The Best PuTTY AlternativesTop Terminal Emulators & SSH Clients like PuTTY

PuTTY is described as 'Free and open-source terminal emulator supporting SSH, Telnet, and SCP. Portable, lightweight, and works offline to connect to remote systems securely' 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, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone apps. The best PuTTY alternative is KiTTY, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like PuTTY are OpenSSH, MobaXterm, Tabby and Termux.

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PuTTY alternatives are mainly Terminal Emulators, but if you're looking for SSH Clients or Shells you can filter on that. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to PuTTY.
PuTTY iconPuTTY
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Free and open-source terminal emulator supporting SSH, Telnet, and SCP. Portable, lightweight, and works offline to connect to remote systems securely.

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PuTTY alternatives page was last updated May 16, 2025
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  1. KiTTY icon

    KiTTY

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

    93 KiTTY alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    transparency settings

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  SSH
    2.  Session Management
    3.  Portable
    4.  SSH Tunnel
    5.  Auto-login
    6.  Multiple Browser Tabs
    7.  Command line interface
    8.  VPS
    9.  Auto-saving
    10.  Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
    11.  Built-in editor

    KiTTY VS PuTTY

     
    Comments about KiTTY as an Alternative to PuTTY
    Most Recent Comment
    Xeogin
    Positive Oct 21, 2019
    2

    It's a more actively developed fork.

    Guest
    Positive Sep 14, 2018
    1

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

    Vlad
    Positive Oct 6, 2016
    3

    Fork of putty. But more recently updated and fresher.

    Show more comments
    3 of 4 comments
    PuTTY Icon
    KiTTY icon

    • Almost everyone thinks KiTTY is a great PuTTY alternative.

    • KiTTY is the most popular Windows alternative to PuTTY.

    • KiTTY is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to PuTTY.

    • KiTTY is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
    • KiTTY is LightweightPuTTY is not according to our users
  2. OpenSSH icon

    OpenSSH

     377 likes
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    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

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • CA flagCanada

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • Cygwin
    • Haiku

    OpenSSH Features

    1.  SSH
    2.  Support for SFTP
    3.  Cross-Platform
    4.  Jailbreak required
    5.  Bundled with macOS

    OpenSSH VS PuTTY

     
    Comments about OpenSSH as an Alternative to PuTTY
    Top Positive Comment
    Brioni1988
    Feb 27, 2017
    10

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

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    Oct 25, 2017
    17

    There is no gui for connection management.

    Most Recent Comment
    ntrain5555
    Negative Mar 2, 2025
    0

    It's not terminal emulator, it's a utility to ssh'd to other mechine.

    Show more comments
    3 of 10 comments
    PuTTY Icon
    OpenSSH icon

    • Most users think OpenSSH is a great PuTTY alternative.

    • OpenSSH is the most popular Mac, iPhone & Linux alternative to PuTTY.

    • OpenSSH is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
  4. MobaXterm icon

    MobaXterm

     223 likes
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    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.

    111 MobaXterm alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    MobaXterm tabbed terminal

    Top MobaXterm Features

    1.  X server
    2.  Support for SFTP
    3.  SSH
    4.  Tabbed interface
    5.  Embedded Xserver
    6.  Portable
    7.  RDP Functionality
    8.  Multiple Terminal
    9.  Support for Multiple protocols
    10.  Built-in File Manager
    11. File Explorer icon  Windows Explorer Extension
    12.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions

    MobaXterm VS PuTTY

     
    Comments about MobaXterm as an Alternative to PuTTY
    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Positive Nov 27, 2017
    0

    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.

    Guest
    Positive Oct 18, 2016
    0

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

    tihedomecu
    Negative Apr 22, 2019
    -5

    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.

    PuTTY Icon
    MobaXterm icon

    • Most users think MobaXterm is a great PuTTY alternative.

    • MobaXterm is Freemium and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
  5. Tabby icon

    Tabby

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

    102 Tabby alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • UA flagUkraine

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Tabby screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Support for Themes
    3.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  SSH
    2.  Command line interface
    3.  Support for SFTP
    4.  Multiple Servers
    5.  Dark Mode
    6.  Electron based
    7.  Portable
    8.  Serial-port
    9.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  Ad-free
    12.  Tabbed interface

    Tabby VS PuTTY

     
    Comments about Tabby as an Alternative to PuTTY
    takavar
    Positive Jun 22, 2023
    0

    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.

    PuTTY Icon
    Tabby icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Tabby is a great PuTTY alternative.

    • Tabby is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
    • Tabby is CustomizablePuTTY is not according to our users
  6. Termux icon

    Termux

     109 likes
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    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.

    98 Termux alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
    • zsh
    • GNU Bourne Again SHell
    Termux screenshot 1
    Termux screenshot 2
    Termux screenshot 3

    Termux Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  Support for scripting
    3.  Integrated into iOS
    4.  Dark Mode
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  No registration required

    Termux VS PuTTY

     

    • Termux is the most popular Android & Android Tablet alternative to PuTTY.

    • Termux is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
  7. mRemoteNG icon

    mRemoteNG

     222 likes
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    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.

    81 mRemoteNG alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Config Connections

    Top mRemoteNG Features

    1.  RDP
    2.  SSH
    3.  RDP Functionality
    4.  Tabbed interface
    5.  Tree view
    6.  Support for Multiple protocols
    7.  Built-in SSH client
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  Connect via RDP
    10.  Secure Copy (SCP)
    11.  Supports SSL Certificates
    12.  VNC Support

    mRemoteNG VS PuTTY

     
    Comments about mRemoteNG as an Alternative to PuTTY
    Guest
    Positive Jun 18, 2018
    0

    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.

    Guest
    Positive Dec 26, 2016
    0

    Free with premium features

    PuTTY Icon
    mRemoteNG icon

    • Almost everyone thinks mRemoteNG is a great PuTTY alternative.

    • mRemoteNG is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
  9. Termius icon

    Termius

     34 likes
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    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.

    54 Termius alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • NZ flagNew Zealand

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    Termius screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Security-focused

    Features

    1.  Support for SFTP
    2.  Mosh client
    3.  Keychain
    4.  Port Forwarding
    5.  Unix-like
    6.  SSH
    7.  User Session Recording
    8.  Cloud Sync
    9.  FTP Server Migration
    10.  Server Monitoring
    11.  Secure Copy (SCP)

    Termius VS PuTTY

     
    Comments about Termius as an Alternative to PuTTY
    Guest
    Positive Apr 2, 2021
    0

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

    PuTTY Icon
    Termius icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Termius is a great PuTTY alternative.

    • Termius is the most popular iPad alternative to PuTTY.

    • Termius is Freemium and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
7 of 114 PuTTY alternatives