PuTTY AlternativesOnly apps categorised as SSH Clients

The best SSH Client alternative to PuTTY is KiTTY, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to PuTTY and many of them are SSH Clients so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting SSH Client alternatives to PuTTY are OpenSSH, MobaXterm, Tabby and Termius.

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PuTTY alternatives are mainly SSH Clients, but if you're looking for Terminal Emulators or Shells you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows and Google Chrome. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to PuTTY.
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Alternatives list

  1. KiTTY icon

    KiTTY

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

    99 KiTTY alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    transparency settings
     
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    4
    62
    Comments about KiTTY as an Alternative to PuTTY
    Xeogin
    Positive
    2

    It's a more actively developed fork.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Vlad
    Positive
    3

    Fork of putty. But more recently updated and fresher.

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    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
  2. OpenSSH icon

    OpenSSH

     384 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.

    60 OpenSSH alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • Cygwin
    • Haiku
     
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    10
    75
    Comments about OpenSSH as an Alternative to PuTTY
    Top Positive Comment
    Brioni1988
    10

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

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    17

    There is no gui for connection management.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    ntrain5555
    Negative
    0

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

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    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

     227 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.

    115 MobaXterm alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    MobaXterm tabbed terminal
     
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    3
    50
    Comments about MobaXterm as an Alternative to PuTTY
    Guest
    Positive
    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.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    tihedomecu
    Negative
    -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
    • MobaXterm is CustomizablePuTTY is not according to our users
  5. Tabby icon

    Tabby

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

    106 Tabby alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Tabby screenshot 1
     
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    1
    9
    Comments about Tabby as an Alternative to PuTTY
    takavar
    Positive
    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. Termius icon

    Termius

     36 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.

    56 Termius alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    Termius screenshot 1
     
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    1
    25
    Comments about Termius as an Alternative to PuTTY
    Guest
    Positive
    0

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    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
    • Termius is Security-focusedPuTTY is not according to our users
  7. Bitvise SSH Client icon

    Bitvise SSH Client

     62 likes
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    SSH client for file transfer, terminal and tunneling.

    62 Bitvise SSH Client alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Bitvise SSH Client screenshot 1
     
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    2
    18
    Comments about Bitvise SSH Client as an Alternative to PuTTY
    Oktay Mercan
    Positive
    0

    Easy to use also have sftp

    akanealw
    Positive
    0

    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.

    PuTTY Icon
    Bitvise SSH Client icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Bitvise SSH Client is a great PuTTY alternative.

    • Bitvise SSH Client is Free Personal and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
  9. ZOC icon

    ZOC

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

    72 ZOC alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    ZOC screenshot 1
     
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    8
    29
    Comments about ZOC as an Alternative to PuTTY
    Top Positive Comment
    hansolo1988
    3

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

    Foworax J. Smith
    Positive
    0

    Much nicer user interface.

    grercl
    Positive
    0

    tabs, ease of use, very easy to customize

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 8 comments
    PuTTY Icon
    ZOC icon

    • Almost everyone thinks ZOC is a great PuTTY alternative.

    • ZOC is the most popular commercial alternative to PuTTY.

    • ZOC is Paid and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
  10. ConnectBot icon

    ConnectBot

     102 likes
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    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.

    43 ConnectBot alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    ConnectBot screenshot 1
     
  12. JuiceSSH icon

    JuiceSSH

     33 likes
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    The all in one terminal client for Android including SSH, Local Shell, Mosh and Telnet support.

    107 JuiceSSH alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • mosh
    • OpenSSH
    JuiceSSH screenshot 1
    JuiceSSH screenshot 2
     
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    8
  13. Termora icon

    Termora

     8 likes
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    Termora is developed using Kotlin/JVM and partially implements the XTerm protocol (with ongoing improvements). Its ultimate vision is to achieve full platform support (including Android, iOS, and iPadOS) through Kotlin Multiplatform.

    58 Termora alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Homebrew
    Termora screenshot 1
     
  14. Xshell icon

    Xshell

     42 likes
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    Xshell is a powerful SSH1, SSH2, SFTP, TELNET, RLOGIN and SERIAL terminal emulator for Windows platforms. It allows users to gain access to Unix/Linux hosts easily and securely on a Windows workstation.

    53 Xshell alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    remote shell
     
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    6
12 of 46 PuTTY alternatives