The Best PuTTY AlternativesTop Terminal Emulators & SSH Clients like PuTTY

PuTTY is described as 'Free and open-source terminal emulator supporting SSH, Telnet, and SCP. Portable, lightweight, and works offline to connect to remote systems securely' and is a leading terminal emulator in the os & utilities category. There are more than 100 alternatives to PuTTY for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone apps. The best PuTTY alternative is KiTTY, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like PuTTY are OpenSSH, MobaXterm, Tabby and Termux.

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

    125 KiTTY alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
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    4
  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
    Good alternative?
     
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    10
  3. MobaXterm icon
     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.

    155 MobaXterm alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
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    3
  4. Tabby icon
     132 likes

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

    138 Tabby alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  5. Termux icon
     131 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.

    142 Termux alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
    • zsh
    • GNU Bourne Again SHell
    Good alternative?
     
  6. 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
    Good alternative?
     
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    2
  7. Termius icon
     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.

    92 Termius alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  8. 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
    Good alternative?
     
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    6
  9. ZOC icon
     71 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.

    95 ZOC alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
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    8
  10. SSH client for file transfer, terminal and tunneling.

    77 Bitvise SSH Client alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
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    2
  11. 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.

    84 ReTerminal alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
    Good alternative?
     
  12. 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.

    58 ConnectBot alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • F-Droid
    Good alternative?
     
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