Compare software

pdsh vs shmux: catalog facts
pdsh	shmux
Best for: Administrators running commands across groups of Unix hosts	Best for: Administrators running the same command across several hosts
Free Free and open source under the GPL-2.0 license.	Free Free and open source under the BSD 3-Clause license.
Command line	Command line
Executes commands on multiple remote hosts in parallel Supports SSH and other remote shell services All 3 strengths for pdsh Executes commands on multiple remote hosts in parallel Supports SSH and other remote shell services Can target groups of machines through optional modules	Runs commands on many hosts concurrently Supports rsh, ssh and sh All 3 strengths for shmux Runs commands on many hosts concurrently Supports rsh, ssh and sh Can save output and exit codes for scripts
Command-line interface Remote hosts must be accessible through a configured shell service	Requires access to the target hosts through a supported remote shell
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0	License: BSD-3-Clause
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for pdsh github.com/chaos/pdsh Catalog checked October 8, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for shmux github.com/shmux/shmux Catalog checked October 8, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.