8 Best SSH Client & Connection Managers (Hands-On Review)

If you’re like me, you jump in and out of dozens of SSH connections a day. Whether you’re a Linux Server SysAdmin or a Network Admin or Engineer you probably open more terminal sessions than anything else.

Without a SSH connection manager you’ll be typing in addresses and credentials each and every time you need to connect to a host or SSH into a switch or router.

For me, using a good SSH client has been invaluable.

Occasionally, I get the itch to see what all is out there in case there is some feature I didn’t know I couldn’t live without. (See what I did there?)

I wanted to test out several of the popular free, freemium, and paid SSH clients and terminal session managers available to see what the pros and cons of each were.

I also wanted to help you narrow down your options so you can find the one that works for you and quit wasting time (and subsequently someone’s money) connecting to everything the long and repetitive way.

For my evaluation I installed each of top the SSH clients, setup a few connections, and used it for the afternoon. This allowed me to see what challenges you would face trying to download, install, configure, and use each one.

So let’s dig in!

Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager

This one caught me by surprise. Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager offers both a free and paid enterprise license. The free license does require that you register the product after 30 days, but it remains free.

Devolutions RDM features include:

Loads of connection options such as Citrix, VMware, HTTP, HTTPS, VPN, FTP, FTPS, SFTP, SSH, Telnet, Serial, SFTP, SCP, and so on
Integrated VPN management with Microsoft, Cisco, SonicWall and IPSecVPN, and a host of add-ons, including Nortel, Avaya and Watchguard
Connection with RDP, RemoteFX, RealVNC, TightVNC, UltraVNC, ICA, HDX, LogMeIn, TeamViewer, RGS, DameWare, Radmin, pcAnywhere, Telnet, RAW, rlogin, XWindow, Hyper-V
Free plugins developed by the Devolutions teams to extend functionality for connecting to things like ASDM on your ASAs. This is HUGE.
Supports all sorts of macros and hotkey customizations
Scripting support
Full featured folder-based connection manager
Tabbed grouping of multiple open sessions
Robust Credential management
Support for centralized database of connection to support teams
Mobile access
Auditing and reporting

There is also a sudo asset management system built in where for each connection you can save just about any kind of information you would have on that asset including make, model, address, purchase date, location, etc… For a small shop that could be a convenient feature.

Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager Free vs. Enterprise

The Enterprise version enables Shared Databases and Repos, Role Based Security, Two-Factor, Auditing and Reporting, and [apparently] credential inheritance within nested sessions in the connection manager. Enterprise will set you back $199.99 USD (at the time of licensing) per user or you can purchase a site license with unlimited users for $3,499.99 USD (again at the time of this writing).

Impressions

Install was simple with a packaged .exe installer. Didn’t have to give any info to access the free version download (though it forces you to register after 30-days).

UI navigation is simple with the connection folder tree on the left, open connections on the right, and tabs of multiple open connections on the top. The navigation is very similar to Microsoft Office 2013+ products if you’re familiar with that.

Something I really liked was all the import options it had, including one for mRemote (now mRemoteNG and compatible), which I currently use the most, so if you’re already using a tool but want something a little more robust then you’ll have no trouble switching (other than having to reconfigure the credentials which don’t get imported from the mRemoteNG configuration database).

Another thing I was thrilled about was that I could install free plugins developed by the Devolutions teams to extend functionality for connecting to things like ASDM on my ASAs. This is HUGE for teams that manage lots of firewalls (we manage over 50 different ASAs) and other devices that have extended features outside of SSH.

I really liked using this product. I liked it enough to import my production mRemoteNG connection file and start using it full time to see how it compares to using mRemoteNG full time. The only thing that was a bummer was they locked up credential inheritance in the connection management folder tree in the premium version of the software. mRemoteNG does that for free. If you’re setting up new connections this is no big deal, however importing 300 connections is a bit of a bear.

Who is Devolutions RDM for?

Any Windows or Mac user who is looking for lots of connection options and lots of bells and whistles. If when someone asks you “Which do you prefer, simple or feature packed?” you answer “All the things!” you have found your SSH (and whatever else) client and connection manager. You do have to be OK with the Microsoft Office UI and navigation since this applications UX is based heavily on that suite of applications. If you have a large team that could benefit from a centralize connection management system then this is definitely your ticket (though you’ll have to pay for the privilege, of course).

Solar-PuTTY

Solar-PuTTY is a free SSH Client and Connection Manager from SolarWinds. It’s one of the only SSH clients, other than PuTTY, that doesn’t require installing the software. You just download the .exe from here and run it to launch the software.

This makes sense because it’s essentially a feature rich skin of PuTTY. You’ll even see the connections you create in Solar-PuTTY appear in your regular PuTTY application if you use it on your system as well. Unlike PuTTY, Solar-PuTTY allows:

Saving of credentials (including private key) for auto logging into your sessions
Tabbed browsing of multiple open sessions
Quick access screen tiled with your most used connections
Auto reconnection
GUI for SFTP transfers
Post-connection scripting
Integration with Windows Search

Impressions

As stated, install is a breeze. You just run an exe and it launches. Each new connection you configure in the software gets created as a shortcut in your start menu so you can use the built in windows search to find your connections.

The interface is very simplified. Each connection is just a tile within the main window that you double click to launch your session. Multiple open sessions show up as tabs along the top of the window, as do any settings or configuration menus that you open.

The settings are pretty basic. You can set a session name, IP or hostname, port, connection type (SSHv2, SSHv1, Telnet, SCP/SFTP/FTP), and credentials to use. You can also specify post authentication scripts and session logging for each saved session.

Rather than use a folder tree, Solar-PuTTY relies on Tags (similar to Tags in VMWare) that you can use to categorize your connection any way you like.

As for customizations, you’re limited to the options available for PuTTY itself. When you launch the customizations menu it opens PuTTY where you set your desired setting and save the profile (much like mRemoteNG if you’re familiar with that software).

Who is Solar-PuTTY for?

If you’re a fan of PuTTY but wish it had a better way to organize saved sessions and credentials, you like to keep things simple, and you want something free, then Solar-PuTTY is worth a test drive for you. It’s also only for people running Windows.

MobaXterm

MobaXterm is a full blown X server, remote terminal, and remote desktop (RDP) client and connection manager. It doesn’t ride on top of an existing PuTTY install. MobaXterm is simple to download as both a free and premium edition and can be downloaded as either a full install or a portable application that can be launched anywhere you put the folder (including a USB drive.)

MobaXterm boast a fistful of features including:

Tabbed Session’s Management
Support for SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, RDP, VNC, XDMCP, FTP, SFTP or Serial sessions
Graphical SFTP browser
X11 server
Enhanced X extensions from X.org for X server
Split session windows with ability to execute commands in each window at once
Embeded TFTP, FTP, HTTP, SSH, SFTP, Telnet, NFS, VNC, and Cron servers
Supports SSH Gateways and SSH Tunnels
Apt-Get package manager
Text Editor
Macro support
Password secured credential manager

MobaXterm Free vs Premium

As stated earlier MobaXterm is available as both a free to use and premium product. The free product is limited to 12 saved sessions (not concurrent), 2 SSH tunnels, 4 macros, and a max of 360 seconds for TFTP, NFS, and Cron connections.

The premium product does not have the above limitations and supports removing unwanted tools, ability modify profile script, customization of startup message and logo, master password support for accessing the application and credentials, and a years worth of support from Mobatek. At the time of writing the pro version rings in at $69 USD.

Impressions

Download and installation was as straightforward as any other software on Windows. Navigation of the software is fairly intuitive with folder based session management on the left, menu across the top, and tabbed sessions to the right.

The UI is fairly cluttered upon first launch which can be intimidating at first glance. Similar to Microsoft Office applications you can collapse the top menu ribbon and left folder tree which helps clean up the interface.

Creating new sessions is easy, just a right click in the connection tree and click on New Session. You then pick your desired connection type and begin filling in the appropriate information. Much like the initial UI the context menu is cluttered and overwhelming.

Once our connections are configured it’s just a simple double click to open them. The application has it’s own search box above the connection tree for searching for connections which works great.

My favorite feature is the combo split view for open sessions and the MultiExec which lets you type the same commands into each window at the same time. It’s a killer time saver when performing multiple one-off configurations.

I also liked that you can customize the skin to match a variety of desktop environments from the MetroUI to Snow Leopard.

My biggest disappointment was hitting the 12 session limit in the free version. I initially assumed this was a concurrent session limit, but no, you’re only allowed to SAVE 12 sessions. This makes the free version a no go for me since I have about over 300 pieces of network equipment that I have to save connections for. I’d definitely have to spring for the premium version to make this software useful for me.

Who is MobaXterm for?

MobaXterm is worth your consideration if you like lots of bells and whistles, the ability to connect to just about anything, the desire to pay for a premium product to save more than 12 connections, and anyone who frequently opens multiple terminal sessions that they interact with simultaneously (I’m looking at you Linux Admins and Engineers). If you desire a SSH client that has a master password (premium feature) this locks up that as well. Just be prepared to poke around the UI for a while to get used to things. It throws a lot at you.

It’s also only for people running Windows.

SecureCRT

SecureCRT is a premium only SSH client and terminal emulator. It’s a full blown client and doesn’t just ride on top of PuTTY. It also has support for Windows, Mac, and Linux which many of the other SSH clients in this list do not. While it doesn’t have a free version you can download a 30-day trial for evaluation.

Some of the features of SecureCRT are:

Supports protocols SSH2, SSH1, Telnet, Telnet/TLS, Rlogin, Serial, TAPI, and RAW
Terminal emulation including VT100, VT102, VT220, ANSI, SCO ANSI, TN3270, Wyse 50/60, Xterm, and Linux console
SSH tunneling (port forwarding)
Supports SFTP and includes a built in TFTP server
Scripting
Logging
Tabbed, split, and tiled connection windows
Folder based connection manager
Save initial login credentials per saved session

Impressions

Install on a Windows box was straight forward, using a packaged .msi installer. I wasn’t forced into registering for anything in order to evaluate the software. The initial UI is clean with the menu across the top, session management to the left and tabbed connections to the right. There aren’t any customizations available to change the UI skin, which may matter to some.

Navigation and context menus are very windows-esque and pretty intuitive. Creating a new session is a simple right click and click on New Session. You’re then stepped through a pretty typical wizard experience to enter your session details.

Launching sessions is just a double click away. You can also search for them within the menu bar, skipping the navigation.

Overall, a pretty straightforward, no frills tool. Nothing really stood out, which may be a good thing to some people.

Who is SecureCRT for?

SecureCRT would be great for someone looking for a no frills SSH client or terminal emulator with more features than your typical PuTTY fork. If you’re a Linux or Mac user this is a solid option for consideration since many of the other client and connection managers mentioned on here don’t support those platforms. Be prepared to spend around $99 USD, at the time of writing, to buy this after 30-days since they don’t offer a free version.