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PuTTY vs SSH Tunnel Manager

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

PuTTY icon
PuTTY
SSH Tunnel Manager icon
SSH Tunnel Manager

PuTTY vs SSH Tunnel Manager: The Verdict

Last updated: May 2026 · Comparison by Sugggest Editorial Team

Feature PuTTY SSH Tunnel Manager
Sugggest Score — —
Category Network & Admin Network & Admin
Pricing Open Source —

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

SSH Tunnel Manager
SSH Tunnel Manager

Description: SSH Tunnel Manager is a software tool that allows you to easily manage SSH tunnels on Windows, Mac and Linux. It provides a graphical interface to create, open, close and save SSH tunnels without needing to use the command line.

Type: software

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
SSH Tunnel Manager
SSH Tunnel Manager Features
  • Graphical user interface for managing SSH tunnels
  • Ability to create, open, close and save tunnels
  • Support for SSH tunneling on Windows, Mac and Linux
  • Port forwarding configuration
  • Automatic reconnection of tunnels
  • SSH key management
  • SSH terminal access
  • Dynamic port forwarding

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
SSH Tunnel Manager
SSH Tunnel Manager
Pros
  • Easy to use graphical interface
  • No need for command line
  • Cross-platform support
  • Powerful tunnel management capabilities
  • Automatic reconnection is convenient
  • SSH key support improves security
  • SSH terminal allows advanced control
Cons
  • Requires purchase/subscription for full features
  • Some advanced SSH features may be missing
  • GUI can be slower than command line for experts
  • May lack features offered by free open source tools

Pricing Comparison

PuTTY
PuTTY
  • Open Source
SSH Tunnel Manager
SSH Tunnel Manager
  • Not listed

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Learn More About Each Product

PuTTY
PuTTY
Reviews, pricing & alternatives →
SSH Tunnel Manager
SSH Tunnel Manager
Reviews, pricing & alternatives →

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