PuTTY AlternativesOnly Free apps categorised as SSH Clients for Windows

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

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Most PuTTY alternatives are SSH Clients, but you can also narrow the list to Terminal Emulators or Remote Desktop Tools. Other popular filters are Mac, Linux, Windows, Android and Google Chrome.

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PuTTY alternatives page was last updated Jul 20, 2026

KiTTY
190 likes
KiTTY is an opensource terminal emulator, forked from PuTTY , that adds many extra features to the original software.
130 KiTTY alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
France
EU
Alerts
Discontinued
Platforms
Windows
France
EU
Good alternative?Is KiTTY a good alternative to PuTTY?

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4comments
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
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
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
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.
162 MobaXterm alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
France
EU
Platforms
Windows
France
EU
+7
Good alternative?Is MobaXterm a good alternative to PuTTY?

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3comments
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
Tabby
133 likes
Tabby is an infinitely customizable cross-platform terminal app for local shells, serial, SSH and Telnet connections.
145 Tabby alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application typeApplication types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
Ukraine
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Ukraine
Good alternative?Is Tabby a good alternative to PuTTY?

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1comment
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
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.
101 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
Good alternative?Is Termius a good alternative to PuTTY?

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1comment
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
Bitvise SSH Client
64 likes
SSH client for file transfer, terminal and tunneling.
82 Bitvise SSH Client alternatives
Cost / License
Free Personal
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
Windows
United Kingdom
+2
Good alternative?Is Bitvise SSH Client a good alternative to PuTTY?

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2comments
Bitvise SSH Client vs PuTTY Comments
Positive comment by Oktay Mercan · Feb 9, 2018
Easy to use also have sftp
Positive comment by akanealw · Jun 27, 2020
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.
2 of 2 comments
Bitvise SSH Client is Free Personal and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
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.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (Apache-2.0)
Application typeApplication types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
China
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
China
Good alternative?Is uniTerm a good alternative to PuTTY?
WindTerm
22 likes
A professional SSH/Telnet/Serial/Shell/Sftp client for DevOps.
105 WindTerm alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (Apache-2.0)
Application typeApplication types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
China
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
China
Good alternative?Is WindTerm a good alternative to PuTTY?
Termora
10 likes
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.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application type
Terminal Emulator
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Homebrew
Good alternative?Is Termora a good alternative to PuTTY?
Xshell
42 likes
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.
74 Xshell alternatives
Cost / License
Free Personal
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
United States
Platforms
Windows
United States
+1
Good alternative?Is Xshell a good alternative to PuTTY?
MTPuTTY (Multi-Tabbed PuTTY)
27 likes
MTPuTTY (Multi-Tabbed PuTTY) is a small free utility enabling you to wrap unlimited number of PuTTY applications in one tabbed GUI interface. You are still continue using your favorite SSH client, but you are no longer messing around with PuTTY...
31 MTPuTTY (Multi-Tabbed PuTTY) alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
Russia
Platforms
Windows
Russia
Good alternative?Is this a good alternative to PuTTY?
PuTTY Tray
26 likes
PuTTY Tray is an improved version of PuTTY. It features a number of addons to make it more useful and much more fun to use.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
SSH Client
Platforms
Windows
Good alternative?Is PuTTY Tray a good alternative to PuTTY?

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1comment
PuTTY Tray vs PuTTY Comments
Positive comment by Brioni1988 · Feb 27, 2017
Useful improvements through the system tray icon.
1 of 1 comments
PuTTY Tray is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
PuTTY Tray is an SSH Client PuTTY is a Terminal Emulator

12 of 35 PuTTY alternatives

PuTTY AlternativesOnly Free apps categorised as SSH Clients for Windows

Alternatives list

KiTTY

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OpenSSH

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OpenSSH vs PuTTY Comments

MobaXterm

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MobaXterm vs PuTTY Comments

Tabby

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Tabby vs PuTTY Comments

Termius

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Bitvise SSH Client

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Bitvise SSH Client vs PuTTY Comments

uniTerm

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WindTerm

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Termora

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Xshell

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MTPuTTY (Multi-Tabbed PuTTY)

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PuTTY Tray

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PuTTY Tray vs PuTTY Comments