Dev tools · checked 2026-10-19

Can I vibecode Termius?

KINDA· weekend project

The desktop core is a sitting's work: a host list, saved keys, terminals in tabs, an SFTP pane and snippets, all over the ssh2 library, with an encrypted vault on your own disk. What stays hard is what Termius sells on top: native iOS and Android apps with hardware-backed keys and Face ID, and sync that merges edits from several devices. A web app on a home server reaches your phone, but typing into a browser terminal on glass is a poor substitute. Open-source Termix already covers much of this for free.

$10/moprice

$120you'd save a year

weekendbuild time

—people replaced it

Before you start

What you need on hand.

DifficultyIntermediate · Some system setup or keys.

TimeA weekend; reaching it safely from a phone is the slow part

Claude Code, Codex or CursorAny of them can run the prompt.
Node.js 22better-sqlite3 and argon2 compile native modules, so build tools must be installed.
A test SSH hostA VM or a spare Raspberry Pi works; avoid trying it first on production servers.
Your ~/.ssh/configTermius has no documented host export, so this file is the easiest way to rebuild your host list.

Before you buildTermius Starter is free, including commercial use, with a local vault, SSH and SFTP. If you only need a client on one computer, you may not need to pay or build anything.

1. Install one agent: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor.
2. Make an empty folder and open it in the agent.
3. Paste the prompt below, press enter, and answer its questions as it builds.

The prompt

Build me a self-hosted SSH workspace to replace Termius. Requirements:

- Node.js 22 + TypeScript: a Fastify server (`@fastify/websocket`) and a React UI built with Vite, with
  `@xterm/xterm` and `@xterm/addon-fit` for the terminals. `npm start` serves http://localhost:4830.
- SSH: the `ssh2` package on the server opens the shell and the browser only sees a websocket stream.
  Support password, private key (with passphrase) and ssh-agent auth, jump hosts (ProxyJump) and
  keepalives. Verify host keys: store the fingerprint on first connect and refuse any change.
- Storage: better-sqlite3 in ./data/vault.db: hosts in nested folders with tags, saved credentials, keys
  and snippets. Secrets are encrypted with AES-256-GCM under a key derived from one master passphrase
  (`argon2`), and the server never writes secrets to its logs.
- Workspace: tabs and split panes, a quick-connect box (user@host:port), fuzzy search across hosts
  (`fuse.js`), and snippets that paste or run with variables such as {{service}}.
- SFTP: a two-pane browser over the same ssh2 connection: upload and download through the browser, rename,
  delete, chmod and drag-and-drop upload.
- Port forwarding: local and remote forwards per host, started and stopped from the UI.
- Import and export: read ~/.ssh/config (Host, HostName, User, Port, IdentityFile, ProxyJump) into hosts,
  write hosts back out as an ssh_config file, and export the vault as an encrypted JSON file.
- Single user, bound to 127.0.0.1 unless HOST is set in .env. No accounts, no telemetry, local-first.
- Out of scope: team vaults, session recording, a native phone app, Mosh, hardware keys.
- README: reaching it from a phone through a tunnel with HTTPS, and a warning that anyone who can open
  the page and knows the passphrase gets every saved credential.

Opens your agent with the prompt filled in, you press enter. Or copy it and paste it into an empty folder.

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Then keep going

Next prompts, same folder.

The first prompt builds the core. Run these one at a time in the same folder to grow it into your own Termius.

Extend the SSH workspace in this folder for phones. Requirements:

- Make the UI an installable PWA: manifest, icons and a service worker that caches only the app
  shell, never terminal data.
- Add a key bar above the keyboard with Esc, Tab, Ctrl, Alt, the arrow keys, |, ~ and /, where Ctrl
  and Alt latch for one keypress.
- Pinch to change the terminal font size; keep it between 10 and 22 px and remember it.
- Reconnect the websocket after the phone sleeps and reattach to the same shell if it is still
  alive on the server, using a session id kept in memory for 10 minutes.
- Update the README with how to serve it over HTTPS.

Add session logs to the SSH workspace in this folder. Requirements:

- Per host, an opt-in switch records terminal output and the commands typed to a session table with
  start and end times.
- Mask any input typed while the terminal reports echo off, so passwords never reach the log.
- Search across sessions with SQLite FTS5, showing the host, the date and a snippet around each
  match; open a session as read-only replay text.
- Delete a session, or all sessions older than N days from settings.
- Update the README with what is stored and where.

Add vault sync to the SSH workspace in this folder. Requirements:

- Store every change to hosts, credentials and snippets as an encrypted, timestamped record in
  ./data/sync/<device-id>/ as one file per change.
- When the folder is shared by Syncthing or any file sync, each instance reads the other devices'
  records and merges them with last-write-wins per field, showing a conflict list for review.
- Records are encrypted with the key derived from the master passphrase; show a clear error when a
  record can't be decrypted.
- A page that lists devices and the last change seen from each.
- Update the README.

What you lose

Native iOS and Android apps, with biometric and Secure Enclave keys
Sync that merges edits made on several devices
Team vaults, shared logs and role-based access
Session logs that record what was run on each host
AI-powered autocomplete in the terminal

Why people still pay

A phone and a laptop that share the same hosts, keys and snippets without any setup is worth $10 a month to people who log into servers daily. Teams add shared vaults and access control on top, which is the part a home-grown tool rarely gets right.

Moatexecution polish switching costs

Do the math

Termius or your own copy?

Over

Your usage

Count my time12h ×$/h

Termius, 1 yr$120

Your own copy, 1 yr$38running + build session

You keep$83pays for itself in 1 months

Estimate · Runs on your own computer; a $5 VPS or a tunnel only matters if you want to open it from a phone. The build is token usage on your agent plan.

Leaving Termius

Take your data, then cancel.

1 · Take your data out of Termius

1In the pages we read, Termius documents importing hosts from other tools (an ssh_config, the ~/.ssh folder, CSV, PuTTY, MobaXterm, SecureCRT) but no export of hosts. Plan to rebuild your list by hand or from your own ~/.ssh/config.
2Public keys can be pushed to a server with Export to host (right-click the key on desktop, tap it on iOS, Export to on Android). The docs don't describe copying a private key out of the Keychain.
3Biometric keys can't be exported or synced by design, because the private part never leaves the device. Make a new key in your next client and add its public half to your servers' authorized_keys first.
4Session logs have no export button in what we read: copy the text out of any log you want to keep.

2 · Cancel Termius

1Open the account management portal, go to Billing and click Cancel subscription.
2Bought Pro through Google Play, the App Store or the Microsoft Store? Cancel it there instead: Termius can't cancel store subscriptions.
3Cancelling turns off auto-renewal and the subscription stays active until the end of the paid period.
4When Pro expires, sync and the other Pro features switch off. Changes you make stay on each device and no longer upload; the docs say the data isn't lost.

Starter is free, even for commercial use, with a local vault, SSH and SFTP, so a downgrade may be all you need.
Refunds are considered case by case at Termius's discretion; store purchases follow the store's refund rules.
Before cancelling, import your ~/.ssh config into your next client and check that each key you rely on exists as a file you hold.
Students can get Pro and Team features free through the GitHub Student Developer Pack, according to the billing docs.

Checked 2026-10-19 against Termius's docs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The escape hatch

Don't feel like building it? These are already free.

TermixOpen sourceApache-2.0 self-hosted server manager that describes itself as a free Termius: hosts and credentials in folders, SSH terminal, SFTP file manager and Docker tools as plugins, desktop and mobile clients.★ 16k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, AndroidVisit ↗TabbyOpen sourceMIT terminal with SSH, serial and telnet profiles, SFTP, split panes and a plugin system, run from a desktop app.★ 75k · active Oct 2026 · one-click install
Windows, macOS, LinuxVisit ↗Wave TerminalOpen sourceApache-2.0 cross-platform terminal with built-in file previews, a browser and AI features; connects to remote hosts over SSH.★ 23k · active Oct 2026 · one-click install
Windows, macOS, LinuxVisit ↗

All 5 free alternatives to Termius ›

The numbers

Termius pricing

Plan	Monthly	Annual, per month	What you get
Starter	$0/user	$0/user	Local vault, SSH and SFTP, AI-powered autocomplete, port forwarding. The page states no host or device limits.
Pro	—	$10/user	Everything in Starter plus a personal cloud vault, sync across mobile and desktop, session logs and snippets automation.
Team	—	$20	Everything in Pro plus one team vault, real-time collaboration, shared session logs and consolidated billing.
Business	—	$30	Everything in Team plus multiple team vaults and granular vault access control; SAML SSO is an add-on.
Enterprise	custom	—	Everything in Business plus SAML SSO, a SOC 2 Type II report, custom billing, priority support, a dedicated manager and migration help.

Free tier: No cloud vault, no sync between devices and no session logs on Starter.
Billing: The pricing page quotes $10 a month only when paid annually ($120 a year). The billing docs say Pro, Team and Business can also be paid monthly, but that price isn't on the page, so this entry uses the annual rate per month. Pro can be bought through PayPal or the app stores; Team and Business need a credit card.
Hidden costs: SAML SSO is an add-on on Business. Buying Pro in the US App Store lists $15 a month or $119 a year, billed by Apple.
Source: termius.com

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Questions

Termius, briefly

Not answered here? Tell us and we'll add it.

Ask a question ›

Starter is free, including for commercial use: a local vault, SSH and SFTP, AI-powered autocomplete and port forwarding.

Kinda. The core is a weekend build with the prompt on this page, but real gaps remain: Native iOS and Android apps, with biometric and Secure Enclave keys, Sync that merges edits made on several devices.

About $10 a month on the Pro plan, $120 a year (checked 2026-10-19).

Native iOS and Android apps, with biometric and Secure Enclave keys; Sync that merges edits made on several devices; Team vaults, shared logs and role-based access; Session logs that record what was run on each host; AI-powered autocomplete in the terminal. If any of those matter to you, keep paying.