ZestSSH vs PuTTY: one SSH client for your PC and your phone

ZestSSH is a modern SSH client for Windows that also runs on macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. Your saved hosts and keys can follow you from your PC to your phone. It imports PuTTY .ppk keys and, on Windows, your saved PuTTY sessions, and it has SFTP built in. It's free to use, with a one-time $9.99 upgrade. PuTTY is free, open source, tiny, and Windows and Unix only.

How much do ZestSSH and PuTTY cost?

PuTTY facts as of October 2026, from its download page and license.

How do the features compare?

PuTTY features as of October 2026, from the PuTTY FAQ and its documentation.

Where is PuTTY better?

• It's free and open source, under the MIT license. You can read every line.
• It's tiny. The 64-bit installer is under 4 MB, and PuTTY also comes as a single program file that runs without installing.
• It's been around since the late 1990s and gets security fixes; 0.85 fixed several in August 2026. It'll likely outlive us all.
• Serial, raw TCP and Pageant. If you configure network gear over a serial cable, or want one key agent shared by several apps, PuTTY does both and ZestSSH doesn't.

Also worth knowing: Windows 10 (version 1809 and later) and Windows 11 include Microsoft's OpenSSH client as an optional feature, so ssh in a terminal may already be all you need (Microsoft docs).

Where is ZestSSH better?

• Your hosts on every device. Set a server up once on your PC and it's on your laptop and phone too, synced end-to-end encrypted. That's free when you use your own storage. See how the sync works.
• Everything in one window. Tabs, split panes, an SFTP file browser, snippets and a server monitor, instead of separate programs.
• Friendlier key handling. Generate, import and store keys inside the app, in the operating system's secure storage, with optional PIN or biometric lock.
• A modern interface, with themes and saved layouts.
• Modern security defaults. Post-quantum key exchange is offered first, and each host's key is checked on every connection.

How do I switch from PuTTY to ZestSSH?

1. Keys: import your .ppk files directly. Version 2 and version 3 both work, with or without a passphrase, for RSA and Ed25519 keys. Convert ECDSA or DSA .ppk keys with PuTTYgen first.
2. Sessions (Windows): use Import PuTTY sessions. ZestSSH reads your saved sessions from the registry and brings over each host, port and user name.
3. Or import an OpenSSH ~/.ssh/config file, if you keep one.

Step-by-step: replacing PuTTY and importing from other apps.

FAQ

Other comparisons and guides

• ZestSSH vs TermiusZestSSH vs Termius: $9.99 once instead of a monthly plan, free sync to storage you control, no analytics. Where Termius is still the better pick.
• ZestSSH vs JuiceSSHZestSSH vs JuiceSSH on Android: an actively developed SSH client that also runs on iOS and desktop, with a free tier and a one-time upgrade.
• SSH clients with no subscriptionAn honest list of SSH clients you can buy once or use free, on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS, and where ZestSSH fits among them.
• Sync SSH keys without trusting a cloudHow end-to-end encrypted sync works for SSH hosts and keys: client-side AES-256-GCM, Argon2id, and storing the encrypted file on WebDAV, S3 or Google Drive.