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PuTTY Alternatives

PuTTY is described as 'free and open-source terminal emulator, serial console and network file transfer application. It supports several network protocols, including SCP, SSH, Telnet, rlogin, and raw socket connection. It can also connect to a serial port' and is a leading terminal emulator in the os & utilities category. There are more than 50 alternatives to PuTTY for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, Android and iPhone. The best alternative is OpenSSH, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like PuTTY are KiTTY, MobaXterm, mRemoteNG and Tabby Terminal.

PuTTY alternatives are mainly Terminal Emulators but may also be SSH Clients or Remote Desktop Tools. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of PuTTY.
This page was last updated Apr 27, 2022
PuTTY
  1375
  • Free • Open Source
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • BSD
  • PortableApps.com
  • ReactOS

PuTTY is a free and open-source terminal emulator, serial console and network file transfer application. It supports...

Learn more about PuTTY

  1. OpenSSH

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    • Free • Open Source
    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • Cygwin
    • Haiku

    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.

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    OpenSSH vs PuTTY opinions
    Most users think OpenSSH is a great alternative to PuTTY.
     all • positive • negative      relevance • date
    Brioni1988

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

    Top positive comment  over 5 years ago
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    9
    Harty1978

    Totally standardized on all platforms (ok, not Windows, but catching up there).

    Top positive comment  over 5 years ago
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    6

    There is no gui for connection management.

    Top negative comment  over 4 years ago
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    16

    It is a SSL-Protocol-Implementation not a Terminal Emulator

    Negative comment • 2 months ago
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    0
    JTDimino

    Not a terminal emulator like PuTTY is.

    Negative comment • 9 months ago
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    1
    fej

    OpenSSH is an implementation of the SSH protocol. Putty is a GUI application for connecting to other devices via SSH and Telnet.

    Negative comment • 10 months ago
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    0
    ICB

    OpenSSH is a server for the SSH protocol and not a client to handle SSH sessions like PuTTY.

    Negative comment • 11 months ago
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    0
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    7 of 10 comments

  2. KiTTY is an opensource terminal emulator, forked from PuTTY , that adds many extra features to the original software.

    KiTTY vs PuTTY opinions
    Almost everyone thinks KiTTY is a great alternative to PuTTY.
    Vlad

    Fork of putty. But more recently updated and fresher.

    Positive comment • over 5 years ago
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    3
    pablosezparra

    The same functionality than PuTTY but prettier, and seems faster for me too

    Positive comment • about 4 years ago
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    -2
    Xeogin

    It's a more actively developed fork.

    Positive comment • over 2 years ago
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    0

    It's pretty much stock Putty, but upgraded to modern standards.

    Positive comment • almost 4 years ago
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    0

  4. 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.

    MobaXterm vs PuTTY opinions
    Almost everyone thinks MobaXterm is a great alternative to PuTTY.

    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 • over 4 years ago
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    0

    It's never let me down and is feature rich.

    Positive comment • over 5 years ago
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    0
    tihedomecu

    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.

    Negative comment • about 3 years ago
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    -4

  5. mRemoteNG is a fork of mRemote , an open source, tabbed, multi-protocol, remote connections manager.

    mRemoteNG vs PuTTY opinions
    Almost everyone thinks mRemoteNG is a great alternative to PuTTY.

    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 • about 4 years ago
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    0

    Free with premium features

    Positive comment • over 5 years ago
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    0

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

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

    ZOC vs PuTTY opinions
    Almost everyone thinks ZOC is a great alternative to PuTTY.
     all • positive • negative      relevance • date
    hansolo1988

    Just let me say one thing: Try managing 200 hosts for 10+ clients in the host directory of Putty and ZOC.

    Top positive comment  about 5 years ago
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    3
    externitoritus

    More features. Cleaner user interface. Actual support.

    Top positive comment  over 5 years ago
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    1
    foworax

    Much nicer user interface.

    Positive comment • over 2 years ago
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    0
    grercl

    tabs, ease of use, very easy to customize

    Positive comment • over 4 years ago
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    0

    Fast, multi-session support, stable.

    Positive comment • almost 5 years ago
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    1
    davidstaschover

    Easy to use, flexible and includes scp

    Positive comment • about 5 years ago
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    0
    Brioni1988

    One of the few options available on the mac.

    Positive comment • over 5 years ago
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    0
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    7 of 8 comments

  9. 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.

    Termius vs PuTTY opinions
    Almost everyone thinks Termius is a great alternative to PuTTY.

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

    Positive comment • about 1 year ago
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    0

  10. Bitvise SSH Client

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    • Free Personal • Proprietary
    • Windows

    SSH client for file transfer, terminal and tunneling.

    Bitvise SSH Client vs PuTTY opinions
    Almost everyone thinks Bitvise SSH Client is a great alternative to PuTTY.
    akanealw

    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.

    Positive comment • about 2 years ago
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    0
    OKTAYMERCAN

    Easy to use also have sftp

    Positive comment • over 4 years ago
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    0

  11. ConnectBot

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    • Free • Open Source
    • Android

    ConnectBot is a Secure Shell client for the Android platform. Its ultimate goal is to create a secure connection through which you can use a shell on a remote machine and transfer files back and forth to your phone.

  12. MSYS2

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    • Free • Open Source
    • Windows

    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.

    MSYS2 vs PuTTY opinions
    pros, cons and recent comments

    It is a shell not SSH client

    Negative comment • 2 months ago
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    0

    it is a shell not a ssh client

    Negative comment • about 3 years ago
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    0
Showing 10 of 99 alternatives