
MobaXterm
PowerShell
PuTTY
Console
ConEmu
Gnome Terminator
GNOME Terminal
Cygwin is a set of tools that provide Linux and POSIX functionality to Windows.

KiTTY
MobaXterm
PuTTY
Console
PowerShell
Gnome Terminator
OpenSSH
Xshell is a powerful terminal emulator that supports SSH, SFTP, TELNET, RLOGIN and SERIAL.

Which is more popular?
Based on our record, Cygwin seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 13 times since March 2021.
Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.
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| Website | cygwin.com | netsarang.com |
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What each product offers, as listed by its team.


Possible disadvantages
Possible disadvantages
An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.


No analysis of Cygwin yet.
Overall verdict
Why this product is good
Recommended for
Xshell is recommended for IT professionals, network administrators, and developers who require robust terminal emulation capabilities. It is particularly beneficial for those working in network management, server maintenance, and environments where secure remote access is critical.
Walkthroughs and reviews on video.
Cygwin Review Part 1: Running Linux programs... on Windows?
More videos
xshell tutorial
How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.


Share your experience with using Cygwin and Xshell. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.


Cygwin is open-source software with a collection of GNU and provides all functions similar to the Linux shell environment on windows. This software also has the functionality of API manager that has premium packages...
Xshell is available in both free and paid versions for Windows. The free version is for home and school use. The paid version costs $99 and is designed for businesses.
Xshell 7 is another great PuTTY alternative for connecting multiple protocols in a tabbed environment. The PuTTY alternative also ranks as an advanced option thanks to the application providing unique features such as...
Xshell is a powerful SSH and telnet client for Windows that offers advanced features for system administrators and developers. It includes support for multiple sessions, tabbed sessions, dynamic port forwarding, and...
Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.


Cygwin – Windows ports of essential POSIX command-line utilities, like head, tail, wc, wget, and others we generally take for granted that simply do not exist in Windowsland. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
Altough, built-in libc on Windows doesn't support POSIX API and dotnet uses WinAPI instead, POSIX support can be added externally via cygwin, WSL or MinGW. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
Download Cygwin from the official site by first downloading the .exe file. Click on the downloaded .exe file to get the full package: During installation, type in Zsh as the shell you want to get, and click Next:. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
Tracking Xshell since Mar 2021.
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Download WMF. Windows Management Framework contains the latest versions of PowerShell, DSC, WMI, and WinRM for older versions of Windows. PowerShell Module Browser. Search for PowerShell modules and cmdlets.
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Popular free terminal application. Mostly used as an SSH client.
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ConEmu-Maximus5 is a full-featured local terminal for Windows devs, admins and users. Get better console window with tabs, splits, Quake style, copy+paste, DosBox and PuTTY integration, and much more.
Compare ConEmu to Cygwin or Xshell: