8 Best Putty Alternatives for SSH Clients for Windows

Putty.exe is one of the most well-known and widely used SSH clients on the market – from managing Cisco Routers to logging into your VPS or cloud server, Putty is the defacto standard and choice of many network engineers and server admins for configuring their SSH enabled devices. With these selection criteria in mind, we have tracked down some great SSH clients and Putty alternatives that are worth trialing and we made sure to get options for every major operating system.

Here is our list of the best PuTTY alternatives for SSH clients on Windows:

Solar-PuTTY – EDITOR'S CHOICE A free tool from SolarWinds that adds a nice user interface to the functionality of the traditional PuTTY. Use its SCP, SSH, Telnet and SFTP features. Runs on Windows. Download 100% free tool.
KiTTY A free open-source terminal emulator that is a fork of PuTTY for Windows so this is one of the closest tools you can get to the actual original version.
MobaXterm Available in free and paid versions, both capable of operating multiple sessions simultaneously, has SSH, SFTP, RDP, and Telnet, among other services.
mRemoteNG This great free tool offers an easy-to-use tabbed interface for multiple open terminal sessions and provides rLogin, RDP, SSH, VNC, Telnet, and raw socket connections.
Xshell 7 Free for home use but otherwise a paid tool, this terminal emulator provides SSH1, SSH2, Telnet, and rLogin.
Bitvise SSH Client This free tool has an attractive interface and can be integrated into the corporate single sign-on (SSO) service to speed up connections.
PuttyTray A straightforward secure SSH client for terminal emulation that, unfortunately, hasn’t been updated since 2016.
ExtraPutty A fork of the original PuTTy that offers SSH-based terminal sessions and FTP, TFTP, SCP, SFTP, Ymodem, Xmodem for file transfers.

We've recently gone through some popular SSH/SCP Servers plus the best ssh client for windows, but in this article, we'll dive into some alternatives to Putty and review some of them for those who need more functionality and flexibility. The Putty alternatives that are listed below are a mix of FREE to download versions and some even have Paid upgrades that give you additional functionality for managing servers over SSH remotely.

Best Putty Alternatives for SSH Clients

Our methodology for selecting Putty alternatives for free SSH clients

We reviewed the market for PuTTY alternatives and analyzed the tools based on the following criteria:

Flexible client that is able to connect with SSH for remote terminal functions
Integrated secure file transfer utility
GUI interface that enables point-and-click connection initiation
Tabbed connection interface that allows for multiple simultaneous connections
Password locker for secure credentials storage
Connection management that can pause and resume sessions
Useful tool that has a professional standard of services even though it is free

Let's jump directly into these programs and see how they compare to Putty itself along with some of their features and differences for connecting to SSH.

1. Solar-PuTTY by SolarWinds – FREE TOOL

Solar-Putty is a great little free utility made by SolarWinds that's an SSH client just like Putty. It doesn't require an installation and can be quickly executed from the install files.

Key Features:

Supports Multiple Protocols including SSH, SCP (Secure Copy), Telnet & SFTP/FTP
Multi-Tabbed interface for allowing you to quickly switch between multiple Sessions (Like Chrome/Firefox tabs)
Auto-Login using Saved Credentials
Auto Reconnect if a Connection Drops
Integration into Windows Search Functionality – Search by Name, IP, Credentials or Tags
Graphical Progress Bar for SFTP File Transferring
Quick Access GUI for Connecting to your Most frequent Sessions
Full Support for Post-Connection Scripts
Export/Backup and Copy/Migrate Saved Sessions to New Computers/User
Assign Colors to Putty Session
Change Fonts and Font-Size
Assign Saved Credentials to Multiple/Different IP Addresses/Servers

Distinctive Feature:

Solar-PuTTY's most notable feature is its ability to open multiple tabs in a single window. This lets you multitask and manage multiple sessions at once. During our evaluation, we tested this feature extensively and found it to be rock-solid and reliable, which further cemented our recommendation for Solar-PuTTY.

Why do we recommend it?

After using Solar-PuTTY for a while, we were impressed by its intuitive interface and multi-tab functionality for SSH and Telnet. We highly recommend Solar-PuTTY because it can save you a lot of time with its quick access to saved connections.

Who is it recommended for?

We recommend Solar-PuTTY for system engineers, network engineers, and any IT professionals needing secure access. It is ideal for those working from Windows computers/servers.

Pros:

Completely free
Integrates with SCP and SFTP giving it more functionality than PuTTY
Offers secure credential storage for fast repeat access
Can color-code multiple sessions to help organize multiple simultaneous connections
Can automatically reconnect if the connection is interrupted

Cons:

Like PuTTY, this tool is designed for technical professionals and requires basic networking knowledge before use

EDITOR'S CHOICE

Solar-PuTTY is our top pick for a Putty alternative because it is a very professional tool but is free to use with no strings attached. The Solar-PuTTY system offers a full PuTTY implementation but with an easy-to-use interface that makes managing multiple connections very easy. This tool will automatically reconnect dropped sessions and give you secure remote access in many simultaneous sessions. Organize file transfer manually and on schedules or run scripts for task automation with ease using Solar-PuTTY.

Download: 100% FREE Download

OS: Windows Server

2. KiTTY

KiTTY is a fork of the original PUTTY client with several add-on's that make it a good alternative to the original. KiTTY has some great features that make it an all-around good tool to keep in your toolbox.

Key Features:

Session Filtering Options
Portable (no Installation Needed)
Shortscuts for Pre-Defined Commands using Right-Click Menu
Launcher can be started with KiTTY by Issuing a -launcher command when starting KiTTY
Login Scripts/Auto Scripts after sessions have been established
Limited Automated Actions/Scripts after login including Line/Character Delays, CR/LF Translations, Timeouts and Waits for certain variables.
Manage Hyperlinks/URLS in the session such as Underlining Links, Which browser to Open in and Regex.
Automatics Passwords/Commands
Ability to Run Local Scripts on Remote Systems/Devices
ZModem Integrations
Auto-Saved Sessions via Windows Registry
Binary Compression & Clipboard Printing Features
BONUS Features: Lightweight Chat Server & Text Editor

Distinctive Feature:

The chat and text editor is KiTTY’s key feature that sets this apart from other SSH clients. This tool is more than just a simple remote access tool as it allows you to communicate with others during your sessions.

Why do we recommend it?

KiTTY caught our attention with its enhanced PuTTY features, such as scripting and chat. It made it simple to automate tasks and even chat during SSH sessions.

Who is it recommended for?

KiTTY is recommended for IT professionals like network or system admins or developers who need remote SSH access to resources. It is ideal for anyone who values automation and ease of use.

Pros:

Improved altered variant of PuTTY, making it familiar to navigate
Supports scripting to automate repetitive tasks
Offers built-in chat and text editing capabilities for extended functionality

Cons:

Only available for Windows
Interface is just as primitive as PuTTY

Official Site and Download link: http://kitty.9bis.net/

3. MobaXterm

MobaXterm comes in 2 Different Versions – FREE & Professional Edition. Below are some of the differences between the two versions:

	Home Edition	Professional Edition
Full X-Server & SSH support	Yes	Yes
Remote desktop (RDP, VNC, Xdmcp)	Yes	Yes
Remote terminal (SSH, telnet, rlogin, Mosh)	Yes	Yes
X11-Forwarding	Yes	Yes
Automatic SFTP browser	Yes	Yes
Plugins support	Yes	Yes
Portable & Full Install Versions	Yes	Yes
Full Help Files & Documentation	Yes	Yes
12 Sessions Max.	Yes	Yes
2 Max SSH Tunnels	Yes	Yes
4 Macros Max	Yes	Yes
Max. 360 sec. for Tftp, Nfs and Cron	Yes	Yes
Modify your profile script		Yes
Customize your startup message and logo		Yes
Remove unwanted games, screensaver or tools		Yes
Unlimited number of sessions		Yes
Unlimited number of tunnels and macros		Yes
Unlimited run time for network daemons		Yes
Master password support		Yes
Professional support		Yes
Lifetime right to use		Yes

Distinctive Feature:

The one feature that truly sets MobaXterm apart from many other alternatives to PuTTY is its integrated X server. This server lets you run GUI apps from remote servers on your local machine.

Why do we recommend it?

Upon exploring MobaXTerm, we were impressed by its all-inclusive approach to SSH management. The tabbed interface and saved credentials made it a lot easier.

Who is it recommended for?

MobaXterm is a handy tool for a wide range of IT tasks, from server management and network configuration to development and security testing. It's got a ton of features and a user-friendly interface, so it's a great choice for IT professionals of all stripes.

Pros:

Great for accessing Linux/Unix systems from a Windows operating system
Simple interface that is easy to learn
Supports multiple remote protocols, including SFTP/FTP
Supports X-11 forwarding, ideal for heavy remote users

Cons:

Must pay for Pro version for additional features and functionality

Price per user⁽¹⁾	Unit price (USD)
1-10	$69.00
11-50	$62.00
51-200	$55.00
201-500	$48.00
501-…	$41.00

Official Site and Download Link: https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/download.html

4. mRemoteNG

mRemoteNG is an open-source, multi-tabbed, multi-protocol, remote connection management software that was forked from mRemote.

Key Features:

RDP Support (Terminal Servers & Remote Desktop) and VNC
ICA Support (Citrix Independent Computer Architecture)
SSH, HTTP/HTTPS, Telnet and Raw Socket Connections
rLogin

Why do we recommend it?

We recommend mRemoteNG because it is a one-stop shop for remote server management. We found its interface easy to use. It is simple to organize and group servers with this tool. This makes it a lot easier to access and manage multiple remote servers, including RDP, VNC, and terminal devices.

Who is it recommended for?

We recommend mRemoteNG for IT professionals and development teams who manage multiple and diverse remote servers. It is especially helpful for organizations that use a lot of Microsoft products but also need to integrate non-Windows devices.

Pros:

Open source tool with an active community
A lightweight GUI option for managing remote connections
Supports a variety of protocols such as RDP, VNC, and Telnet
Can securely store credentials for future use

Cons:

Interface can feel crowded when adding a large number of connection destinations

Official Site and Download Link: http://www.mremoteng.org/download

5. Xshell 7

Xshell is another great tool for connecting to SSH1, SSH2, SFTP, Telent, rLogin and even to serial connections.

Key Features:

Tabbed Environment to connect to Multiple sessions in the Same Window using different Tabs
Dynamic Port Forwards
Custom Keyboard/Key Mappings
Highlight Sets
VB, Javascript and Python Scripting
Dual Font Support for ASCII & Non-ASCII Characters
PKCS #11 Support
Password Encryption for Saved Sessions
Search Web text
Audio Bells and Alarm Options

Why do we recommend it?

The first time we started using Xshell 7, we couldn't help but notice its slick interface. But that is not all, after a while of active testing, we immediately realized its amazing and rapid performance. But what impressed us the most was its ability to handle multiple Linux machines.

Who is it recommended for?

XShell is 100% recommended for users who need to access Linux servers remotely. It's easy to use and can handle multiple machines at once, which makes it perfect for developers, IT admins, and network engineers. For anyone coming from PuTTY or another similar tool, XShell will feel easy to use.

Pros:

Excellent interface, supports multiple sessions through different tabs
Supports SSH1, SSH2, SFTP, Telent, and rLogin
Highly customizable, can create macros and setup custom keybinds
Features built-in alarms for monitoring

Cons:

Not as lightweight as PuTTY

Price is $99 with 1 year of support for Xshell and there is a free license for home or school use only.

Official Site and Download Link: https://www.netsarang.com/en/xshell/

6. Bitvise SSH Client

Bitvise SSH Client (Tunnelier) supports all versions of Windows desktops & servers and includes a long list of features that make it a great all-around tool for SSH connection management.

Key Features:

Remote Desktop Forwarding with a Single-Click
BVTerm, Xterm, and vt100 Terminal Emulation features.
SSO (Single Sign-On) Support using SSPI & NTLM authentication
Supports RSA, DSA and ECDSA Public Key Auth.
Obfuscated SSH w/ an Optional Keyword if wanted.
Dynamic Port Forwarding via Socks or HTTP Proxy.
FTP to SFTP Bridge for legacy and old applications/Services.
Command line scripts with sftpc
Scriptable Remote Execution Client (sexec) and command line terminal console client (stermc)
.NET SSH Libray
Command-line Scripting support for Tunneling using stnlc
Remote Admin Features

Why do we recommend it?

We put Bitvise SSH Client to the test with a few SSH connections and we found that Bitvise SSH client really nailed it. We recommend this tool, mainly because the data stays locked up tight during transmission, Plus the SSH tunneling is a real game-changer.

Who is it recommended for?

Bitvise SSH client is recommended for anyone with or without technical skills. So, if you are managing remote Windows servers or simply need a secure way to transfer files, Bitvise will be the perfect solution for you.

Pros:

Supports numerous public key authentication types
Offers customizable SSH obfuscation
Powerful scripting options through sexec/stermc

Cons:

Interface could be easier to use by consolidating the multiple tabs
Help section is outdated, could use more visual examples

Official Site and Download Link: http://www.bitvise.com/ssh-client-download

7. PuttyTray

PuttyTray is a tool that gives you some added functionality to the original Putty client, but looks like it's not being maintained as much anymore. We'll leave it here for reference if anyone feels the need to download it.

Key Features:

Customizable Icons
Blinking tray icon if a bell signal is received
URL hyperlinking
Portable
Minimize to system tray
Android adb support

Why do we recommend it?

We tried PuttyTray and found it to be the PuTTY upgrade we have all been waiting for. It is a worthy tool to consider if you are thinking about switching from the traditional PuTTY into a more innovative SSH terminal. Custom icons and on-screen notifications are just the beginning of what it has to offer.

Who is it recommended for?

PuttyTray is recommended for anyone, from home users connecting to remote servers to IT pros in large organizations. It is a great choice if you like to customize, receive on-screen notifications, or use URL hyperlinking.

Pros:

Solid option for anyone looking for a PuTTY alternative with few additional changes/features
Supports on-screen notifications
Users can customize the icons

Cons:

Not updated often, bugs are often left unpatched for long periods of time
Lacks many additional features found in tools like SolarWinds Solar PuTTY

Official Site and Download Link: https://puttytray.goeswhere.com/

8. ExtraPutty

ExtraPutty is also a fork from the original version with some added benefits and add-ons that make it more pleasant to use.

Key Features:

StatusBar, time stamps, DLL frontend
Session scripting using lua 5.3
Sequence commands automatically
Keyboard shortcuts for pre-defined commands
Portability
Protocol support includes: FTP, SFTP, SCP SSH, yModem, XModem
PuttyCMDSender is a tool that lets your send commands or keyboard shortcuts to multiple Putty windows

Why do we recommend it?

ExtraPuTTY is a feature-packed alternative to the classic PuTTY. It offers a better user experience and more functionality. While testing it, we found that it strives to provide a seamless experience with added capabilities like Lua scripting, session management, and integration with various file transfer protocols.

Who is it recommended for?

We recommend ExtraPuTTY for professionals, developers, and system administrators. It is suitable for anyone who actively uses SSH for remote server management. Plus it offers extended functionalities (more than the traditional SSH clients) like support for various protocols, and integration of scripting with lua.

Pros:

Supports numerous protocols
Can send commands to multiple PuTTY sessions at once
Supports Lua scripting

Cons:

Nested menus could use a redesign, the interface feels crowded when managing multiple connections
Lacks file transfer capabilities

Official Site and Download Link: http://www.extraputty.com/download.php

Conclusion

We hope that you enjoyed this list of our best Putty alternatives. We suggest you download a few of them and try them out to see which one you like the best to ensure that it has all the features that matter to you the most.

Our top recommendation would be Solar-Putty from SolarWinds, as it has a great GUI, gives you many options for saving sessions, grouping them and sorting them quickly with their intuitive search functionality. You can search by IP address, name, ID, tag and many other variables. As we all know, sometimes it difficult to keep track of numerous IP addresses of servers, switches and more and having the functionality to search portions of what you remember will help you become more efficient.

Grab a free download from below and give it a go.

Official Site and Download Link:

https://www.solarwinds.com/free-tools/solar-putty

Download 100% FREE Tool!

SSH clients FAQs

What does PuTTY stand for?

Despite its unusual capitalization, PuTTY doesn’t stand for anything. It is just a made-up name and it isn’t an acronym

Is Solar PuTTY free?

Solar-PuTTY is free to use, without restrictions.

What are some alternatives to SSH clients?

Some alternatives to SSH clients include Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and Virtual Network Computing (VNC) for Windows, and Remote Management (Apple Remote Desktop) for Mac.

What are the benefits of using these alternatives?

RDP and VNC provide a graphical user interface (GUI) for remote access, making it easier to use for users who are not familiar with command-line interfaces. They also provide features such as remote printing and file transfer. Apple Remote Desktop provides similar functionality as well as remote management of Macs.

What are the downsides of using SSH alternatives?

RDP, VNC and Remote Management may require additional configuration and setup compared to SSH. RDP and VNC are also generally less secure than SSH, as they rely on the Remote Desktop Service (RDS) or the Remote Frame Buffer (RFB) protocol, which are known to have security vulnerabilities.

Are there any other benefits of using alternatives over SSH?

Alternatives to SSH like RDP and VNC provide a graphical user interface (GUI) which is more user-friendly and can be more efficient for certain use-cases. Some alternatives also provide additional features such as remote printing and file transfer. However, SSH is generally considered more secure and is supported by a wide range of platforms.