kitty vs PuTTY

kitty9.0Visit PPuTTY8.8Visit

Higher score kitty #4 in Terminal Emulators 9.0/10 Open source ✓ 4 of 5 features Visit kitty

vs

P PuTTY #5 in Terminal Emulators 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit PuTTY

• kitty fits best

  Linux and macOS power users needing SSH tooling

• PuTTY fits best

  Free SSH and network-session management

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Side by side

Feature	kitty 9.0/10 Visit ↗	PPuTTY 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.8
Ranking	#4 in Terminal Emulators	#5 in Terminal Emulators
Best for	Linux and macOS power users needing SSH tooling	Free SSH and network-session management
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Open source	Free plan
Free plan	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Linux, macOS	Windows, Linux
Features kitty 4/5 · PuTTY 0/5
Split panes	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Session sync	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
GPU acceleration	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Scripting API	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
SSH support	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Supported platforms	Linux, macOS	Windows and Unix
Our review
Pros	GPU-accelerated rendering with tabs, windows, and split layouts SSH connection reuse plus remote file editing, opening, and downloading Programmable kittens, scripting, remote control, and saved sessions	Supports SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, serial, raw, and other connections Includes SFTP, SCP, port forwarding, proxy support, and X11 forwarding Provides saved sessions, Pageant, PSCP, PSFTP, and Plink
Cons	Documented directory support is limited to Linux and macOS Its extensive controls and extensions may require configuration effort No cross-device session synchronization is documented	Session management is basic No release-quality Android, iOS, or macOS ports Unix support is provided as source code
Our verdict	kitty is a GPU-based terminal emulator for power users and developers who need more than a basic command-line window. It combines tabs, windows, split layouts, configurable keyboard controls, terminal graphics, ligatures, hyperlinks, shell… Read the review →	PuTTY is a free, open-source terminal client for users who need SSH access, file transfer, serial connections, or other network sessions. It supports Windows and Unix systems and combines an xterm-style terminal emulator with tools for… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• kitty — where it wins

  • GPU-accelerated rendering with tabs, windows, and split layouts
  • SSH connection reuse plus remote file editing, opening, and downloading
  • Programmable kittens, scripting, remote control, and saved sessions

  Where it doesn't

  • Documented directory support is limited to Linux and macOS
  • Its extensive controls and extensions may require configuration effort
  • No cross-device session synchronization is documented

• PuTTY — where it wins

  • Supports SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, serial, raw, and other connections
  • Includes SFTP, SCP, port forwarding, proxy support, and X11 forwarding
  • Provides saved sessions, Pageant, PSCP, PSFTP, and Plink

  Where it doesn't

  • Session management is basic
  • No release-quality Android, iOS, or macOS ports
  • Unix support is provided as source code

• kitty9.0/10 · Open source

  A programmable terminal with strong SSH workflows, graphics, layouts, and session control.

  Visit kittyFull verdict →
• PPuTTY8.8/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source terminal client with broad SSH and network-session coverage.

  Visit PuTTYFull verdict →