Eney
beta exclusive

Meet Eney, a local-first AI assistant for busywork

Learn More
Core Shell

Core Shell

Full-featured SSH terminal

Get with Membership

Yours with Membership. Free for 7 days.
Get this app and hundreds of others.

A colorful terminal to make your SSH life easy.
Drag and drop file upload.
Watch progress from Dock or Finder, as well as transfers list.
1-click login to a remote shell.
Compatible with OpenSSH.
  • Mac


  • Version 3.10.4


  • macOS 12.0 or later


  • 62.3 MB


  • 3 languages

Professionally, toggle between tons of hosts with Core Shell. This full-featured terminal for Mac allows you to customize connections, get access to advanced features – from proxy jump to agent forwarding, and organize hosts by tags for convenience. The beautiful part of the story, you can set a custom color scheme for your SSH client.

  • Instantly switch between multiple hosts

  • Manage and edit per-host settings

  • Benefit from native OpenSSH support

  • Simplify your SSH flow with tags and colors

Core Shell features


Simplify remote connections

While it passed *vttest* (Terminal’s core functionality test), the app is fully compatible with Apple’s native SSH client. But with Core Shell you also get tons of customization options, one-click login, and automatic reconnect. An improved version of any SSH terminal.


Benefit from OpenSSH

Core Shell has built-in OpenSSH support, which gives you access to multiple pro options like post command, proxy jump, agent forwarding, etc. Advanced users can also employ their existing ‘ssh_config’ files to unlock features in Core Shell.


Advanced per-host editing

Not only do you get power to manage advanced options, but also change settings for each of these options across different hosts. In case you get confused with configurations, access all the information about ssh directives via contextual help.


Integration with Keychain

Connection means passwords and passphrases. To make your life easier, Core Shell ensures you don’t have to keep them all in mind. The app securely integrates with macOS Keychain to remember your login details. It’s totally optional, though – opt-in or opt-out any time.


Color optimization

Your SSH terminal deserves the best look. In Core Shell, you can choose from among eight different color schemes such as Dracula, Ocean, or Solarized. Automatically, the app aligns themes with text to optimize color balance.


Organize hosts by tags

Instantly locate any of your hosts using tags. Core Shell allows you to assign custom tags when registering new hosts or organize them via drag and drop. A must-have feature for those dealing with hundreds or thousands of hosts.


Core Shell icon image

Ratings and reviews


Core Shell

93%

548 ratings

  • Ross

    Oct 30, 2025

    App version: 3.10.4

    I love this app and use it all the time to SSH into my servers. However, I’ve recently found that I can’t switch between tabs when clicking on them.

  • kevin Guo

    Oct 28, 2025

    App version: 3.10.4

    挺好的用的

  • Norman

    Aug 1, 2025

    App version: 3.10.4

    Sometimes the tabs lost focus and cannot be clicked. It is very annoying

See all reviews

Get hundreds of apps with Membership

Become Setapp member and use hundreds of stellar apps with one subscription.
Try 7 days free, then pay one simple fee.

  1. 1

    Install Setapp on your Mac

    Explore apps for Mac, iOS, and web. Find easy ways to solve daily tasks.

    Setapp user interface image
  2. 2

    Get the app you came for

    That one shiny app is waiting inside Setapp. Install with a click.

    Setapp user interface imageCore Shell app icon

    Core Shell

  3. 3

    Save money and energy

    The Membership helps you solve daily tasks, without overpaying for software.

    Setapp user interface image
  1. 1

    Install Setapp on your Mac

    Explore apps for Mac, iOS, and web. Find easy ways to solve daily tasks.

    Setapp user interface image
  2. 2

    Get the app you came for

    That one shiny app is waiting inside Setapp. Install with a click.

    Setapp user interface imageCore Shell app icon

    Core Shell

  3. 3

    Save money and energy

    The Membership helps you solve daily tasks, without overpaying for software.

    Setapp user interface image
One simple monthly fee. Hundreds of apps.

Why you can trust Setapp

Safe and delightful app experience is our mission. Only apps with excellent reputation and stable performance can join Setapp.

Learn more

ISO-certified company

Setapp is made by MacPaw, a trusted company with ISO 27001 certification.

Be confident apps are safe

All Setapp apps were notarized by Apple, no malware was found.

Rely on reviews and ratings

Choose apps based on honest opinions of your fellow Setappians.

Core Shell

Core Shell

Full-featured SSH terminal

Get with Membership

Yours with Membership. Free for 7 days.
Get this app and hundreds of others.