PuTTY AlternativesTerminal Emulators & SSH Clients like PuTTY

Alternatives list

1. 

   

   Tabby

    134 likes

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

   146 Tabby alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (MIT)

   Application typeApplication types

   • Terminal Emulator
   • SSH Client

   Origin

   • Ukraine

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux

   • Ukraine

   

   

   

   More about Tabby  

   

   Good alternative?Is Tabby a good alternative to PuTTY?

    

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   1comment

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   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
2. 

   

   OpenSSH

    395 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.

   63 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

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   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
4. 

   

   Termux

    132 likes

   Experience a powerful Unix terminal on Android without the need for rooting. Customize with packages via Apt, run command-line tools, SSH, and program in C, Python, and more. Enjoy a full Unix environment with bash, zsh, mouse support, and external display compatibility.

   154 Termux alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source

   Application type

   • Terminal Emulator

   Origin

   • Germany
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Android
   • Android Tablet
   • F-Droid
   • zsh
   • GNU Bourne Again SHell

   • Germany
   • EU

   

   

   

   More about Termux  

   

   Good alternative?Is Termux a good alternative to PuTTY?

    
5. 

   

   MobaXterm

    233 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.

   166 MobaXterm alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Freemium
   • Proprietary

   Application typeApplication types

   • Terminal Emulator
   • SSH Client

   Origin

   • France
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Windows

   • France
   • EU

   

   

   

   +7

   

   More about MobaXterm  

   

   Good alternative?Is MobaXterm a good alternative to PuTTY?

    

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   3comments

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   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
6. 

   

   PowerShell

    204 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

   

   More about PowerShell  

   

   Good alternative?Is PowerShell a good alternative to PuTTY?

    

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   6comments

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   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
8. 

   

   mRemoteNG

    230 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.

   111 mRemoteNG alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (GPL-2.0)

   Application type

   • Remote Desktop

   Platforms

   • Windows

   

   More about mRemoteNG  

   

   Good alternative?Is mRemoteNG a good alternative to PuTTY?

    

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   2comments

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   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
9. 

   

   KiTTY

    190 likes

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

   131 KiTTY alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source

   Application typeApplication types

   • Terminal Emulator
   • SSH Client

   Origin

   • France
   • EU

   Alerts

   • Discontinued

   Platforms

   • Windows

   • France
   • EU

   

   

   More about KiTTY  

   

   Good alternative?Is KiTTY a good alternative to PuTTY?

    

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   4comments

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   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
10. 

    

    ReTerminal

     21 likes

    ReTerminal is a sleek, Material 3-inspired terminal emulator designed as a modern alternative to the legacy Jackpal Terminal. Built on Termux's robust TerminalView.

    89 ReTerminal alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    • Terminal Emulator

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid

    

    

    

    More about ReTerminal  

    

    Good alternative?Is ReTerminal a good alternative to PuTTY?

     
11. 

    

    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.

    105 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

    

    More about Termius  

    

    Good alternative?Is Termius a good alternative to PuTTY?

     

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    1comment

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    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
12. 

    

    ConnectBot

     104 likes

    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.

    62 ConnectBot alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (Apache-2.0)

    Application type

    • SSH Client

    Origin

    • United States

    Platforms

    • Android
    • F-Droid

    • United States

    

    More about ConnectBot  

    

    Good alternative?Is ConnectBot a good alternative to PuTTY?

     
13. 

    

    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.

    27 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

    

    

    

    More about uniTerm  

    

    Good alternative?Is uniTerm a good alternative to PuTTY?

     
14. 

    

    WindTerm

     22 likes

    A professional SSH/Telnet/Serial/Shell/Sftp client for DevOps.

    107 WindTerm alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (Apache-2.0)

    Application typeApplication types

    • Terminal Emulator
    • SSH Client

    Origin

    • China

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    • China

    

    

    

    More about WindTerm  

    

    Good alternative?Is WindTerm a good alternative to PuTTY?