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Head-to-head · SSH Clients

PuTTY vs Solar-PuTTY

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score PuTTY #3 in SSH Clients 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit PuTTY
Solar-PuTTY #4 in SSH Clients 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Solar-PuTTY

PuTTY leads on 0 checks, Solar-PuTTY on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scorePuTTY · 9.0/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresPuTTY · 2 of 3

PuTTY scores higher on our rubric for ssh clients: 9.0 against 8.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #4.

On session management, Solar-PuTTY gives you Tabs where PuTTY offers Basic.

PuTTY is the better fit for users wanting a proven free SSH client. Solar-PuTTY is the better fit for windows users wanting a simple portable client.

  • PuTTY fits best

    Users wanting a proven free SSH client

  • Solar-PuTTY fits best

    Windows users wanting a simple portable client

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Side by side

Feature PuTTY 9.0/10 Visit ↗ Solar-PuTTY 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 8.9
Ranking #3 in SSH Clients #4 in SSH Clients
Best for Users wanting a proven free SSH client Windows users wanting a simple portable client
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Desktop Desktop
Platforms Windows, Linux Windows
Support Email, Docs Docs, Community
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features PuTTY 2/3 · Solar-PuTTY 1/3
SFTP support ✓ ✓
Port forwarding ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Team session sharing Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Supported protocols SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, SUPDUP, raw, serial, SFTP, SCP SSH, Telnet, SCP, SFTP
Supported platforms Windows and Unix Windows
Session management Basic Tabs
Our review
Pros
  • Free and open source with SSH, SFTP, SCP, and port forwarding
  • Supports public-key authentication, Pageant, proxying, and X11 forwarding
  • Includes saved sessions, PSFTP, PSCP, and the Plink command-line client
  • Free portable operation without installation
  • Tabbed SSH, Telnet, SCP, and SFTP sessions
  • Graphical SFTP transfers with saved credentials and keys
Cons
  • Session management is basic
  • No release-quality Android, iOS, or macOS ports
  • Unix support is provided as source code rather than Windows-style executables
  • Windows-only platform coverage
  • Port forwarding is not included in the feature set
  • No paid tiers or team-sharing features
Our verdict

PuTTY is a free, open-source client for terminal access, file transfer, and SSH networking. It supports SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, SUPDUP, raw network connections, and serial sessions, making it suitable for users who work across different…

Read the review →

Solar-PuTTY is a free Windows terminal emulator and network file-transfer client from SolarWinds. It is aimed at Windows administrators, systems administrators, configuration managers, and IT professionals managing remote servers and…

Read the review →
  1. PuTTYSSH Clients 9.0Free plan
  2. Solar-PuTTYSSH Clients 8.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • PuTTY — where it wins

    • Free and open source with SSH, SFTP, SCP, and port forwarding
    • Supports public-key authentication, Pageant, proxying, and X11 forwarding
    • Includes saved sessions, PSFTP, PSCP, and the Plink command-line client

    Where it doesn't

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

  • Solar-PuTTY — where it wins

    • Free portable operation without installation
    • Tabbed SSH, Telnet, SCP, and SFTP sessions
    • Graphical SFTP transfers with saved credentials and keys

    Where it doesn't

    • Windows-only platform coverage
    • Port forwarding is not included in the feature set
    • No paid tiers or team-sharing features

More comparisons

All SSH clients comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update