The Best SSH Clients in 2026
We researched SSH clients through official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables, and product documentation. Products are ranked on their core connection and management capabilities, value for money, and verified features, helping developers, administrators, and IT teams compare the category.
Our top picks
-
Top ranked
Tabby#1 of 339.2/10A free, open-source terminal with broad shell support and advanced SSH workflows.
Free plan
-
Runner-up
OpenSSH#2 of 339.1/10A mature, foundational SSH suite for command-line remote access, transfer, and tunneling.
Open source
-
Top-ranked free plan
PuTTY#3 of 339.0/10A capable free SSH client with broad protocol support and basic session management.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 33 tools, best first
-
Best forDevelopers wanting a powerful free terminal
A free, open-source terminal with broad shell support and advanced SSH workflows.
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Tabby -
Best forMinimal, foundational SSH workflows
A mature, foundational SSH suite for command-line remote access, transfer, and tunneling.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
9.1/10★★★★★Visit OpenSSH -
Best forUsers wanting a proven free SSH client
A capable free SSH client with broad protocol support and basic session management.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit PuTTY -
Best forWindows users wanting a simple portable client
A portable, free Windows client with tabs, file transfer, and automatic reconnection.
- SFTP support
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit Solar-PuTTY -
Best forWindows users focused on file transfer
A capable Windows file-transfer tool with SSH support, scripting, and synchronization.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit WinSCP -
Best forOrganizations needing enterprise SSH authentication
A mature enterprise SSH client with broad authentication and tunneling support.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Tectia -
Best forTeams needing polished cross-platform SSH
A capable cross-platform SSH client with useful free features and paid team management.
- Team session sharing
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit Termius -
Best forFree users wanting a feature-rich desktop client
A capable free desktop client for SSH, file transfers, forwarding, and organized terminal work.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit WindTerm -
Best forWindows users needing many remote protocols
A broad Windows SSH client with remote desktops, file transfer, tunneling and team session features.
- Team session sharing
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit MobaXterm -
Best forFree users needing broad SSH coverage
A broad, free SSH client with file management, tunneling, and multi-platform access.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit electerm -
Best forWindows users wanting mature session automation
A mature Windows SSH client with automation, forwarding, file transfer, and session management.
- Team session sharing
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Xshell -
Best forProfessional users needing automation and security
A deep, automation-ready SSH client for professionals who can justify a per-device license.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit SecureCRT -
Best forWindows users needing advanced SFTP workflows
A capable Windows SSH client for advanced SFTP, tunneling, and remote administration.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Bitvise -
Best forApple users wanting polished SSH and Mosh
A polished Apple-focused SSH client with Mosh, forwarding, sync, and hardware-backed authentication.
- Port forwarding
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Panic -
Best forWindows users managing mixed remote protocols
A free Windows tool for organizing SSH alongside a broad mix of remote protocols.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit mRemoteNG -
Best forWindows teams needing shared connection documents
A capable Windows SSH client for teams sharing encrypted connection documents.
- Team session sharing
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit Royal TS -
Best forHomelabs and teams managing complex infrastructure
A capable SSH and infrastructure hub with a useful free tier and paid team options.
- Team session sharing
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit XPipe -
Best forLinux users automating grouped SSH sessions
A capable Linux-first SSH manager for grouped sessions, automation, and forwarding.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit Ásbrú -
Best forOpen-source desktop SSH and cloud storage users
A capable open-source desktop SSH client with broad transfer and storage connectivity.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit Termora -
Best forUsers wanting SSH plus remote monitoring
A broad desktop SSH client for users who want monitoring and file management alongside sessions.
- SFTP support
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit FinalShell -
Best forTeams wanting browser-based SSH access
A capable browser-based server console for individuals and teams, with no permanent free plan.
- Team session sharing
- SFTP support
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit SHELLNGN -
Best forCloud-connected users wanting encrypted host sync
A free, open-source SSH organizer with SFTP, forwarding, key management, and encrypted sync.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit Bast -
Best forUsers needing free SSH and serial tooling
A capable free SSH and serial client for Windows, with scripting and classic transfer tools.
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit Tera Term -
Best forAndroid users needing free mobile SSH
A capable free Android client for SSH sessions, tunnels, keys, and jump hosts.
- Port forwarding
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit ConnectBot -
Best foriOS users needing Mosh and developer connectivity
A capable iOS SSH client for developers who need Mosh, SFTP, and forwarding.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Blink Shell -
Best forApple users needing mobile SSH file access
A capable Apple-focused SSH and SFTP client with strong file access and automation.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
6.6/10★★★☆☆Try Secure ShellFish -
Best forApple users wanting native SSH profiles
A focused Apple SSH client with strong profiles, automation and reconnect features.
- SFTP support
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit Core Shell -
Best forWindows users needing secure legacy-compatible SSH
A paid Windows client for SSH, SFTP, Telnet, forwarding, and legacy file transfer.
- Port forwarding
- SFTP support
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit AbsoluteTelnet -
Best forWindows users needing lightweight SSH automation
A free, open-source Windows client for SSH automation and saved sessions.
- Port forwarding
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit KiTTY -
Best forWindows users needing a tabbed PuTTY wrapper
A free, open-source PuTTY companion for organized Windows sessions and PSCP transfers.
6.2/10★★★☆☆Visit SuperPuTTY -
Best forWindows users wanting free SSH file editing
A capable free Windows SSH tool with SCP, remote editing, and useful terminal extras.
6.1/10★★★☆☆Visit SmarTTY -
Best forUsers needing broad terminal emulation
A deep terminal toolkit for users who need SSH, legacy protocols, transfers, and scripting.
5.9/10★★★☆☆Visit ZOC -
Best forTeams seeking collaborative SSH with credential controls
SSH, SFTP and shared credential controls across macOS, Windows and Linux.
- Team session sharing
- SFTP support
5.8/10★★★☆☆Visit SecurSSH
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Supported protocols | Supported platforms | SFTP support | Port forwarding | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tabby | Yes | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux | 9.2 | |||
| 2 | OpenSSH | Free | SSH 2, SFTP, SCP | Linux, macOS, Cygwin (Windows), and other Unix systems | Yes | Yes | 9.1 | |
| 3 | PuTTY | Yes | Free | SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, SUPDUP, raw, serial, SFTP, SCP | Windows and Unix | Yes | Yes | 9.0 |
| 4 | Solar-PuTTY | Yes | Free | SSH, Telnet, SCP, SFTP | Windows | Yes | 8.9 | |
| 5 | WinSCP | Yes | Free | SSH, SFTP, SCP, FTP, FTPS, WebDAV, WebDAVS, S3 | Windows | Yes | Yes | 8.8 |
| 6 | Tectia SSH Client | SSH v2, SFTP, SCP, TCP tunneling | Windows, macOS, Linux, AIX, Solaris, and other Unix platforms | Yes | Yes | 8.7 | ||
| 7 | Termius | Yes | $10/mo | SSH, SFTP, Telnet, Mosh, local terminal | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, iPadOS | Yes | Yes | 8.6 |
| 8 | WindTerm | Yes | Free | SSH, SFTP, SCP, Telnet, Raw TCP, Serial, XModem, YModem, ZModem | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | Yes | 8.5 |
| 9 | MobaXterm | Yes | SSH, SFTP, SCP, FTP, FTPS, Telnet, Rlogin, RSH, RDP, VNC, XDMCP, Mosh, Serial | Windows | Yes | Yes | 8.4 | |
| 10 | electerm | Yes | Free | SSH, SFTP, FTP, Telnet, serial, RDP, VNC, SPICE | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, HarmonyOS | Yes | Yes | 8.3 |
| 11 | Xshell | Yes | $119/user one-time | SSH1, SSH2, SFTP, TELNET, RLOGIN, SERIAL, RDP, FTP | Windows 10/11; Windows Server 2012/2016/2019/2022 | Yes | Yes | 8.2 |
| 12 | SecureCRT | No | $119/device one-time | SSH1, SSH2, Telnet, Telnet/TLS, serial, RDP, SFTP, SCP, FTPS, HTTPS, FTP, HTTP, Xmodem, Ymodem, Zmodem, Kermit, and TFTP | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | Yes | 8.1 |
| 13 | Bitvise SSH Client | Yes | $3,000 one-time | SSH v2, SFTP v3/v4/v6, SOCKS4, SOCKS4A, SOCKS5, HTTP CONNECT, FTP-to-SFTP bridge, VT-100, xterm, bvterm | Windows desktop and server editions, x86 and x64 | Yes | Yes | 8.0 |
| 14 | Prompt | No | $9.99/yr | SSH, Telnet, Mosh, Eternal Terminal, and port forwarding | macOS, iOS/iPadOS, and visionOS | Yes | 7.9 | |
| 15 | mRemoteNG | Yes | Free | RDP, VNC, SSH, Telnet, HTTP/HTTPS, rlogin, raw sockets, PowerShell remoting, AnyDesk, SFTP, SCP | Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, and 2022 | Yes | Yes | 7.8 |
| 16 | Royal TS | Yes | €49/user one-time | SSH, Telnet, RS232, Raw, Rlogin, RDP, VNC, HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, SFTP, SCP | Windows | Yes | Yes | 7.7 |
| 17 | XPipe | Yes | $40/yr | SSH, SFTP | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | Yes | 7.6 |
| 18 | Ásbrú Connection Manager | Yes | Free | SSH, SFTP, RDP, VNC, Telnet, FTP | Linux; Windows via WSL | Yes | Yes | 7.5 |
| 19 | Termora | Free | SSH, SFTP, serial, Zmodem, FTP, SMB, WebDAV, S3, Alibaba OSS, Huawei OBS, Tencent COS | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | Yes | 7.4 | |
| 20 | FinalShell | SSH, SFTP, Windows Remote Desktop | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | 7.3 | |||
| 21 | SHELLNGN | No | $3.25/mo | SSH, SFTP, RDP, VNC, Telnet | Web browser; responsive mobile web access | Yes | 7.2 | |
| 22 | Bast | Yes | Free | SSH, SFTP | macOS, Linux, Windows 11 | Yes | Yes | 7.0 |
| 23 | Tera Term | Yes | Free | windows | 6.9 | |||
| 24 | ConnectBot | Yes | Free | SSH, Telnet | Android | Yes | 6.8 | |
| 25 | Blink Shell | $19.99/yr | SSH, Mosh, SFTP, SCP | iOS, iPadOS | Yes | Yes | 6.7 | |
| 26 | Secure ShellFish | Yes | SSH, SFTP | iPhone, iPad, Mac | Yes | Yes | 6.6 | |
| 27 | Core Shell | Yes | SSH/OpenSSH, SFTP, serial | macOS, iOS, iPadOS | Yes | No | 6.5 | |
| 28 | AbsoluteTelnet | No | $49.95/device one-time | SSH1, SSH2, Telnet, SFTP, XMODEM, YMODEM, ZMODEM | Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11 | Yes | Yes | 6.4 |
| 29 | KiTTY | Yes | Free | SSH, Telnet | Windows | Yes | 6.3 | |
| 30 | SuperPuTTY | Yes | Free | SSH, SCP, RDP | Windows | 6.2 | ||
| 31 | SmarTTY | Yes | Free | SSH, SCP | Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, 2008 | 6.1 | ||
| 32 | ZOC | No | $79.99 one-time | Windows, macOS | 5.9 | |||
| 33 | SecurSSH | Yes | €9/mo | SSH, SFTP | macOS, Windows, Linux | Yes | 5.8 |
Head-to-head All 28 comparisons →
- Tabby vs OpenSSH
- Tabby vs PuTTY
- Tabby vs Solar-PuTTY
- Tabby vs WinSCP
- Tabby vs Tectia SSH Client
- Tabby vs Termius
- Tabby vs WindTerm
- OpenSSH vs PuTTY
- OpenSSH vs Solar-PuTTY
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How we rank SSH clients
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update