Termux is for people who want a command line on their phone: developers, students learning shell tools, and anyone who needs ssh access to a server away from a desk. It is a terminal emulator for Android by Tarek Sander, first released on October 26, 2015. The app is free, contains no ads, and its source code is public under the GPL-3.0-only licence.
A shell on a phone without rooting it
Android does not give you a normal command line. Termux fills that gap with a terminal emulator and a collection of Linux packages, so common tools run inside an ordinary app.
On first start it downloads a small base system. After that you add what you need with the apt package manager, the same tool used on Debian and Ubuntu. Built-in help is reached by long-pressing the terminal and choosing the Help option.
Bash, vim, gcc and git in one install
The feature list is a list of tools rather than screens. You get the bash and zsh shells, and the nano and vim editors for changing files. For remote work there is ssh.
Developers can compile code with gcc and clang, and check out projects with git and subversion. The python console can double as a pocket calculator. For lighter use, frotz runs text-based games.
What to check before installing Termux 0.119.0-beta.3
Termux runs on Android 7.0 or newer, and the download is 109.6 MB. The current version is 0.119.0-beta.3, so it is still a beta, and it was last updated on May 29, 2025.
The interface is text only, so a little comfort with commands goes a long way. On first start it pulls a small base system, and after that you add what you need through the apt package manager. Help is built in (long-press the terminal and pick Help), the Termux wiki covers more, and the Termux website links to a community page. The package ID is com.termux.
Termux pros and cons
Pros
- Free, with no ads
- Open source under GPL-3.0-only, with the code on GitHub
- Includes bash, zsh, ssh, git, vim and nano
- Compilers gcc and clang are available for building code
- Packages install through apt after a small base download
Cons
- The current build is a beta, version 0.119.0-beta.3
- The 109.6 MB file is large for a terminal app
- Text-only use assumes some command-line knowledge
Is Termux safe?
The APK on this page is the unmodified file, and its SHA-256 checksum is fdd476982cd74f2f00aac12d3683b1fa260a0b2d146411b94e09d773be3a7b56, so you can compare it with your download. Termux comes from Tarek Sander, is licensed under GPL-3.0-only, and its source code is public at github.com/termux/termux-app. It is free and shows no ads. Packages you add later with apt are fetched separately from this file.
How to install Termux
- Download the APK with the button on this page and wait for it to finish.
- Compare the file with the SHA-256 checksum shown here if you want to confirm it arrived intact.
- Open the file on your phone and allow installs from this source when Android asks.
- Finish the install, then open Termux from your app drawer.
