A Comprehensive Review of Serial Port Debugging Tools to Boost Your Development and Debugging Efficiency

In the fields of embedded development and hardware debugging, serial communication is a crucial and widely used communication method. To improve development and debugging efficiency, it is essential to master some handy serial port debugging tools. This article will provide an overview of the mainstream serial port debugging tools currently available and offer download links to help you achieve efficient development and debugging from now on.

1. SecureCRT (Paid)
SecureCRT is a powerful terminal emulation program that supports multiple protocols such as SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, and Serial. It has a clean interface and supports multi-tab management, allowing you to switch between multiple sessions easily. Additionally, it offers practical features like script writing, ZMODEM file transfer, port scanning, and keyboard mapping.
Download link: https://www.vandyke.com/download/securecrt/download.html

2. PuTTY (Open-source, Free)
PuTTY is a free, open-source remote login tool that natively supports protocols like SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, and Serial. It is the most popular free SSH client for Windows. PuTTY is small, easy to use, and feature-rich, supporting key management, port forwarding, saving multiple sessions, and other practical functions, making it suitable for personal use.
Download link: https://www.putty.org

3. Xshell (Paid)
Xshell is known as the most powerful SSH client in the industry, integrating functions such as SHELL, SFTP, Serial, Telnet, and Rlogin. Xshell boasts a beautiful interface and rich features, including multi-tab management, script recording/playback, dynamic port forwarding, custom key mapping, and support for Chinese language. It is an essential tool for operation and maintenance personnel and developers.
Download link: https://www.netsarang.com/en/xshell

4. Termius (Cross-platform, Paid)
Termius is a cross-platform SSH/Telnet/Serial client that supports operating systems such as Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android. Termius uses a subscription-based pricing model, but it offers powerful features like SFTP file transfer, port forwarding, proxy, and code snippets. Most notably, it supports cloud account synchronization, allowing you to access saved server information on any platform.
Download link: https://termius.com

5. Mobaxterm (Free + Paid versions)
MobaXterm is an enhanced terminal tool that integrates SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, Mosh, Serial, SFTP, FTP, and other functions. The free version (Home Edition) can meet most needs, while the paid version (Professional Edition) adds advanced features like team collaboration, session management, and macro recording. Moreover, MobaXterm has built-in Cygwin and WSL environments, as well as dozens of commonly used network tools, making it the most versatile terminal tool for Windows.
Download link: https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/download.html

6. Serial Port Utility (Free)
Serial Port Utility is a simple and practical serial port debugging assistant with a clean and straightforward user interface, supporting common serial port parameter settings. Although it doesn’t have many fancy features, it is small, easy to use, stable, and reliable, meeting the daily serial port debugging needs.
Download link: https://serial-port-utility.com

7. AccessPort (Paid)
AccessPort is a professional serial port debugging tool that supports various interface standards such as RS-232/422/485. It provides rich data display formats (ASCII, Hex, Binary, Decimal, etc.), supports up to 256 TCP/IP port mappings, and can implement virtual serial port functionality. Additionally, it supports advanced features like data recording, data comparison, and auto-reply.
Download link: https://www.accessport.com/download.html

Conclusion
The above are some of the mainstream serial port debugging tools currently available, each with its own characteristics. You can choose the appropriate tool based on your needs and budget. Mastering one or two handy debugging tools will greatly improve your development and debugging efficiency. If your budget allows, it is recommended to purchase professional tools like SecureCRT, Xshell, or AccessPort. If you have a limited budget, you can opt for free tools such as PuTTY or Serial Port Utility, which can still meet most of your daily development and debugging needs.

We hope this article can provide a reference for choosing serial port debugging tools. To do a job well, you must first sharpen your tools. Happy debugging and efficient development!