaries; quoted through the vendor's contact form.