PuTTY Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to PuTTY for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best Windows alternative is Tabby, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to PuTTY and loads of them are available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Windows alternatives to PuTTY are OpenSSH, MobaXterm, PowerShell and mRemoteNG.

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Most PuTTY alternatives are SSH Clients, but you can also narrow the list to Terminal Emulators or Remote Desktop Tools. Other popular filters are Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android.

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PuTTY alternatives page was last updated Jul 20, 2026

Tabby
135 likes
Tabby is an infinitely customizable cross-platform terminal app for local shells, serial, SSH and Telnet connections.
155 Tabby alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application type
Terminal Emulator
Origin
Ukraine
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Ukraine
Good alternative?Is Tabby a good alternative to PuTTY?

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1comment
Tabby vs PuTTY Comments
Positive comment by takavar · Jun 22, 2023
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.
1 of 1 comments
Tabby is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
Tabby is Customizable and Privacy focusedPuTTY is not according to our users
OpenSSH
397 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.
64 OpenSSH alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
SSH Client
Origin
Canada
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
iPhone
BSD
Cygwin
Haiku
Linux Mobile
Good alternative?Is OpenSSH a good alternative to PuTTY?

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10comments
OpenSSH vs PuTTY Comments
Top Positive Comment by Brioni1988 · Feb 27, 2017
Up to date. One of the most trustworthy dev teams on the intenet.
Top Negative Comment by Guest · Oct 25, 2017
There is no gui for connection management.
Negative comment by ntrain5555 · Mar 2, 2025
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
OpenSSH is an SSH Client PuTTY is a Terminal Emulator
MobaXterm
234 likes
MobaXterm is an enhanced terminal app that brings the advanced features of a Unix-like command-line to Windows. It takes the power of Cygwin and wraps it in a sleek, visual interface that's super easy to use, lightweight and portable.
178 MobaXterm alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application type
Terminal Emulator
Origin
France
EU
Platforms
Windows
France
EU
+7
Good alternative?Is MobaXterm a good alternative to PuTTY?

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3comments
MobaXterm vs PuTTY Comments
Positive comment by Guest · Nov 27, 2017
Arguably the best remote access program out there. Great compact interface, most features I've ever seen, works amazingly fast out of the box. The 10 session limit is what makes this Freemium, so if that is not a big deal for you, this is the software for you.
Positive comment by Guest · Oct 18, 2016
It's never let me down and is feature rich.
Negative comment by tihedomecu · Apr 22, 2019
It's okay, but sessions are constantly disconnected after like a few minutes later. it also has some random cartoons all over the screen so annoying. not recommended.
3 of 3 comments
MobaXterm is Freemium and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
MobaXterm is CustomizablePuTTY is not according to our users
PowerShell
206 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.
76 PowerShell alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application type
Shell
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Snapcraft
United States
Good alternative?Is PowerShell a good alternative to PuTTY?

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6comments
PowerShell vs PuTTY Comments
Top Positive Comment by Guest · Nov 3, 2019
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.
Top Negative Comment by Guest · Dec 10, 2018
PuTTY is for remote terminal access, via SSH, Telnet, serial, etc.. Powershell is a shell for scripting not SSH or Telent access.
Negative comment by Guest · Jan 29, 2026
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
3 of 6 comments
PowerShell is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
PowerShell is a Shell PuTTY is a Terminal Emulator
mRemoteNG
231 likes
Manage remote connections efficiently with this open-source tool, featuring a tabbed interface supporting RDP, VNC, SSH, Telnet, HTTP, and more protocols, without any ads.
115 mRemoteNG alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-2.0)
Application type
Remote Desktop
Platforms
Windows
Good alternative?Is mRemoteNG a good alternative to PuTTY?

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2comments
mRemoteNG vs PuTTY Comments
Positive comment by Guest · Jun 18, 2018
If multiwindow (think 10+ ssh sessions at a time) is your thing this is the best alternative by far -- as a Linux admin and typically on 25+ servers at a crack this free app managed all servers no sweat.
Positive comment by Guest · Dec 26, 2016
Free with premium features
2 of 2 comments
mRemoteNG is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
mRemoteNG is a Remote Desktop PuTTY is a Terminal Emulator
KiTTY
191 likes
KiTTY is an opensource terminal emulator, forked from PuTTY , that adds many extra features to the original software.
137 KiTTY alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
France
EU
Alerts
Discontinued
Platforms
Windows
France
EU
Good alternative?Is KiTTY a good alternative to PuTTY?

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4comments
Discontinued
No updates since Sep 17, 2023
KiTTY vs PuTTY Comments
Positive comment by Sean · Oct 21, 2019
It's a more actively developed fork.
Positive comment by Guest · Sep 14, 2018
It's pretty much stock Putty, but upgraded to modern standards.
Positive comment by Vlad · Oct 6, 2016
Fork of putty. But more recently updated and fresher.
3 of 4 comments
KiTTY is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
Termius
40 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.
116 Termius alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
New Zealand
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
iPhone
Chrome OS
iPad
Flathub
New Zealand
+9
Good alternative?Is Termius a good alternative to PuTTY?

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1comment
Termius vs PuTTY Comments
Positive comment by Guest · Apr 2, 2021
Can be used on Linux, has a cleaner Interface compared to PuTTY & it's free for students.
1 of 1 comments
Termius is Freemium and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
Termius is Security-focusedPuTTY is not according to our users
uniTerm
5 likes
Lightweight all-in-one terminal with over 20 protocols including SSH, RDP, SFTP, and databases, featuring an autonomous AI agent for multi-round shell commands, advanced file transfer, real-time server monitoring, split panes, cloud sync, and multilingual support.
29 uniTerm alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (Apache-2.0)
Application typeApplication types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
China
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
Android Tablet
China
Good alternative?Is uniTerm a good alternative to PuTTY?
WindTerm
22 likes
A professional SSH/Telnet/Serial/Shell/Sftp client for DevOps.
114 WindTerm alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (Apache-2.0)
Application typeApplication types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
China
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
China
Good alternative?Is WindTerm a good alternative to PuTTY?
Bitvise SSH Client
64 likes
SSH client for file transfer, terminal and tunneling.
94 Bitvise SSH Client alternatives
Cost / License
Free Personal
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
Windows
United Kingdom
+2
Good alternative?Is Bitvise SSH Client a good alternative to PuTTY?

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2comments
Bitvise SSH Client vs PuTTY Comments
Positive comment by Oktay Mercan · Feb 9, 2018
Easy to use also have sftp
Positive comment by akanealw · Jun 27, 2020
Very handy program. I have my ssh connection connect automatically at login. Does my reverse ssh tunnel and socks proxy and stays minimized in the system tray.
2 of 2 comments
Bitvise SSH Client is Free Personal and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
MSYS2
51 likes
MSYS2 is an independent rewrite of MSYS, based on modern Cygwin (POSIX compatibility layer) and MinGW-w64 with the aim of better interoperability with native Windows software.
29 MSYS2 alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Terminal Emulator
Origin
International
Platforms
Windows
Global
Good alternative?Is MSYS2 a good alternative to PuTTY?

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2comments
MSYS2 vs PuTTY Comments
Negative comment by Guest · Apr 27, 2022
It is a shell not SSH client
Negative comment by Guest · Apr 23, 2019
it is a shell not a ssh client
2 of 2 comments
MSYS2 is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
SecureCRT
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.
94 SecureCRT alternatives
Cost / License
Paid
Proprietary
Application type
Terminal Emulator
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Good alternative?Is SecureCRT a good alternative to PuTTY?

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1comment
SecureCRT vs PuTTY Comments
Positive comment by artcrime · Dec 14, 2015
Simply the best telnet/ssh client on the market. Excellent support too!
1 of 1 comments
SecureCRT is Paid and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source

12 of 101 PuTTY alternatives

PuTTY Alternatives for Windows

Alternatives list

Tabby

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Tabby vs PuTTY Comments

OpenSSH

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OpenSSH vs PuTTY Comments

MobaXterm

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MobaXterm vs PuTTY Comments

PowerShell

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PowerShell vs PuTTY Comments

mRemoteNG

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mRemoteNG vs PuTTY Comments

KiTTY

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Origin

Alerts

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KiTTY vs PuTTY Comments

Termius

Cost / License

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Termius vs PuTTY Comments

uniTerm

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WindTerm

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Bitvise SSH Client

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MSYS2

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MSYS2 vs PuTTY Comments

SecureCRT

Cost / License

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Platforms

SecureCRT vs PuTTY Comments