A Comparison of Serial Terminal Tools

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When it comes to serial terminals, there is no single "best" tool for everyone. The right choice depends on your operating system, your technical needs, and your workflow. Let's compare serialterminal.app to some of the most popular native applications to help you understand the landscape.

serialterminal.app (Web-Based)

• Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS (anywhere with a compatible browser).
• Pros:
  • No installation: Ultimate convenience and portability.
  • Consistent UI: Looks and works the same on every OS.
  • Always up-to-date: You get new features and fixes automatically.
  • Modern features: Often includes quality-of-life features like timestamps, color support, and easy-to-use line setting controls.
• Cons:
  • Requires a compatible browser: Won't work on Firefox or Safari (as of late 2025).
  • Limited scripting: Not designed for complex automation or scripting that some native tools offer.
  • Browser limitations: Features like saving a persistent log file directly to a path can be less straightforward than in a native app.
• Best for: Hobbyists, students, quick diagnostics, users in restricted IT environments, and professionals who value speed and cross-platform consistency.

PuTTY (Windows)

• Platform: Primarily Windows, with ports available for other OSes.
• Pros:
  • Industry standard: A trusted and stable tool for decades.
  • Lightweight: A small, single executable file.
  • More than just serial: It's also a powerful SSH and Telnet client.
  • Advanced logging: Robust options for saving session output to a file.
• Cons:
  • Dated UI: The interface and configuration windows can feel clunky and unintuitive.
  • Windows-centric: While it runs on other platforms, it feels most at home on Windows.
  • No on-the-fly changes: You must close the session to change the baud rate or other settings.
• Best for: Windows power users, network administrators who need SSH/Telnet in the same tool, and situations requiring detailed session logging.

Arduino IDE Serial Monitor (Cross-Platform)

• Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux.
• Pros:
  • Integrated: Built directly into the Arduino IDE, making it seamless for Arduino development.
  • Simple: Very easy to use for basic input and output.
  • Auto-resets board: Can automatically toggle DTR/RTS lines to reset some Arduino boards on connection.
• Cons:
  • Very basic: Lacks almost all advanced features. No timestamps, no hex view, limited settings.
  • Closes on upload: The monitor must be closed every time you upload new code, which is a major workflow interruption.
  • Tied to the IDE: Not a general-purpose tool for non-Arduino devices.
• Best for: Absolute beginners doing their first Arduino tutorials. Most users outgrow it quickly.

minicom (Linux)

• Platform: Linux and macOS.
• Pros:
  • Powerful and scriptable: A true command-line tool that can be integrated into shell scripts for automation.
  • Highly configurable: Nearly every aspect of its behavior can be controlled.
  • Works over SSH: You can run minicom on a remote machine (like a Raspberry Pi) and interact with its serial ports from your own computer.
• Cons:
  • Steep learning curve: Its command-driven interface (e.g., Ctrl+A, Z for help) is not intuitive for new users.
  • Text-based UI: It's purely a terminal application, which can be less user-friendly than a graphical tool.
• Best for: Linux power users, embedded Linux developers, and anyone needing to automate serial interactions.

Conclusion

Choosing the right serial terminal depends heavily on your specific needs. For everyday debugging and cross-platform convenience, a modern web-based tool is often the fastest and easiest solution. For highly specialized tasks like automation or deep system administration on a specific OS, a battle-tested native tool might be a better fit.

Tool	Platform	Key Features	Licensing	Best For
serialterminal.app	All (Browser-based)	No installation, modern UI, on-the-fly settings, color support.	Free	Quick diagnostics, students, hobbyists, and cross-platform users.
PuTTY	Windows-focused	Lightweight, SSH/Telnet integration, advanced logging.	MIT License (Free)	Windows power users and network admins who need an all-in-one tool.
Arduino IDE Serial Monitor	Windows, macOS, Linux	Integrated with Arduino IDE, very simple to use.	GPL (as part of IDE)	Absolute beginners working exclusively with Arduino boards.
minicom	Linux & macOS	Highly scriptable, command-line based, works over SSH.	GPL (Free)	Embedded Linux developers and users who need to automate serial tasks.
Tera Term	Windows	Macro scripting support, multiple COM port connections.	Apache License (Free)	Windows users who need more scripting capabilities than PuTTY offers.
GNU screen	Linux & macOS	Terminal multiplexer, can detach and reattach sessions.	GPL (Free)	Power users managing multiple remote sessions or long-running processes.

For everyday debugging and general use across multiple platforms, the convenience of a tool like serialterminal.app is hard to beat. For highly specialized tasks like automation or deep system administration, a native tool like minicom or PuTTY might still be the preferred choice.