In the networking world, file transfers and server management are essential operations. While often maintenance is carried out using a computer, mobile devices such as phones and tablets are great alternatives to PCs. As Android tablets and phones continue to become more powerful, it’s increasingly feasible to replace a laptop or desktop with a mobile device. For system administrators, server maintenance, and network management, an SSH application is a must-have. Check out the best SSH Android clients available!
What is SSH – Secure Shell Explained
SSH, known also as secure socket shell or secure shell, is a networking protocol that lets you securely access remote computers and servers over an unsecured network. A secure shell client adds network security services such as password authentication as well as public-key authentication, data communication encryption, and other utilities. With secure socket shell, you can run terminal sessions on a remote computer and execute file transfers or remote copy. SFTP, or secure file transfer protocol, allows you to securely transfer files using a graphical user interface (GUI).
SSH: Secure socket shell or secure shell, a network protocol for establishing secure connections over unsecured networks.
SFTP: Secure transfer protocol, lets you transfer files locally and remotely using a GUI.
Why You Should Use an SSH Client on Android
Because of increased processing power, Android mobile devices such as phones and tablets have become computer replacements. As such, it’s totally feasible to manage servers and perform sysadmin functions using a tablet or phone. In fact, some Android handsets and tablets such as Samsung Galaxy flagships feature desktop modes like DeX, or desktop experience. Pairing a wireless keyboard and mouse gives you a great laptop alternative. Thus, installing an SSH Android client allows you to install software via the command line remotely, initiate file transfers, and any number of other actions. I regularly use an SSH client for Android to update my Plex media server over the network.
Best SSH Android Client Overall – JuiceSSH
JuiceSSH is the best SSH client for Android. It’s totally free and boasts a bevy of different useful features. You’ll find full-color terminal support, a popup keyboard with difficult-to-find charcters. There’s compatibility with tons of external keyboards. For mobile devices, JuiceSSH includes gesture support for tmux, weechat, irssi, and screen.
You can easily copy and paste within sessions and keep multiple concurrent SSH sessions running in the background. IPV6 support comes standard. While JuiceSSH is a free SSH client for Android, an optional pro version is available via in-app purchase. JuiceSSH pro adds power user functionality such as automated AES-256 encrypted backups of connections, secure syncing between devices, integration with the likes of Amazon AWS and EC2, frequently-used command snippets in a library, and more. Although some of these additions would be nice in the free tier, JuiceSSH is a great SSH client for Android mobile devices.
Pros:
- Completely free to use (optional pro version available as a paid in-app upgrade)
- Telnet support
- Full-color terminal/SSH client for easily-readable code
- Local Android terminal support
- External keyboard compatibility
- Volume rocker hotkey to change the font size quickly
- Popup keyboard with tough-to-find common commands
- Gestures for weechat, tmux, screen, and irssi
- Lots of themes including dark, light, 80s hacker, and more
- Copy/paste within sessions
- Keep SSH sessions running in the background
- IPv6 support
- Great compatibility with third-party plugins
Cons:
- Some features are limited to a paid upgrade
- Automatic AES-256 encrypted connections and settings backups is a pro feature
- Amazon AWS/EC2 integration requires paid premium upgrade
Best Android SSH and SFTP Client – Termius
Termius is a solid PuTTY for Android alternative. With SSH, SFTP, Telnet, and Mosh capabilities, Termius provides a great app for establishing a secure connection between remote machines. In addition to its Android app, Termius is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Unlike many freemium apps, Termius eschews ads and banners. What’s more, its free tier offers a slew of features such as local terminal with bash, port forwarding, automatic recognition of operating systems such as Ubuntu and Fedora, 12 different color schemes, two-factor authentication, and more.
Its user interface is easy to navigate. There’s a tabbed interface for managing multiple concurrent SSH sessions seamlessly. What’s more, you can add labels to connections for fantastic organization. For added security, Termius allows for cryptographic algorithms including chahca20-poly1305, ed25519, and ECDSA.
Stepping up to the premium plan allows for SSH key agent forwarding, fingerprint protection, AWS and Digital Ocean host imports, plus SFTP client access. Unfortunately, Termius limits SFTP to its paid tier. Similarly, several highly-sought-after features are limited to the paid plan. Still, Termius is the best Android SSH and SFTP client. It’s completely ad-free, user-friendly, and boasts SFTP alongside SSH, Mosh, and Telnet.
Pros:
- SSH, SFTP, Telnet, and Mosh
- ECDSA, ed25519, and chacha20-poly1305 cryptographic algorithms
- User-friendly UI – tabbed browsing, automatic OS recognition of Ubuntu, Raspberry Pi, and more
- 12 different color schemes
- Completely ad-free even in its paid tier
- Paid and premium versions available
- Local, dynamic, and remote port forwarding
- External and touch keyboard support
- 2FA (two-factor authentication)
- Multiple terminal types: XTerm-256 colors, VT100, and vanilla terminal
Cons:
- SFTP is limited to premium plan
- AWS and Digital Ocean host import requires paid plan
- Terminal tabs are a premium feature
Best Open-source SSH Client App for Android – ConnectBot
ConnectBot is a powerful open-source SSH client app for Android devices. Using ConnectBot, you can easily manage multiple simultaneous SSH sessions. Additionally, ConnectBot makes it simple to establish secure tunnels. You can easily copy and paste text between different Android applications such as copying a terminal command into the ConnectBot Android SSH client. Because of its open-source nature, ConnectBot is totally free to use. And without any ads or banners, ConnectBot is an awesome free PuTTY alternative on Android.
IPv6 compatibility and an aesthetically-pleasing design makes ConnectBot a solid choice for running SSH sessions. You can customize the look and feel of ConnectBot by changing the keyboard configuration, font size, SSH authentication agent, and more. Disappointingly, ConnectBot doesn’t offer some advanced features like OS recognition, AWS EC2 integration, or SFTP compatibility. Nevertheless, ConnectBot remains the best free Android SSH client on the market.
Pros:
- Completely free
- Ad-free
- Open-source
- Copy and paste text between Applications
- Customizable interface (i.e. font size, keyboard layout, SSH auth agent, etc.)
Cons:
- Lacks some advanced features (i.e. AWS EC2 integration, SFTP)
Top Android SSH Client for Linux Enthusiasts – Termux
Termux is a comprehensive Android SSH client that’s packed with functionality. The beefy terminal emulator for Android affords full Linux package collection. Its user interface is gorgeous and easily readable even on a small screen. With Termux, you can run bash and zsh shells. File management using nnn, nano, vim, or emacs is a breeze.
In addition to its SSH and terminal capabilities, Termux lets you develop in C with clang, make, and gdb. Likewise, you can use the Python console as a pocket calculator or run text-based games with Frotz. Upon first use, you’ll need to install some base packaged with the apt package manager. Long-pressing anywhere on the terminal window pulls up a menu where you can access a help section, and there’s a thriving Wiki. A lot of the features within Termux may be overkill for beginners. As such, it might be confusing. But for intermediate and advanced sysadmins, Termux is a fantastic choice.
Pros:
- Jam-packed with features
- Full Linux package collection
- File management with nnn, nano, vim, and emacs
- Can develop in C with clang, make, and gdb
- Python console for a pocket calculator
- Frotz for running text-based games
- Extremely secure
- Lets you run Perl, Ruby, and Python
- Very customizable
- Intuitive keyboard shortcuts
- External and touchscreen keyboard compatibility
Cons:
- Might be confusing for command-line beginners
Best PuTTY Alternative for Android – Mobile SSH
Since it’s based on OpenSSH and PuTTY, Mobile SSH is a fantastic PuTTY alternative that runs on Android devices. Its minimalist interface is simple to navigate for quick secure shell connections. With its backend based on PuTTY and OpenSSH, Mobile SSH delivers a great terminal experience on-the-go. You’ll find a bevy of different features such as public-key cryptosystems called Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) key authentication. This adds even more security for data transmissions.
While Mobile SSH is available for free, the basic plan does include ads. Moreover, the free tier of Mobile SSH lacks popular features like the ability to run multiple SSH sessions. As such, if you want to nix the advertisements and benefit from advanced features, the pro iteration of Mobile SSH is your best choice. And luckily, it’s pretty affordable at $2.99. Overall, Mobile SSH is a solid PuTTY for Android app.
Pros:
- Free and paid options available
- Minimalist interface is easy to navigate
- Includes public-key cryptosystems (RSA key authentication)
- Uses the OpenSSH and Putty backends
Cons:
- Free tier contains adverts
- Features such as concurrent SSH sessions require the paid version
Top SFTP and SSH Android App – Arpaplus Admin Hands Advanced SSH/SFTP/FTP/TELNET Client
Admin Hands is a phenomenal SSH and SFTP client for sysadmins. You’ll find a slew of different features such as secure shell, SFTP, FTP, and a Telnet terminal for a one-stop-shop for various administration needs. There’s a great real-time monitoring widget with various stats such as RAM, CPU, network, and disk space usage. HTTP download and upload functionality comes standard. A powerful terminal emulator for Android, Admin Hands boasts one-click automated actions. There’s a built-in text editor complete with syntax highlighting. Unfortunately, while Admin Hands is free to use, there is a paid pro iteration. Still, the pro variant is cheap enough and its free tier remains perfectly usable.
Pros:
- Free and pro versions available
- Includes SSH, FTP, SFTP, HTTP, and Telnet capabilities
- Resource monitoring widget
- Batch actions (upload, download, execute)
- One-click automated actions
- In-app keyboard with special characters and arrows
- Several different terminal themes
- Can save hosts to XML, HTML, and CSV
- Copy/paste between hosts
- Syntax highlighting
Cons:
- Pro version is a bit better (but is cheap enough)
Best SSH Android Client Apps – Top SSH and SFTP Clients for Android
For file transfers, terminal emulation, and any number of other uses, there are loads of SSH apps for Android. JuiceSSH is the best choice overall, while Admin Hands and Termus offer solid SFTP functionality. Mobile SSH is a good basic secure shell Android client application that uses the PuTTY and OpenSSH backend. Linux buffs will love Termux with its robust feature set. And ConnectBot is a fantastic open-source SSH client for Android.
Your turn: What SSH client apps for Android do you recommend?
Recent Comments