A modern, focused Royal TSX alternative for SSH

Royal TSX is a powerful multi-tool client for managing servers of all kinds (RDP, VNC, SSH). Upshell focuses on doing SSH, SFTP, and terminal tunneling exceptionally well, with a premium Sequoia-native design.

Download Upshell freeSee all features

Royal TSX is a classic Swiss Army knife for macOS, popular for handling everything from RDP to SSH through plugins. But this plugin-based architecture makes it heavy, complex to configure, and visually dated. If you don't need Windows RDP or virtual machines, you are paying in complexity for things you never use.

Upshell is built specifically for modern SSH workflows. It integrates terminal splits, ProxyJump routing, port forwarding, and SFTP transfers directly into a single, cohesive, modern SwiftUI window that follows Apple's latest design guidelines.

Should you switch from Royal TSX?

If you manage Windows boxes over RDP or reach consoles over VNC, keep Royal TSX — nothing here replaces that, and swapping it out would cost you a tool you actually need. Switch if the only plugins you ever open are SSH and SFTP, and the plugin layer has become overhead you are paying without using.

Royal TSX is deliberately a Swiss Army knife, and the plugin architecture is what makes that possible: one document, one credential store, many protocols. Judging it as an SSH client alone misses the point of the product — the breadth is the product.

Upshell is the opposite bet. SSH, SFTP and tunnelling, built in rather than plugged in, in a single SwiftUI window. That means no RDP, no VNC, no shared .rtsx documents with Windows colleagues. It also means the terminal, the file browser and the tunnel panel are the same application with the same connection underneath.

Upshell vs Royal TSX, feature by feature

An honest snapshot — a ✓ means the feature ships today, notes mark the differences that matter.

FeatureUpshellRoyal TSX
PriceFree · FULL $9.99/yr or $39.99 once (US; varies by store)49 € one-time (major upgrade fees)
SSH & PTY terminal splits✓✓
Modern SwiftUI & macOS 15 Sequoia look✓Classic macOS toolbar/tab look
Co-session SFTP (no second login)✓Requires separate plugin/browser
In-process secure Agent ForwardingFULLRelies on system agent socket
Local, Remote, and SOCKS Port ForwardingFULLTunnel configuration utility
iCloud Sync (CloudKit & Keychain Sync)FULLManual file sync required
Saved snippets & Multi-host executionFULLKeystroke task tasks
RDP / VNC / Web page plugins—✓

Where Royal TSX is still the right choice

  • You need to manage Windows servers over RDP or virtual consoles via VNC.
  • You need multi-protocol documents (.rtsx) shared with Windows team members.
  • You prefer a highly customized workspace with floating toolbars and docked tabs.

Where Upshell makes more sense for SSH

  • Unified Interface: SFTP and terminal are part of the same connection. Upload files and run shell commands in the same window pane without a secondary login.
  • Modern Design: built natively with SwiftUI for macOS 15. Hidden title bars, environment colors under the tab, and clean split pane dragging.
  • Zero Plugin Hassle: no downloading external plugins to make SSH or SFTP work. The client works out of the box with Apple's native SwiftNIO.
  • In-Process SSH Agent: the agent runs inside the sandbox per host, signing securely without exposing your private keys.

What actually changes day to day

Four differences you notice within the first week — and the reasoning behind each.

SFTP inside the session, not beside it

In a plugin-based client, the terminal and the file browser are two components that each open their own connection to the same server. You authenticate twice, and on a host behind two-factor or a bastion chain you feel it every time.

Upshell’s file browser shares the shell’s existing SSH channel. One login, one set of prompts, and the files you are looking at belong to the session you are typing in. On a host that asks for a one-time code, the difference is the whole workflow.

Nothing to install before SSH works

Royal TSX ships as a host application plus plugins, which is how it reaches so many protocols — but it also means SSH and SFTP arrive as components to install and keep current, and a plugin update can change behaviour under you.

Upshell has one moving part. The SSH stack is Swift and SwiftNIO compiled into the app; there is no plugin version to check when something stops working, and no second thing to update after a macOS release.

Sync through iCloud instead of a shared document

Royal TSX’s document model is genuinely useful when a team shares one connection file, including with Windows colleagues running Royal TS. It is less pleasant when the "team" is you with two Macs, because keeping the document current becomes a manual job.

Upshell FULL syncs hosts, tags and settings through CloudKit and passwords through iCloud Keychain, so a second Mac catches up on its own. The trade is real: no shared team document, and no Windows counterpart to share it with.

Bastions and tunnels with a live panel

Multi-hop routing and port forwarding exist in both. What Upshell FULL adds is visibility: a status panel showing which local, remote and SOCKS5 rules are actually up right now, and a chain editor where each ProxyJump hop authenticates and verifies its own host key.

If a tunnel is the thing your database GUI depends on, seeing its state without hunting for the tab that owns it is worth more than it sounds — tunnelling to a remote database covers the pattern.

Common questions

Does Upshell support RDP like Royal TSX?
No. Upshell is focused exclusively on SSH, SFTP, and terminal tunneling. If you manage Windows servers, Royal TSX is a better fit.
Can I sync my saved sites?
Yes. With Upshell FULL, hosts, tags, and settings sync securely across your Macs via iCloud (CloudKit), and passwords sync through iCloud Keychain. No manual sync file management needed.
What is the best Royal TSX alternative for Mac?
That depends on how much of Royal TSX you use. If SSH and SFTP are the only plugins you ever open, Upshell covers them natively with no plugin layer. If you also connect over RDP or VNC, there is no honest alternative — Royal TSX is the tool that does all of it in one window.
Can I import my Royal TSX connections?
Not from the .rtsx document, which is a proprietary multi-protocol format. Anything SSH-based in it usually also exists in ~/.ssh/config, and Upshell FULL imports that with a preview of what will be created, updated or skipped.
Does Upshell need plugins to do SSH or SFTP?
No. Terminal, SFTP, tunnels and the agent are all part of the app, built on Apple’s SwiftNIO. There is nothing to download and nothing to keep updated separately.
Is Upshell cheaper than Royal TSX?
The core is free with no limits, and FULL is $9.99 a year or $39.99 once — US prices, with every other App Store showing the equivalent local tier. Royal TSX charges a one-time licence with paid major upgrades, so over several years the two land closer together than a single price comparison suggests.

Try Upshell free, decide later

The core is free forever — unlimited SSH host connections, tabs, and co-session SFTP. No trial clock, no subscription.

Download on the Mac App Store

Read next: Connect through an SSH bastion · Tunnel to a remote database · The ~/.ssh/config file explained

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