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PuTTY vs RealTerm

Professional comparison and analysis to help you choose the right software solution for your needs.

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PuTTY
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RealTerm

PuTTY vs RealTerm: The Verdict

Last updated: May 2026 · Comparison by Sugggest Editorial Team

Feature PuTTY RealTerm
Sugggest Score — —
Category Network & Admin Development
Pricing Open Source Free

Product Overview

PuTTY
PuTTY

Description: PuTTY is a popular open-source terminal emulator and SSH client for Windows. Developed by Simon Tatham, PuTTY provides a lightweight and versatile tool for connecting to remote servers using various network protocols, including SSH, Telnet, and Rlogin. It is widely used for secure and convenient command-line access to remote systems.

Type: software

Pricing: Open Source

RealTerm
RealTerm

Description: RealTerm is a serial port terminal program designed to replace HyperTerminal for engineers and developers. It provides full terminal emulation, data logging, ASCII, hex and binary data views, scripting and more.

Type: software

Pricing: Free

Key Features Comparison

PuTTY
PuTTY Features
  • SSH client
  • Telnet client
  • Rlogin client
  • Raw socket connection
  • Serial port connection
  • Basic file transfer (SCP and SFTP)
  • Proxying for tunneling connections through HTTP proxies
  • Local terminal emulator (with VT100 and VT52 emulation)
  • Configurable keyboard shortcuts
  • Session logging
RealTerm
RealTerm Features
  • Serial port terminal
  • Full terminal emulation
  • Data logging
  • ASCII, hex and binary data views
  • Scripting

Pros & Cons Analysis

PuTTY
PuTTY
Pros
  • Free and open source
  • Lightweight and fast
  • Supports multiple network protocols
  • Available for Windows, with unofficial ports for other platforms
  • Highly configurable with many options
  • Actively developed and maintained
Cons
  • Official builds only for Windows
  • Limited file transfer capabilities compared to FTP/SFTP clients
  • Minimalist interface lacks some conveniences of other SSH clients
  • Lacks advanced SSH features like agent forwarding or port tunneling
  • No official support offered
RealTerm
RealTerm
Pros
  • Free and open source
  • Lightweight and easy to use
  • Supports multiple connection types
  • Powerful data visualization and logging tools
Cons
  • Limited to serial communication only
  • Minimal UI without many customization options
  • Lacks some advanced terminal features like SSH

Pricing Comparison

PuTTY
PuTTY
  • Open Source
RealTerm
RealTerm
  • Free

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Learn More About Each Product

PuTTY
PuTTY
Reviews, pricing & alternatives →
RealTerm
RealTerm
Reviews, pricing & alternatives →

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