termique vs PuTTY
Modern SSH manager vs classic terminal emulator
The short version.
- A single tiny binary, no install
- Trusted and open source since 1999
- Serial consoles over COM ports
- Saved sessions sit in the registry in plaintext
- One window per connection, a flat session list
- SFTP and key tools are separate programs
- An encrypted credential vault
- Tabs, groups, tags and search
- SFTP, key generation and AI in one app
Keep PuTTY on your USB stick. Use termique for the forty servers you connect to every day.
Every row, side by side.
Where the two part ways.
01Organization
- termique
- Groups, tags and search.
- PuTTY
- A flat list, one window each.
Read the detail
Trusted since 1999 - and the UI hasn't moved much since. PuTTY's longevity is real: it's a stable, auditable, single-purpose tool that millions of developers trust without a second thought. But that stability comes with a flat session list, one window per connection, and no concept of host organization once you're past a handful of servers. Termique keeps the directness but adds structure - groups, tags, search - once your host count grows past what a dropdown can handle.
02Credentials
- termique
- AES-GCM vault, synced as ciphertext.
- PuTTY
- Plaintext registry; passwords not saved.
Read the detail
Plaintext registry vs an encrypted vault. PuTTY's saved sessions, including hostnames and usernames, are stored unencrypted in the Windows Registry. Passwords aren't saved at all by design - you're expected to type them or use Pageant, which keeps decrypted keys in memory for the session. Termique encrypts your credentials with AES-GCM using a key derived from your master password on-device, and syncs that ciphertext across machines without ever exposing plaintext to the server.
03Toolkit
- termique
- SFTP, keys and AI in one app.
- PuTTY
- PSFTP, PuTTYgen and Pageant, separately.
Read the detail
One tool for the whole workflow vs a toolbox of separate binaries. PuTTY is deliberately minimal - SFTP means switching to PSFTP's command line, key generation means opening PuTTYgen, and there's no shared credential store between them. Termique bundles host management, encrypted credentials, SFTP, SSH key generation, and an AI assistant scoped to your session into one application, so there's nothing separate to install or reconcile.
On every device you use.
PuTTY's home turf, and where most of its saved sessions live - in the registry rather than a file, which is what makes them awkward to move. Termique's Windows build stores credentials in the Windows Credential Manager and installs without admin rights.
There is no official PuTTY for macOS; people use Homebrew's port or fall back to the built-in ssh command. Termique ships a signed native build for Apple Silicon and Intel.
PuTTY exists on Linux but is rarely used there, since OpenSSH is already installed. If you want a GUI host list on Linux, that is the gap Termique fills - AppImage and .deb, x86_64 and arm64.
Moving over from PuTTY.
- 01Export your saved sessions
PuTTY keeps sessions in the Windows registry, not a file. Run reg export HKCU\Software\SimonTatham\PuTTY\Sessions putty-sessions.reg in a command prompt to get a readable dump of every host, port and username you have saved.
- 02Convert your .ppk keys to OpenSSH
Open PuTTYgen, load each .ppk, then Conversions > Export OpenSSH key. Termique uses the standard OpenSSH format, the same one ssh, scp and every Linux server already expect.
- 03Import into Termique
Add the converted keys under SSH keys, then add hosts from the registry dump. If you also keep a ~/.ssh/config - common if you use WSL - Termique reads it directly and your hosts appear without retyping.
Is Termique free like PuTTY?
Yes. Termique is free to download and the free tier has unlimited SSH sessions, unlimited hosts, SFTP and SSH key management. Pro is $5/mo and adds command audit logs and higher AI limits. There is no trial timer and no credit card to download.
Can Termique import my PuTTY sessions?
Not directly from the registry, because PuTTY stores sessions there rather than in a file. Export them with reg export first, or point Termique at an existing ~/.ssh/config, which it reads natively.
Does Termique work with .ppk private keys?
Termique uses the OpenSSH key format. Convert a .ppk with PuTTYgen (Conversions > Export OpenSSH key) once, and it works everywhere afterwards - Termique, ssh, scp, rsync and CI.
Does Termique support serial console connections?
No. Termique is an SSH and SFTP client. If you need to talk to a switch or a microcontroller over a COM port, keep PuTTY or Tera Term for that job.
Is PuTTY still maintained?
Yes, Simon Tatham still ships releases. Maintenance is not the argument against it - the argument is that PuTTY was designed before people managed forty hosts across three operating systems, and it has no credential vault, no host grouping and no sync.