PuTTY Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to PuTTY for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best Windows alternative 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 loads of them are available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Windows alternatives to PuTTY are OpenSSH, MobaXterm, Tabby and mRemoteNG.

filter to find the best alternatives

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, Linux, iPhone, Windows, iPad, Android and Google Chrome. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to PuTTY.

More about PuTTY

PuTTY alternatives page was last updated Jan 29, 2026

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

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4comments
KiTTY vs PuTTY Comments

Sean
Positive commentOct 21, 2019
2
It's a more actively developed fork.
Guest
Positive commentSep 14, 2018
1
It's pretty much stock Putty, but upgraded to modern standards.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
Vlad
Positive commentOct 6, 2016
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
OpenSSH
391 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.
61 OpenSSH alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
SSH Client
Origin
Canada
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
iPhone
BSD
Cygwin
Haiku
Is OpenSSH a good alternative to PuTTY?

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10comments
OpenSSH vs PuTTY Comments

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.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
ntrain5555
Negative commentMar 2, 2025
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
MobaXterm
229 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.
125 MobaXterm alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
France
EU
Platforms
Windows
+7
Is MobaXterm a good alternative to PuTTY?

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3comments
MobaXterm vs PuTTY Comments

Guest
Positive commentNov 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.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
Guest
Positive commentOct 18, 2016
0
It's never let me down and is feature rich.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
tihedomecu
Negative commentApr 22, 2019
-6
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.
MobaXterm is Freemium and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
MobaXterm is CustomizablePuTTY is not according to our users
Tabby
130 likes
Tabby is an infinitely customizable cross-platform terminal app for local shells, serial, SSH and Telnet connections.
116 Tabby alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application types
Terminal Emulator
Shell
Origin
Ukraine
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Is Tabby a good alternative to PuTTY?

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1comment
Tabby vs PuTTY Comments

takavar
Positive commentJun 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.
Tabby is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
Tabby is CustomizablePuTTY is not according to our users
mRemoteNG
228 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.
90 mRemoteNG alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-2.0)
Application type
Remote Desktop
Platforms
Windows
Is mRemoteNG a good alternative to PuTTY?

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2comments
mRemoteNG vs PuTTY Comments

Guest
Positive commentJun 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.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
Guest
Positive commentDec 26, 2016
0
Free with premium features
Review by a new / low-activity user.
mRemoteNG is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
Termius
38 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.
63 Termius alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
New Zealand
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
iPhone
Chrome OS
iPad
Flathub
+9
Is Termius a good alternative to PuTTY?

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1comment
Termius vs PuTTY Comments

Guest
Positive commentApr 2, 2021
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.
Termius is Freemium and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
Termius is Security-focusedPuTTY is not according to our users
PowerShell
202 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.
70 PowerShell alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application type
Shell
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Snapcraft
Is PowerShell a good alternative to PuTTY?

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6comments
PowerShell vs PuTTY Comments

Top Positive Comment
Guest
Nov 3, 2019
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.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
Top Negative Comment
Guest
Dec 10, 2018
11
PuTTY is for remote terminal access, via SSH, Telnet, serial, etc.. Powershell is a shell for scripting not SSH or Telent access.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
Guest
Negative commentJan 29, 2026
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
Review by a new / low-activity user.
3 of 6 comments
PowerShell is Free and Open SourcePuTTY is also Free and Open Source
Bitvise SSH Client
62 likes
SSH client for file transfer, terminal and tunneling.
65 Bitvise SSH Client alternatives
Cost / License
Free Personal
Proprietary
Application types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
Windows
+2
Is Bitvise SSH Client a good alternative to PuTTY?

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2comments
Bitvise SSH Client vs PuTTY Comments

Oktay Mercan
Positive commentFeb 9, 2018
0
Easy to use also have sftp
akanealw
Positive commentJun 27, 2020
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.
Bitvise SSH Client is Free Personal and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
ZOC
70 likes
ZOC is a powerful and well-established terminal emulator and telnet client, well known for its outstanding user interface with tabbed multi session support.
80 ZOC alternatives
Cost / License
Paid
Proprietary
Application types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
Mac
Windows
+1
Is ZOC a good alternative to PuTTY?

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8comments
ZOC vs PuTTY Comments

Top Positive Comment
hansolo1988
May 29, 2017
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 commentNov 11, 2019
0
Much nicer user interface.
grercl
Positive commentNov 29, 2017
0
tabs, ease of use, very easy to customize
Review by a new / low-activity user.
3 of 8 comments
ZOC is Paid and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
WindTerm
22 likes
A professional SSH/Telnet/Serial/Shell/Sftp client for DevOps.
73 WindTerm alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (Apache-2.0)
Application types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Origin
China
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Is WindTerm a good alternative to PuTTY?
SecureCRT
35 likes
SecureCRT combines rock-solid terminal emulation with the strong encryption, data integrity, and authentication options of the Secure Shell protocol. SecureCRT provides secure remote access, file transfer, and data tunneling for everyone in your organization.
64 SecureCRT alternatives
Cost / License
Paid
Proprietary
Application type
Terminal Emulator
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Is SecureCRT a good alternative to PuTTY?

|
1comment
SecureCRT vs PuTTY Comments

artcrime
Positive commentDec 14, 2015
1
Simply the best telnet/ssh client on the market. Excellent support too!
SecureCRT is Paid and ProprietaryPuTTY is Free and Open Source
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.
59 Xshell alternatives
Cost / License
Free Personal
Proprietary
Application types
Terminal Emulator
SSH Client
Platforms
Windows
Is Xshell a good alternative to PuTTY?

12 of 74 PuTTY alternatives

PuTTY Alternatives for Windows

Alternatives list

KiTTY

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KiTTY vs PuTTY Comments

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

mRemoteNG

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mRemoteNG vs PuTTY Comments

Termius

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Termius vs PuTTY Comments

PowerShell

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PowerShell vs PuTTY Comments

Bitvise SSH Client

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Bitvise SSH Client vs PuTTY Comments

ZOC

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ZOC vs PuTTY Comments

WindTerm

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SecureCRT

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SecureCRT vs PuTTY Comments

Xshell

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