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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.

Facts checked 9 Oct 2026 · How we score SSH clients

In short

  1. 1
    TabbyPeople who want a free, open-source terminal with SSH built in
    81/100
    $0cheapest uncapped edition, per year
  2. 2
    TermiusPeople who connect from a PC and a phone and want saved hosts to sync
    80/100
    $0cheapest uncapped edition, per year
  3. 3
    MobaXtermWindows admins who want SSH, SFTP, X11 and remote desktop in one window
    76/100
    $23/yrcheapest uncapped edition, per year
  4. 4
    SecureCRTAdmins who want a paid, scriptable client with a one-time licence
    71/100
    $39.67/yrcheapest uncapped edition, per year
  5. 5
    Royal TSAdmins who manage many servers over SSH, RDP and VNC from one document
    69/100
    $18.27/yrcheapest uncapped edition, per year
  6. 6
    PuTTYAdmins who want a small, free client and are happy to manage sessions themselves
    68/100
    $0cheapest uncapped edition, per year
  7. 7
    OpenSSH for WindowsAdmins who want ssh, sftp and key tools without installing a third-party app
    61/100
    $0cheapest uncapped edition, per year
  8. 8
    XshellWindows admins who want a one-time licence and many session tools
    61/100
    $39.67/yrcheapest uncapped edition, per year
  9. 9
    Bitvise SSH ClientWindows users who want a free client with graphical SFTP and tunnelling
    57/100
    $0cheapest uncapped edition, per year
  10. 10
    WindTermAdmins who want a free client with many connection features and no work-use limit
    53/100
    $0cheapest uncapped edition, per year
  11. 11
    Tera TermWindows admins who need a free client with serial ports and macros
    50/100
    $0cheapest uncapped edition, per year
  12. 12
    mRemoteNGAdmins who want a free tabbed manager for SSH and remote desktop sessions
    45/100
    $0cheapest uncapped edition, per year

How the points add up

Points earned out of the points available in each part of the method.

ProductConnections
of 35		Keys and security
of 25		Sessions and workflow
of 18		Other systems
of 8		Price
of 14		Total
Tabby33121841481
Termius28191181480
MobaXterm35111801276
SecureCRT3411166471
Royal TS2961661269
PuTTY33111001468
OpenSSH for Windows2811801461
Xshell3411120461
Bitvise SSH Client2851001457
WindTerm330241453
Tera Term2061001450
mRemoteNG166901445

Each SSH client in brief

1. Tabby

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.

Best for: People who want a free, open-source terminal with SSH built in. Prices, facts and sources

2. Termius

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.

Best for: People who connect from a PC and a phone and want saved hosts to sync. Prices, facts and sources

3. MobaXterm

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.

Best for: Windows admins who want SSH, SFTP, X11 and remote desktop in one window. Prices, facts and sources

4. SecureCRT

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.

Best for: Admins who want a paid, scriptable client with a one-time licence. Prices, facts and sources

5. Royal TS

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.

Best for: Admins who manage many servers over SSH, RDP and VNC from one document. Prices, facts and sources

6. PuTTY

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.

Best for: Admins who want a small, free client and are happy to manage sessions themselves. Prices, facts and sources

7. OpenSSH for Windows

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.

Best for: Admins who want ssh, sftp and key tools without installing a third-party app. Prices, facts and sources

8. Xshell

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.

Best for: Windows admins who want a one-time licence and many session tools. Prices, facts and sources

9. Bitvise SSH Client

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.

Best for: Windows users who want a free client with graphical SFTP and tunnelling. Prices, facts and sources

10. WindTerm

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.

Best for: Admins who want a free client with many connection features and no work-use limit. Prices, facts and sources

11. Tera Term

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.

Best for: Windows admins who need a free client with serial ports and macros. Prices, facts and sources

12. mRemoteNG

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.

Best for: Admins who want a free tabbed manager for SSH and remote desktop sessions. Prices, facts and sources

Every fact, side by side

Each row is one rule of the method and the points it is worth. "–" means the vendor does not publish it, which earns nothing.

Rule (points)TabbyTermiusMobaXtermSecureCRTRoyal TSPuTTYOpenSSH for WindowsXshellBitvise SSH ClientWindTermTera TermmRemoteNG
Built-in SFTP file transfer (7)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes–Yes
SSH agent forwarding (6)YesYesYesYes–YesYesYesYesYesYes–
X11 forwarding (5)Yes–YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes–
Port forwarding (4)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes–
Jump hosts (6)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes–Yes
Serial port connections (4)YesYesYesYesYesYes–Yes–YesYes–
Other protocols (3)1 of 31 of 33 of 32 of 33 of 31 of 30 of 32 of 30 of 31 of 31 of 33 of 3
Key generator and key agent (5)–YesYesYes–YesYesYesYes–––
Security key or smart card login (6)–YesYesYes–––Yes––––
Saved logins locked by a master password (6)YesYes––Yes–––––––
Open source (6)Yes–No––YesYes––NoYesYes
SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 (2)–Yes––––––––––
Saved sessions in folders (4)YesYesYesYesYes––Yes–––Yes
Scripting or automation (5)Yes–YesYesYesYesYesYesYes–Yes–
Sync saved sessions between devices (4)YesYesYesYesYes––––––No
Portable version (2)Yes–Yes––Yes––YesYesYesYes
Updated in the last 12 months (3)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYes
Other systems (8)2 of 44 of 40 of 43 of 43 of 40 of 40 of 40 of 40 of 42 of 40 of 40 of 4
Free for work use (6)YesYesYesNoYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYes
Cheapest uncapped edition, per year (8)$0$0$23/yr$39.67/yr$18.27/yr$0$0$39.67/yr$0$0$0$0

Head to head

We read each vendor's own pages, record every fact with its source and date, and score it by the rules on how we score SSH clients. A tie goes to the lower price. SSH clients and terminal-connection managers that run on Windows (an app, or the Windows built-in tool). File-transfer-only clients such as WinSCP and FTP clients are left out. A one-off licence is priced per year by dividing its price by 3. Lines that say "on at least one edition" count only editions for one person. Vendor claims about speed or quality are shown on product pages but never scored. Prices are in US dollars before tax.