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 Mac alternative is OpenSSH, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to PuTTY and many of them are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to PuTTY are Tabby, Termius, PowerShell and ZOC.

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 Android. 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
     391 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
     
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    10
  2. Tabby icon
     128 likes

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

    115 Tabby alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
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    1
  3. Termius icon
     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.

    63 Termius alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • iPad
    • Flathub
     
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    1
  4. PowerShell icon
     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.

    70 PowerShell alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
     
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    6
  5. ZOC icon
     70 likes

    ZOC is a powerful and well-established terminal emulator and telnet client, well known for its outstanding user interface with tabbed multi session support.

    80 ZOC alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
     
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    8
  6. Terminal icon
     87 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.

    109 Terminal alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  7. SecureCRT icon
     35 likes

    SecureCRT combines rock-solid terminal emulation with the strong encryption, data integrity, and authentication options of the Secure Shell protocol. SecureCRT provides secure remote access, file transfer, and data tunneling for everyone in your organization.

    64 SecureCRT alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
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    1
  8. Termora icon
     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.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Homebrew
     
  9. Royal TSX icon
     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.

    138 Royal TSX alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
     
  10. 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

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • Google Chrome
     
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    1
  11. PortX icon
     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

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
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