PuTTY vs MobaXterm

PPuTTY8.8Visit MobaXterm8.6Visit

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

vs

MobaXterm #7 in Terminal Emulators 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit MobaXterm

• PuTTY fits best

  Free SSH and network-session management

• MobaXterm fits best

  Windows administrators managing many protocols

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Side by side

Feature	PPuTTY 8.8/10 Visit ↗	MobaXterm 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	8.6
Ranking	#5 in Terminal Emulators	#7 in Terminal Emulators
Best for	Free SSH and network-session management	Windows administrators managing many protocols
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, Linux	Windows
Support	Email, Docs	Email, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features PuTTY 0/5 · MobaXterm 0/5
Split panes	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Session sync	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
GPU acceleration	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Scripting API	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
SSH support	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Supported platforms	Windows and Unix	Windows
Our review
Pros	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	Broad protocol coverage, including SSH, RDP, VNC, SFTP and Serial Embedded X server, graphical SFTP and SSH tunnel management Saved sessions, multi-execution and portable or installer versions
Cons	Session management is basic No release-quality Android, iOS, or macOS ports Unix support is provided as source code	Windows is the only supported platform Home Edition is limited to personal use Team sharing and shared session files require Professional Edition
Our verdict	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 →	MobaXterm is a Windows desktop application for programmers, system administrators, developers and webmasters managing remote Unix/Linux and Windows systems. It brings a tabbed terminal, embedded Unix commands, an X server, remote desktop… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• 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

• MobaXterm — where it wins

  • Broad protocol coverage, including SSH, RDP, VNC, SFTP and Serial
  • Embedded X server, graphical SFTP and SSH tunnel management
  • Saved sessions, multi-execution and portable or installer versions

  Where it doesn't

  • Windows is the only supported platform
  • Home Edition is limited to personal use
  • Team sharing and shared session files require Professional Edition

• PPuTTY8.8/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit PuTTYFull verdict →
• MobaXterm8.6/10 · Free plan

  A broad Windows terminal suite with free personal use and paid team features.

  Visit MobaXtermFull verdict →