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PuTTY vs Xpra

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

PuTTY icon
PuTTY
Xpra icon
Xpra

PuTTY vs Xpra: The Verdict

Last updated: May 2026 · Comparison by Sugggest Editorial Team

Feature PuTTY Xpra
Sugggest Score
Category Network & Admin Remote Work & Education
Pricing Open Source 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

Xpra
Xpra

Description: Xpra is an open source tool that allows you to run graphical applications remotely over a network. It is designed for low latency and allows you to access applications with high interactivity, even over low bandwidth connections.

Type: software

Pricing: Open Source

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
Xpra
Xpra Features
  • Remote access to GUI applications
  • Session sharing - allows multiple clients to connect to the same session
  • Tabbed user interface
  • Audio support - forwards sound from the remote application to the client
  • Clipboard synchronization between client and server
  • Compression of images sent over the network
  • Encryption of data stream using SSL/SSH
  • Cross-platform - clients and servers available for Linux, Windows and macOS

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
Xpra
Xpra
Pros
  • Lightweight and fast
  • Works well over low bandwidth connections
  • Open source and free
  • Easy to setup and use
Cons
  • Limited to GUI applications only
  • No mobile client available
  • Not all features available on Windows version

Pricing Comparison

PuTTY
PuTTY
  • Open Source
Xpra
Xpra
  • Open Source

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