Free PuTTY Alternatives for Mac

PuTTY is not available for Mac but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on macOS with similar functionality. The best free Mac alternative is OpenSSH, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to PuTTY and many of them are free and available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free Mac alternatives to PuTTY are Tabby, Termius, PowerShell and WindTerm.

filter to find the best alternatives

PuTTY alternatives are mainly Terminal Emulators, but if you're looking for SSH Clients or Shells you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Mac, Linux, iPhone, Windows, iPad, Google Chrome and Chrome OS. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to PuTTY.
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Alternatives list

  1. OpenSSH icon

    OpenSSH

     389 likes

    OpenSSH is a free version of the SSH connectivity tools that technical users rely on. OpenSSH encrypts all traffic (including passwords) to effectively eliminate eavesdropping, connection hijacking, and other attacks.

    61 OpenSSH alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • Cygwin
    • Haiku
     
    |
    10
    OpenSSH vs PuTTY Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Brioni1988
    10

    Up to date. One of the most trustworthy dev teams on the intenet.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    17

    There is no gui for connection management.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    ntrain5555
    Negative
    0

    It's not terminal emulator, it's a utility to ssh'd to other mechine.

    3 of 10 comments
    • OpenSSH is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
  2. Tabby icon

    Tabby

     124 likes

    Tabby is an infinitely customizable cross-platform terminal app for local shells, serial, SSH and Telnet connections.

    111 Tabby alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Tabby screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Tabby vs PuTTY Comments
    takavar
    Positive
    0

    I think Tabby is overall easier and more smoother to work with. Specially since you get tabs, themes etc. If you just want to ssh into this than that I don't know why you wouldn't switch to tabby.

    • Tabby is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
    • Tabby is CustomizablePuTTY is not according to our users
  4. Termius icon

    Termius

     38 likes

    Termius is more than a mere SSH client – it’s a complete command-line solution that’s redefining remote access for sysadmins and network engineers. Securely access Linux or IoT devices and quickly fix issues from the comfort of your couch via laptop or phone.

    60 Termius alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    Termius screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Termius vs PuTTY Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Can be used on Linux, has a cleaner Interface compared to PuTTY & it's free for students.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Termius is Freemium and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
    • Termius is Security-focusedPuTTY is not according to our users
  5. PowerShell icon

    PowerShell

     200 likes

    PowerShell (including Windows PowerShell and PowerShell Core) is a task automation and configuration management framework from Microsoft, consisting of a command-line shell and associated scripting language built on the .NET Framework.

    69 PowerShell alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    PowerShell screenshot 1
     
    |
    6
    PowerShell vs PuTTY Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    3

    Since recently Microsoft has integrates OpenSSH in Windows 10 natively, so PowerShell (and Windows terminal) may now connect to SSH hosts from the command line, as you would do from LINUX or OS/X. PuTTY however has many more functions.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    11

    PuTTY is for remote terminal access, via SSH, Telnet, serial, etc.. Powershell is a shell for scripting not SSH or Telent access.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    as stated by others here PuTTY is a TTY/network serial control application, and PowerShell is a local "terminal-like" application with no remote/TTY capabilities. there is no similarity here

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 6 comments
    • PowerShell is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
  7. Termora icon

    Termora

     8 likes

    Termora is developed using Kotlin/JVM and partially implements the XTerm protocol (with ongoing improvements). Its ultimate vision is to achieve full platform support (including Android, iOS, and iPadOS) through Kotlin Multiplatform.

    61 Termora alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Homebrew
    Termora screenshot 1
     
  9. Terminal icon

    Terminal

     86 likes

    Terminal (also referred to as Terminal.app) is a terminal emulator included in Apple's Mac OS X operating system. It originated in Mac OS X's predecessors, NEXTSTEP and OPENSTEP, and allows the user to interact with the computer through a command line interface.

    105 Terminal alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Terminal screenshot 1
     
  10. Royal TSX icon

    Royal TSX

     41 likes

    Royal TS provides easy and secure access to your remote systems

    Unlock the power to remotely manage your systems on multiple platforms!

    Royal TS is the perfect tool for server admins, system engineers, developers and IT focused information workers who constantly need to access.

    135 Royal TSX alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    RDP Connections
     
  11. Chrome Secure Shell icon

    Chrome Secure Shell

     26 likes

    Secure Shell is an xterm-compatible terminal emulator and stand-alone ssh client for Chrome. It uses Native-Client to connect directly to ssh servers without the need for external proxies.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • Google Chrome
    Chrome Secure Shell screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Chrome Secure Shell vs PuTTY Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    written by google developers when they took down the ssh command from crosh

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Chrome Secure Shell is Free and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
  12. PortX icon

    PortX

     3 likes

    PortX is a lightweight cross-platform (Windows/Mac/Linux) SSH Client, as well as local shell/terminal emulator. Beautiful tabbed UI for managing multiple sessions. Google Drive syncing session files across devices and OSes is a very handy tool.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    PortX screenshot 1
     
  13. Shellngn icon

    Shellngn

     3 likes

    Shellngn is a cloud based SSH client with SFTP and Telnet support. Manage your servers anywhere you are, with a professional and feature-rich SSH and SFTP Client.

    97 Shellngn alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    Shellngn screenshot 1
     
12 of 32 PuTTY alternatives