--- title: Best SSH Clients canonical: https://saasranked.com/best/ssh-clients/ facts_checked: 2026-10-09 --- # Best SSH Clients Log in to Linux servers and network gear over SSH from a Windows PC, move files, and keep your keys and saved sessions in order. 12 SSH clients ranked by points out of 100 from 20 published rules. Method: https://saasranked.com/best/ssh-clients/how-we-score/ | # | Product | Points | Connections | Keys and security | Sessions and workflow | Other systems | Price | Cheapest uncapped edition, per year | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | [Tabby](https://saasranked.com/software/tabby.md) | 81 | 33/35 | 12/25 | 18/18 | 4/8 | 14/14 | $0 | | 2 | [Termius](https://saasranked.com/software/termius.md) | 80 | 28/35 | 19/25 | 11/18 | 8/8 | 14/14 | $0 | | 3 | [MobaXterm](https://saasranked.com/software/mobaxterm.md) | 76 | 35/35 | 11/25 | 18/18 | 0/8 | 12/14 | $23/yr | | 4 | [SecureCRT](https://saasranked.com/software/securecrt.md) | 71 | 34/35 | 11/25 | 16/18 | 6/8 | 4/14 | $39.67/yr | | 5 | [Royal TS](https://saasranked.com/software/royal-ts.md) | 69 | 29/35 | 6/25 | 16/18 | 6/8 | 12/14 | $18.27/yr | | 6 | [PuTTY](https://saasranked.com/software/putty.md) | 68 | 33/35 | 11/25 | 10/18 | 0/8 | 14/14 | $0 | | 7 | [OpenSSH for Windows](https://saasranked.com/software/openssh-windows.md) | 61 | 28/35 | 11/25 | 8/18 | 0/8 | 14/14 | $0 | | 8 | [Xshell](https://saasranked.com/software/xshell.md) | 61 | 34/35 | 11/25 | 12/18 | 0/8 | 4/14 | $39.67/yr | | 9 | [Bitvise SSH Client](https://saasranked.com/software/bitvise-ssh-client.md) | 57 | 28/35 | 5/25 | 10/18 | 0/8 | 14/14 | $0 | | 10 | [WindTerm](https://saasranked.com/software/windterm.md) | 53 | 33/35 | 0/25 | 2/18 | 4/8 | 14/14 | $0 | | 11 | [Tera Term](https://saasranked.com/software/tera-term.md) | 50 | 20/35 | 6/25 | 10/18 | 0/8 | 14/14 | $0 | | 12 | [mRemoteNG](https://saasranked.com/software/mremoteng.md) | 45 | 16/35 | 6/25 | 9/18 | 0/8 | 14/14 | $0 | ## 1. Tabby Best for: People who want a free, open-source terminal with SSH built in. Tabby suits people who want one free terminal for SSH, serial and local shells on any desktop system. It lists the main forwarding features and an encrypted vault. The catches: the project lists no security key or smart card login, and no key generator. ## 2. Termius Best for: People who connect from a PC and a phone and want saved hosts to sync. Termius suits people who work from several devices and want hosts, keys and snippets in one synced vault. The free Starter plan covers SSH, SFTP, port forwarding and, since version 10.1.0, agent forwarding, host chains and serial. The catch: sync needs Pro at $120 a year, and no X11 forwarding or scripting language is documented. ## 3. MobaXterm Best for: Windows admins who want SSH, SFTP, X11 and remote desktop in one window. MobaXterm suits Windows admins who want connections, SFTP, X11 and remote desktop in one tabbed window. The free Home edition is capped at 12 sessions, 2 tunnels and 4 macros, so heavy users need Professional at $69. The catch: the vendor describes only a Windows application, and the licence does not allow modifying the software. ## 4. SecureCRT Best for: Admins who want a paid, scriptable client with a one-time licence. SecureCRT suits admins who want one paid client with SFTP, agent and X11 forwarding, serial ports, smart cards and several scripting languages. The $119 licence is perpetual, so we count it as about $40 a year. The catch: the licence includes only a year of updates, and the pages show no free edition beyond a 30-day evaluation. ## 5. Royal TS Best for: Admins who manage many servers over SSH, RDP and VNC from one document. Royal TS suits admins who keep many SSH, RDP and VNC connections in one encrypted document and want PowerShell scripting. The Individual User licence is a €49 one-time payment, about €16 a year on our three-year rule. The catch: the free edition stops at 10 connections, agent forwarding is not supported in the Rebex terminal, and pricing is set to change when the subscription arrives. ## 6. PuTTY Best for: Admins who want a small, free client and are happy to manage sessions themselves. PuTTY suits admins who want a free, open-source client with serial, tunnel and jump-host support, plus Pageant and PuTTYgen for keys. It lists the main connection features. The catch is workflow: the manual describes no folders for saved sessions, no sync, no smart card login and no single password that locks saved logins. Vendor binaries are Windows only. ## 7. OpenSSH for Windows Best for: Admins who want ssh, sftp and key tools without installing a third-party app. OpenSSH for Windows suits admins who live in PowerShell or a terminal and want standard ssh, sftp and key tools that Microsoft updates. It supports jump hosts, tunnels and agent forwarding through the standard ssh options. The catch: it lists no serial, Telnet, RDP or VNC connections, and no saved-session manager. ## 8. Xshell Best for: Windows admins who want a one-time licence and many session tools. Xshell suits Windows admins who manage many servers and prefer to pay once. The feature list covers jump hosts, PKCS#11 login, a master password, scripting and session folders. The catches: the free licence bars work use, there is no sync or portable version in the feature list, and it runs on Windows only. CyberScoop reported in 2017 that a backdoor was found in Xshell 5.0. ## 9. Bitvise SSH Client Best for: Windows users who want a free client with graphical SFTP and tunnelling. Bitvise suits Windows users who want a free SFTP and tunnelling client with scripting from the command line. The catches: it has no agent of its own, the vendor pages list no apps for other systems, and they list no serial port, master password, session folders or smart card login. ## 10. WindTerm Best for: Admins who want a free client with many connection features and no work-use limit. WindTerm suits admins who want a free client with SFTP, agent forwarding, X11, tunnels and jump servers in one window, including at work. It runs from a portable zip on Windows. The catch: it is only partly open source, the README lists scripting only as a roadmap item, and its latest stable release is from March 2025. ## 11. Tera Term Best for: Windows admins who need a free client with serial ports and macros. Tera Term suits Windows admins who want a free, open-source client with serial ports, tunnels, X11 and a macro language. Version 5.7.0 came out in September 2026. The catch: its File menu lists SCP for file transfer, its proxy page lists no jump-host option, its launcher documents no folders for saved sessions and its requirements page lists only Windows. ## 12. mRemoteNG Best for: Admins who want a free tabbed manager for SSH and remote desktop sessions. mRemoteNG suits admins who want a free, open-source tabbed manager for SSH, RDP and VNC with folders, SSH tunnel hops and a portable build. It is Windows only. The catch: the stable release is from 2019, SQL sharing is in early beta, and the documentation does not list agent forwarding or X11.