Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

MobaXterm VS gow

Compare MobaXterm VS gow and see what are their differences

MobaXterm logo MobaXterm

Enhanced terminal for Windows with X11 server, tabbed SSH client, network tools and much more

gow logo gow

Gow (Gnu On Windows) is the lightweight alternative to Cygwin.
  • MobaXterm Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-13
  • gow Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-04

MobaXterm features and specs

  • All-in-one Tool
    MobaXterm combines a variety of network tools such as SSH, RDP, VNC, and more, making it a comprehensive solution for remote computing needs.
  • Portable Version
    It offers a portable version that can be run directly from a USB drive without installation, making it handy for on-the-go use.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    MobaXterm has an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface that simplifies the management of remote sessions and file transfers.
  • Multiple Protocol Support
    Supports a wide range of protocols such as SSH, SFTP, FTP, RDP, and VNC, allowing users to connect to different types of remote systems easily.
  • Built-in X Server
    Includes a fully-featured X server, allowing users to run X11 applications remotely with ease.
  • Customization and Plugins
    Provides extensive customization options and support for various plugins, enhancing its functionality and adaptability to specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of MobaXterm

  • Cost for Pro Version
    While the free version is feature-rich, some advanced features are locked behind a paywall in the Professional edition, which might be costly for individual users.
  • Resource Intensive
    MobaXterm can be resource-intensive, potentially slowing down systems with limited hardware capabilities.
  • Limited to Windows
    It is primarily built for Windows, with no native support for other operating systems like macOS or Linux.
  • Potential Security Concerns
    Given the extensive access capabilities it provides, there could be security risks if MobaXterm is not used carefully or if it falls into the wrong hands.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly interface, some users may experience a learning curve while exploring its rich set of features and customization options.

gow features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Gow is a lightweight package that provides essential Unix command line utilities for Windows. It doesn't require a lot of system resources and is easy to install.
  • Convenience
    By bringing many familiar Unix commands to Windows, it makes it more convenient for users who frequently switch between Unix/Linux and Windows environments.
  • No Dependencies
    Gow does not rely on additional software or complex dependencies, making it straightforward to set up and use.
  • Portable
    It's designed to be portable, meaning you can easily add it to different Windows systems without much hassle.

Possible disadvantages of gow

  • Limited Command Set
    Compared to full Unix/Linux environments or more comprehensive tools like Cygwin, Gow offers a limited set of commands, which might not satisfy all user needs.
  • No Ongoing Updates
    The project is not actively maintained, and some commands may not be updated to include the latest features or security patches.
  • Compatibility Issues
    There might be compatibility issues or limitations when using certain commands or scripts that expect a full Unix environment.
  • No Native Shell Integration
    Unlike some Unix emulation environments, Gow doesn't provide a complete Unix shell experience on Windows, which could limit usability for some tasks.

Analysis of MobaXterm

Overall verdict

  • MobaXterm is highly regarded for its comprehensive feature set, ease of use, and reliability, making it a strong option for individuals who need a versatile and portable remote access tool.

Why this product is good

  • MobaXterm is considered a good tool because it combines several important functionalities for developers, system administrators, and IT professionals into a single portable executable. It includes features such as a terminal emulator, SSH client, remote desktop capabilities, X11 server support, and various networking tools. Its user-friendly interface, ability to connect to multiple remote servers simultaneously, and features like session management and tabbed terminals enhance productivity and efficiency.

Recommended for

  • System Administrators
  • Network Engineers
  • Developers requiring SSH access
  • IT Professionals managing remote servers
  • Users needing a powerful terminal emulator

MobaXterm videos

Product Reviev - MobaXterm & why i use it

More videos:

  • Review - 3) MobaXterm installation and Usage

gow videos

No gow videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MobaXterm and gow)
SSH
97 97%
3% 3
Terminal Tools
93 93%
7% 7
Server Management
96 96%
4% 4
Server Configuration And Automation

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare MobaXterm and gow

MobaXterm Reviews

10 Best PuTTY Alternatives To Try in 2024
MobaXterm is a set of networking tools that are available in both free and paid versions. The license cost depends on the number of concurrent users, starting at $41 for over 500 concurrent users and going up to $69 for 1 to 10 users.
10 Best PuTTY Alternatives for SSH Remote Connection
In one window, MobaXterm provides a myriad of features and tools tailored for system and network administrators, developers, engineers, and pretty much everyone who is working remotely.
Source: www.tecmint.com
Looking for MobaXterm Alternative? Here are Some Options to Consider
MobaXterm is a popular remote desktop and SSH client that offers a wide range of features for developers and system administrators. However, it's not the only option available, and you may be looking for alternatives that suit your needs better. In this article, we'll explore some of the best MobaXterm alternatives and discuss their features, pros, and cons.
Top 12 BEST SSH Clients For Windows โ€“ Free PuTTY Alternatives
MobaXterm is a portable and light application i.e. you will be able to start from a USB stick. In a single portable .exe file, you will get remote network tools like SSH, X11, RDP, etc. and UNIX commands like bash and ls to the Windows desktop. MobaXterm provides a text editor.
MobaXterm for Mac: Best Alternatives to MobaXterm for Mac
MobaXterm is an advanced terminal software for programmers and webmasters. But the MobaXterm for Mac is currently not available. If you have a MacBook or Mac computer then you have to find out Best Alternative of MobaXterm. Here we provide the best alternatives to MobaXterm for Mac which provide similar features and great performance.

gow Reviews

We have no reviews of gow yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, MobaXterm seems to be a lot more popular than gow. While we know about 42 links to MobaXterm, we've tracked only 4 mentions of gow. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

MobaXterm mentions (42)

  • Ask HN: What software subscriptions are worth paying for?
    JetBrains IDEs: https://www.jetbrains.com/ (free alternative: Visual Studio Code plus DB tools like DBeaver, or even their community versions) MobaXTerm: https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/ (free alternative: mRemoteNG, PuTTY) GitKraken: https://gitkraken.dev/ (free alternative: SourceTree, Git Cola) FreeFileSync: https://freefilesync.org/ (free, but I got the supporter edition because comfy software) In those cases,... - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Creating a Ubuntu VM (instance) on AWS using EC2 and accessing it using MobaXterm
    If you don't already have MobaXterm installed, download and install it from the official MobaXterm website. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Microsoft CTO: "Thoughts on OpenAI" (2019)
    > I don't know a single techie person who uses Windows (other than for gaming) I'd say that Windows actually has some nice software, like MobaXTerm: https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/ which in my eyes is better than Remmina or pretty much anything I've found on nix, short of just running the same thing on Wine. WinSCP is also pretty cool, albeit nothing particularly special: https://winscp.net/eng/index.php PowerToys... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Hard disk LEDs and noisy machines
    For working with remote machines that I need to ssh into I've found mobaXTerm[1] to be a very useful terminal emulator. It has an optional remote monitoring feature that shows the usual stats as a small bar under the active terminal window. It's a windows only application though. [1] https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Day 1 - Get to know your server
    There are various SSH clients available for Windows (PuTTY, Solar-PuTTY, MobaXterm, Termius, etc) but if you use Windows versions older than 10, the installation of PuTTY is suggested. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

gow mentions (4)

  • The world if Windows was POSIX compliant
    And if need so much something like this, you can always use WSL or GOW (https://github.com/bmatzelle/gow). Source: over 2 years ago
  • how the fuck does this make any sense?
    Use gow, and WindTerm; and if you want an even better experience install lsd, fd, and lf all of which are downloadable via Chocolatey, the Windows package manager. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • If Fuchsia eventually makes its way into the desktop/laptop space, do you think it will support Linux-like commands for the terminal?
    ยน Bash was ported natively, zsh runs through mingw quite well. ยฒ https://github.com/bmatzelle/gow. Source: over 4 years ago
  • Limit image count number by deleting old image tags via FIFO-principle?
    Ah, you're on Windows, so you don't have those utilities. Looks like these days, folks are using GoW (GNU on Windows) to install some useful GNU utilities on Windows machines: https://github.com/bmatzelle/gow. Source: over 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing MobaXterm and gow, you can also consider the following products

PuTTY - Popular free terminal application. Mostly used as an SSH client.

Cygwin - Cygwin is a set of tools that provide Linux and POSIX functionality to Windows.

ConEmu - 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.

MSYS2 - A Cygwin-derived software distro for Windows using Arch Linux's Pacman

KiTTY - KiTTY is a fork from version 0.70 of PuTTY. It adds extra features to PuTTY.

MinGW - MinGW ("Minimalistic GNU for Windows") is a port of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) and...