The Best Open Source PuTTY AlternativesTop Terminal Emulators & SSH Clients like PuTTY

The best open source alternative to PuTTY is KiTTY. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to PuTTY and loads of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to PuTTY are OpenSSH, Tabby, Termux and mRemoteNG.

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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. Other popular filters include Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android, Google Chrome and Open Source. 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
     190 likes

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

    123 KiTTY alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
    |
    4
    Discontinued

    No updates since Sep 17, 2023

    KiTTY vs PuTTY Comments
    Sean
    Positive
    2

    It's a more actively developed fork.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

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

    Vlad
    Positive
    3

    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
  2. OpenSSH icon
     394 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.

    62 OpenSSH alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • Cygwin
    • Haiku
    • Linux Mobile
     
    |
    10
    OpenSSH vs PuTTY Comments
    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.

    ntrain5555
    Negative
    0

    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
  3. Tabby icon
     130 likes

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

    133 Tabby alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
    |
    1
    Tabby vs PuTTY Comments
    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.

    • Tabby is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
    • Tabby is Customizable and Privacy focusedPuTTY is not according to our users
  4. Termux icon
     130 likes

    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.

    137 Termux alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
    • zsh
    • GNU Bourne Again SHell
     
  5. mRemoteNG icon
     229 likes

    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.

    103 mRemoteNG alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
    |
    2
    Discontinued

    last update 7 years ago !

    mRemoteNG vs PuTTY Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    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
    0

    Free with premium features

    • mRemoteNG is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
    • mRemoteNG is a Remote Desktop PuTTY is a Terminal Emulator
  6. PowerShell icon
     204 likes

    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.

    75 PowerShell alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
     
    |
    6
    PowerShell vs PuTTY Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    3

    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.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    11

    PuTTY is for remote terminal access, via SSH, Telnet, serial, etc.. Powershell is a shell for scripting not SSH or Telent access.

    Guest
    Negative
    0

    as stated by others here PuTTY is a TTY/network serial control application, and PowerShell is a local "terminal-like" application with no remote/TTY capabilities. there is no similarity here

    3 of 6 comments
    • PowerShell is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
    • PowerShell is a Shell PuTTY is a Terminal Emulator
  7. ReTerminal icon
     21 likes

    ReTerminal is a sleek, Material 3-inspired terminal emulator designed as a modern alternative to the legacy Jackpal Terminal. Built on Termux's robust TerminalView.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
     
  8. ConnectBot icon
     104 likes

    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.

    56 ConnectBot alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • F-Droid
     
  9. uniTerm icon
     4 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.

    20 uniTerm alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  10. Termora icon
     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.

    78 Termora alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Homebrew
     
  11. PuTTY Tray icon
     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

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
    |
    1
    PuTTY Tray vs PuTTY Comments
    Brioni1988
    Positive
    0

    Useful improvements through the system tray icon.

    • 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 70 PuTTY alternatives