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 100 alternatives to PuTTY for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, Android and iPhone apps. The best PuTTY alternative is KiTTY, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like PuTTY are OpenSSH, Tabby Terminal, MobaXterm and mRemoteNG.

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.

PuTTY alternatives page was last updated

PuTTY

1390

Free • Open Source
Terminal Emulator

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

More about PuTTY

KiTTY
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Windows
81 KiTTY alternatives
KiTTY is an opensource terminal emulator, forked from PuTTY , that adds many extra features to the original software.
- - KiTTY is the most popular Windows alternative to PuTTY.
- - KiTTY is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to PuTTY.
Suggest and vote on features
KiTTY Features
1. PortableKiTTY can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
2. Command line interfaceKiTTY either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
SSH
Session Management
Ssh tunnel
Multiple Browser Tabs
Auto-login
VPS
Auto-saving
Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
Built-in editor
Comments about KiTTY as a Alternative to PuTTY
Almost everyone thinks KiTTY is a great PuTTY alternative.
Xeogin
It's a more actively developed fork.
Positive comment•
2

Guest
It's pretty much stock Putty, but upgraded to modern standards.
Positive comment•
1

Vlad
Fork of putty. But more recently updated and fresher.
Positive comment•
3

pablosezparra
The same functionality than PuTTY but prettier, and seems faster for me too
Positive comment•
-2
OpenSSH
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
SSH Client
Mac
Windows
Linux
iPhone
BSD
Cygwin
Haiku
59 OpenSSH alternatives
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.
- - OpenSSH is the most popular Mac, iPhone & Linux alternative to PuTTY.
Suggest and vote on features
OpenSSH Features
SSH
Support for SFTP
Cross-Platform
Jailbreak required
Bundled with macOS
Add a screenshot

Comments about OpenSSH as a Alternative to PuTTY
Most users think OpenSSH is a great PuTTY alternative.
all • positive • negative relevance • date
Brioni1988
Up to date. One of the most trustworthy dev teams on the intenet.
Top positive comment•
10

Harty1978
Totally standardized on all platforms (ok, not Windows, but catching up there).
Top positive comment•
6

JTDimino
Not a terminal emulator like PuTTY is.
Top negative comment•
1

Guest
It is a SSL-Protocol-Implementation not a Terminal Emulator
Negative comment•
0

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•
0

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5 of 10 comments
Tabby Terminal
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Mac
Windows
Linux
84 Tabby Terminal alternatives
Tabby is an infinitely customizable cross-platform terminal app for local shells, serial, SSH and Telnet connections.
Suggest and vote on features
Tabby Terminal Features
1. Command line interfaceTabby Terminal either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
2. PortableTabby Terminal can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
3. LightweightTabby Terminal consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
4. Support for scriptingTabby Terminal supports scripts and macros to automate or customize tasks.
SSH
Support for SFTP
Multiple Servers
Electron based
Customizable
Serial-port
Comments about Tabby Terminal as a Alternative to PuTTY
Almost everyone thinks Tabby Terminal is a great PuTTY alternative.
takavar
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.
Positive comment•
0
MobaXterm
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Windows
98 MobaXterm alternatives
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.
Suggest and vote on features
MobaXterm Features
1. PortableMobaXterm can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
2. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsMobaXterm can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
3. Windows Explorer ExtensionMobaXterm can extend Windows Explorer in various ways, for example add context menu options, etc..
Support for SFTP
SSH
X server
Tabbed interface
Embedded Xserver
RDP Functionality
Multiple Terminal
Support for Multiple protocols
Built-in SSH client
Built-in File Manager
Comments about MobaXterm as a Alternative to PuTTY
Most users think MobaXterm is a great PuTTY alternative.
Guest
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•
0

Guest
It's never let me down and is feature rich.
Positive comment•
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•
-4
mRemoteNG
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Remote Desktop Tool
Windows
74 mRemoteNG alternatives
mRemoteNG is a fork of mRemote , an open source, tabbed, multi-protocol, remote connections manager.
Suggest and vote on features
mRemoteNG Features
RDP
SSH
RDP Functionality
Tabbed interface
Tree view
Support for Multiple protocols
Built-in SSH client
Connect via RDP
Secure Copy (SCP)
Supports SSL certificate
Comments about mRemoteNG as a Alternative to PuTTY
Almost everyone thinks mRemoteNG is a great PuTTY alternative.
Guest
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•
0

Guest
Free with premium features
Positive comment•
0
Termux
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Terminal Emulator
Shell
Android
Android Tablet
F-Droid
zsh
Bash
87 Termux alternatives
Ready to go. Termux works directly with no rooting or setup required. At first start a minimal base system is installed automatically - you decide what to do next.
- - Termux is the most popular Android & Android Tablet alternative to PuTTY.
Suggest and vote on features
Termux Features
1. Support for scriptingTermux supports scripts and macros to automate or customize tasks.
2. Command line interfaceTermux either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
MD5 signature
Integrated into iOS
PowerShell
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Terminal Emulator
Shell
Mac
Windows
Linux
61 PowerShell alternatives
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.
Suggest and vote on features
PowerShell Features
1. Support for scriptingPowerShell supports scripts and macros to automate or customize tasks.
2. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsPowerShell can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
PowerShell Scripting
Optimized for Windows
Comments about PowerShell as a Alternative to PuTTY
This alternative is disputed. PowerShell is still a legitimate PuTTY alternative, but it might have issues that some users think are important.
Guest
PuTTY is for remote terminal access, via SSH, Telnet, serial, etc.. Powershell is a shell for scripting not SSH or Telent access.
Negative comment•
11

Guest
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.
Positive comment•
3

Brioni1988
Local command shell. Putty is first and foremost a remote connection too.
Negative comment•
13

Guest
Not the same kind of product.
Negative comment•
0