Migrating from Termius

Termius is a popular cross-platform SSH client. If you are moving to ZestSSH, this guide helps you transfer your setup and understand the differences between the two apps.

What You Can Bring

Termius has limited export capabilities. There is no one-click “export all connections” feature. Here is what you can transfer and how:

SSH Keys

Termius lets you view and copy your private keys from the Keychain section.

1. In Termius, go to Keychain > Keys.
2. Open each key and copy the private key content.
3. In ZestSSH, go to Identities > + and create a new identity.
4. Choose Import Key and paste the private key.

ZestSSH supports OpenSSH PEM format (the standard format that Termius exports). Both old-style PEM (-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----) and modern OpenSSH format (-----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----) work.

Connections (Manual Re-creation)

Termius does not offer a bulk connection export. You will need to re-create connections manually:

1. In Termius, note down each connection’s host, port, username, and which key it uses.
2. In ZestSSH, tap + to create each connection with the same details.
3. Assign the corresponding imported identity.

Tip: If you have many connections, you may find it faster to create an SSH config file (~/.ssh/config) on a computer and import it into ZestSSH via Settings > Import SSH Config. The format is:

Host myserver
    HostName 192.168.1.10
    User admin
    Port 22
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Host production
    HostName prod.example.com
    User deploy
    Port 2222

Port Forwarding Rules

Termius calls these “Port Forwarding” profiles. Note down each rule’s local port, remote host, and remote port. Re-create them in ZestSSH’s port forwarding settings for each connection.

Snippets

Termius snippets are short saved commands. Copy the command text and label from Termius, then create matching snippets in ZestSSH at Snippets > +.

Feature Equivalents

Termius Feature	ZestSSH Equivalent
Hosts	Connections
Groups / Tags	Connection Groups
Keychain > Keys	Identities (SSH Keys)
Keychain > Identities	Identities (username + auth method)
Snippets	Snippets (with variable substitution)
Port Forwarding	Port Forward Rules (per connection)
SFTP	SFTP panel (desktop split pane)
Terminal Tabs	Tabs (mobile: bottom sheet; desktop: tab bar)
Vault sync	Cloud Sync (E2E encrypted, Firebase Auth)
Teams sharing	Not available (single-user focus)
SSH config import	Settings > Import SSH Config
Autocomplete	Snippets + Startup Commands
Terminal themes	Terminal color scheme settings
Forwarding agent	Per-connection Agent Forwarding toggle

Feature Mapping: What Works Differently

Connection Organization

Termius uses a flat list with tags. ZestSSH uses Connection Groups --- folders that organize connections hierarchically. Create groups like “Production”, “Staging”, “Homelab” and drag connections into them.

On desktop, ZestSSH also supports pinned connections in the sidebar for quick access.

Vault / Cloud Sync

Termius syncs through their proprietary cloud service. ZestSSH Cloud Sync uses your own Firebase Auth identity with end-to-end encryption (Argon2id + AES-256-GCM). Your sync passphrase never leaves your device --- ZestSSH’s server stores only encrypted blobs.

Cloud Sync is a separate premium feature. Local encrypted backups (.zest files) are free.

Terminal Experience

ZestSSH uses a custom-patched build of xterm.dart for terminal rendering. You will find the terminal responsive and compatible with most TUI applications (htop, vim, nano, etc.).

Touch gestures differ from Termius:

• Two-finger tap: Sends Ctrl+C
• Three-finger tap: Paste
• Two-finger horizontal swipe: Switch between sessions

Split Panes

Termius supports split panes on some platforms. ZestSSH supports split panes on desktop with up to 10 layout presets (side-by-side, stacked, grid, 1+2, 2+1, three columns/rows, 2x2, 3x2, 2x3) and a broadcast mode that types in all panes simultaneously.

On mobile, ZestSSH supports concurrent sessions accessed via session switching, but not simultaneous side-by-side display.

Automation

Termius does not have an automation API. ZestSSH Pro offers a full automation system with URL scheme deep links, Android intents, Tasker integration, saved workflows, batch execution across multiple servers, and webhook callbacks.

What ZestSSH Does Not Have (Yet)

Being transparent about gaps:

• Team sharing / multi-user: ZestSSH is a single-user app. There is no team vault or shared connection management.
• Built-in web terminal: Termius offers a browser-based client. ZestSSH is native-only (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux).
• RDP / VNC: ZestSSH is SSH-focused. It does not include remote desktop protocols.
• Autocomplete suggestions: Termius offers command autocomplete. ZestSSH uses snippets and startup commands for similar workflow efficiency, but does not have inline autocomplete.

What ZestSSH Adds

Features ZestSSH has that Termius does not:

• Tasker / Shortcuts automation with API keys, batch execution, and webhooks
• Workflow engine for multi-step automated server tasks
• Wake-on-LAN built into connection settings
• Connection health monitoring with TCP ping and latency display
• Dangerous command protection that warns before pasting destructive commands
• Local encrypted backups as a free feature (not paywalled)
• Desktop command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) for keyboard-driven navigation
• OLED-optimized dark theme designed for true-black displays
• Open pricing: one-time features are clear; no feature creep behind subscriptions

Migration Checklist

1. Export SSH keys from Termius, import into ZestSSH identities
2. Re-create connections (or write an SSH config file and import it)
3. Re-create port forwarding rules
4. Copy snippet text into ZestSSH snippets
5. Set up Cloud Sync or local backup for your new ZestSSH data
6. Test each connection to verify it works
7. Once satisfied, you can uninstall Termius