PuTTY AlternativesOnly apps categorised as SSH Clients for Mac

PuTTY is not available for Mac but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on macOS with similar functionality. The best Mac SSH Client alternative is OpenSSH, 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 available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac SSH Client alternatives to PuTTY are Tabby, Termius, ZOC and WindTerm.

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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, Windows, Android 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. 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.

    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
  2. 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 (MIT)

    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
  4. 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.

    57 Termius alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    Termius screenshot 1
     
    |
    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
  5. 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
  7. 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

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Homebrew
    Termora screenshot 1
     
  9. Chrome Secure Shell icon

    Chrome Secure Shell

     26 likes
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    Secure Shell is an xterm-compatible terminal emulator and stand-alone ssh client for Chrome. It uses Native-Client to connect directly to ssh servers without the need for external proxies.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • Google Chrome
    Chrome Secure Shell screenshot 1
     
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    1
    7
    Comments about Chrome Secure Shell as an Alternative to PuTTY
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    written by google developers when they took down the ssh command from crosh

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    PuTTY Icon
    Chrome Secure Shell icon

    • Some users think Chrome Secure Shell is a great PuTTY alternative, some don't.

    • Chrome Secure Shell is Free and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
  10. PortX icon

    PortX

     3 likes
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    PortX is a lightweight cross-platform (Windows/Mac/Linux) SSH Client, as well as local shell/terminal emulator. Beautiful tabbed UI for managing multiple sessions. Google Drive syncing session files across devices and OSes is a very handy tool.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    PortX screenshot 1
     
  12. Core Tunnel icon

    Core Tunnel

     14 likes
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    Core Tunnel is the best way to manage your SSH tunnels, with OS X Keychain integration. You can manage multiple tunnels in parallel, supports password/keyboard/pubkey authentication methods, creates local/remote/dynamic port forwarding tunnels & more.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    One app, numerous tunnels
     
  13. ShellCraft icon

    ShellCraft

     1 like
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    With convenient and powerful user interface, ShellCraft significantly improve your efficiency. ShellCraft implements the standard SSH/Telnet protocol, it can simply connect to various servers. The session management function make you managing sessions easily, connecting to...

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    ShellCraft screenshot 1
     
12 of 20 PuTTY alternatives