diff --git a/src/posix/client.cpp b/src/posix/client.cpp
index cbb4a24c9..496b61e6d 100644
--- a/src/posix/client.cpp
+++ b/src/posix/client.cpp
@@ -207,10 +207,12 @@ exit:
 
 constexpr char kOptInterfaceName = 'I';
 constexpr char kOptHelp          = 'h';
+constexpr char kOptVersion       = 'V';
 
 const struct option kOptions[] = {
     {"interface-name", required_argument, nullptr, kOptInterfaceName},
     {"help", no_argument, nullptr, kOptHelp},
+    {"version", no_argument, nullptr, kOptVersion},
     {nullptr, 0, nullptr, 0},
 };
 
@@ -221,7 +223,8 @@ void PrintUsage(const char *aProgramName, FILE *aStream, int aExitCode)
             "    %s [Options] [--] ...\n"
             "Options:\n"
             "    -h  --help                    Display this usage information.\n"
-            "    -I  --interface-name name     Thread network interface name.\n",
+            "    -I  --interface-name name     Thread network interface name.\n"
+            "    -V  --version                 Display version information.\n",
             aProgramName);
     exit(aExitCode);
 }
@@ -237,7 +240,7 @@ Config ParseArg(int &aArgCount, char **&aArgVector)
 
     optind = 1;
 
-    for (int index, option; (option = getopt_long(aArgCount, aArgVector, "+I:h", kOptions, &index)) != -1;)
+    for (int index, option; (option = getopt_long(aArgCount, aArgVector, "+I:hV", kOptions, &index)) != -1;)
     {
         switch (option)
         {
@@ -247,6 +250,10 @@ Config ParseArg(int &aArgCount, char **&aArgVector)
         case kOptHelp:
             PrintUsage(aArgVector[0], stdout, OT_EXIT_SUCCESS);
             break;
+        case kOptVersion:
+            printf("%s\n", PACKAGE_VERSION);
+            exit(OT_EXIT_SUCCESS);
+            break;
         default:
             PrintUsage(aArgVector[0], stderr, OT_EXIT_FAILURE);
             break;
diff --git a/src/posix/daemon.cmake b/src/posix/daemon.cmake
index c63de45e4..25a9f745b 100644
--- a/src/posix/daemon.cmake
+++ b/src/posix/daemon.cmake
@@ -67,6 +67,9 @@ target_compile_definitions(ot-ctl PRIVATE
     $<$<BOOL:${READLINE}>:HAVE_LIB$<UPPER_CASE:${OT_READLINE}>=1>)
 endif()
 
+target_compile_definitions(ot-ctl PRIVATE
+    "PACKAGE_VERSION=\"${OT_PACKAGE_VERSION}\"")
+
 target_compile_options(ot-ctl PRIVATE
     ${OT_CFLAGS}
 )
diff --git a/src/posix/main.c b/src/posix/main.c
index 3fe53530b..d4f8bf51e 100644
--- a/src/posix/main.c
+++ b/src/posix/main.c
@@ -135,6 +135,7 @@ enum
     OT_POSIX_OPT_PERSISTENT_INTERFACE    = 'p',
     OT_POSIX_OPT_TIME_SPEED              = 's',
     OT_POSIX_OPT_VERBOSE                 = 'v',
+    OT_POSIX_OPT_VERSION                 = 'V',
 
     OT_POSIX_OPT_SHORT_MAX = 128,
 
@@ -163,6 +164,7 @@ static const struct option kOptions[] = {
     {"tun-device", required_argument, NULL, OT_POSIX_OPT_TUN_DEVICE},
 #endif
     {"verbose", no_argument, NULL, OT_POSIX_OPT_VERBOSE},
+    {"version", no_argument, NULL, OT_POSIX_OPT_VERSION},
     {0, 0, 0, 0}};
 
 static void PrintUsage(const char *aProgramName, FILE *aStream, int aExitCode)
@@ -184,7 +186,8 @@ static void PrintUsage(const char *aProgramName, FILE *aStream, int aExitCode)
             "        --radio-version           Print radio firmware version.\n"
             "    -p  --persistent-interface    Persistent the created thread network interface\n"
             "    -s  --time-speed factor       Time speed up factor.\n"
-            "    -v  --verbose                 Also log to stderr.\n",
+            "    -v  --verbose                 Also log to stderr.\n"
+            "    -V  --version                 Display version information.\n",
             aProgramName);
 #ifdef SIGRTMIN
     fprintf(aStream,
@@ -217,7 +220,7 @@ static void ParseArg(int aArgCount, char *aArgVector[], PosixConfig *aConfig)
     while (true)
     {
         int index  = 0;
-        int option = getopt_long(aArgCount, aArgVector, "B:d:hI:nps:v", kOptions, &index);
+        int option = getopt_long(aArgCount, aArgVector, "B:d:hI:nps:vV", kOptions, &index);
 
         if (option == -1)
         {
@@ -260,6 +263,10 @@ static void ParseArg(int aArgCount, char *aArgVector[], PosixConfig *aConfig)
         case OT_POSIX_OPT_VERBOSE:
             aConfig->mIsVerbose = true;
             break;
+        case OT_POSIX_OPT_VERSION:
+            printf("%s\n", otGetVersionString());
+            exit(OT_EXIT_SUCCESS);
+            break;
         case OT_POSIX_OPT_RADIO_VERSION:
             aConfig->mPrintRadioVersion = true;
             break;
diff --git a/src/posix/platform/openthread-posix-config.h b/src/posix/platform/openthread-posix-config.h
index 9dad79cc7..99c85c893 100644
--- a/src/posix/platform/openthread-posix-config.h
+++ b/src/posix/platform/openthread-posix-config.h
@@ -41,6 +41,17 @@
  *   This file includes the POSIX platform-specific configurations.
  */
 
+/**
+ * @def PACKAGE_VERSION
+ *
+ * The version string reported by `ot-ctl --version`. The OpenThread build
+ * systems define it; this fallback keeps the client compiling in custom
+ * build environments that do not.
+ */
+#ifndef PACKAGE_VERSION
+#define PACKAGE_VERSION "unknown"
+#endif
+
 /**
  * @def OPENTHREAD_POSIX_CONFIG_RCP_PTY_ENABLE
  *