PuTTY vs WinSCP

PPuTTY9.0Visit WinSCP8.8Visit

Higher score P PuTTY #3 in SSH Clients 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit PuTTY

vs

WinSCP #5 in SSH Clients 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit WinSCP

• PuTTY fits best

  Users wanting a proven free SSH client

• WinSCP fits best

  Windows users focused on file transfer

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Side by side

Feature	PPuTTY 9.0/10 Visit ↗	WinSCP 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.8
Ranking	#3 in SSH Clients	#5 in SSH Clients
Best for	Users wanting a proven free SSH client	Windows users focused on file transfer
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, Linux	Windows
Support	Email, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features PuTTY 2/3 · WinSCP 2/3
SFTP support	✓	✓
Port forwarding	✓	✓
Team session sharing	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Supported protocols	SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, SUPDUP, raw, serial, SFTP, SCP	SSH, SFTP, SCP, FTP, FTPS, WebDAV, WebDAVS, S3
Supported platforms	Windows and Unix	Windows
Session management	Basic	Workspaces
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	Supports SFTP, SCP, FTP, WebDAV, FTPS, WebDAVS, and S3 Includes directory synchronization, workspaces, scripting, and command-line tools Open source with tunneling, port forwarding, and master-password protection
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 is the only supported platform SSH terminal capabilities are less central than in dedicated terminal clients No AI features are included
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 →	WinSCP is a free, open-source Windows application for moving files between local and remote computers. It is aimed at users who need more than a basic SSH connection: administrators, developers, and technical teams can work with SFTP, SCP,… Read the review →

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

• WinSCP — where it wins

  • Supports SFTP, SCP, FTP, WebDAV, FTPS, WebDAVS, and S3
  • Includes directory synchronization, workspaces, scripting, and command-line tools
  • Open source with tunneling, port forwarding, and master-password protection

  Where it doesn't

  • Windows is the only supported platform
  • SSH terminal capabilities are less central than in dedicated terminal clients
  • No AI features are included

• PPuTTY9.0/10 · Free plan

  A capable free SSH client with broad protocol support and basic session management.

  Visit PuTTYFull verdict →
• WinSCP8.8/10 · Free plan

  A capable Windows file-transfer tool with SSH support, scripting, and synchronization.

  Visit WinSCPFull verdict →