BranchShell PuTTY alternative for Mac, Windows and Linux
PuTTY is free, tiny and has been around for decades, but it ships installers for Windows only, keeps sessions in the registry, saves no passwords and has no file browser or splits. BranchShell runs natively on macOS and Linux too and keeps every host, key and forward in an encrypted vault, with SFTP, split terminals and mosh in one window.
No account. No card. No renewal. macOS, Windows and Linux.
PuTTY costs nothing. BranchShell costs $20 once, and is not a subscription either.
You pay one time, for 2 computers, for a native client that does more. No plan, no renewal and no account.
$20 once for 2 computers, updates forever
Free, open source
BranchShell and PuTTY compared
What each client is built with, what it costs and what it does in the app. Facts about the other client come from its own website and may change.
| Feature | BranchShell | PuTTY |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Pay once: $20 for 2 computers, no renewal | Free, open source |
| Platforms | Better: macOS, Windows, Linux | Worse: Windows; other systems build it from source |
| Built with | Rust, drawn on the GPU | Native C |
| Account to use it | None | None |
| Hosts, keys and passwords | Better: Encrypted vault on your computer | Worse: Sessions in the Windows registry; passwords are not saved |
| Port forwarding | Better: Local, remote and dynamic rules, one switch each | Worse: Per session, in the settings dialog |
| SFTP | Better: Two panes, sudo paths, S3 and R2 buckets | Worse: Command-line PSFTP |
| Split terminals | Better: Up to four panes per workspace | Worse: No, one window per session |
| Mosh | Better: Yes | Worse: No |
| Snippets | Better: Offered as you type, sorted by Laya | Worse: No |
| Databases and SQL | Better: Fourteen engines through SSH, with a SQL client | Worse: No |
| Link to a Git client | Better: Hosts and forwards in the BranchBay tray | Worse: No |
The better side The worse side No colour: the same on both
Why developers pick BranchShell over PuTTY
A Mac and Linux app, not a port
One codebase for macOS, Windows and Linux, so the vault, shortcuts and themes match on every machine. Install it with Homebrew, apt or a disk image instead of compiling it.
Keys and passwords kept for you
Generate or import keys, sign with a FIDO2 key or Touch ID, and save passwords as identities in an encrypted vault instead of loading keys into Pageant each time you log in.
Forwards with a switch
Save local, remote and dynamic rules against a host and start or stop them from the palette, the Activity bar or the BranchBay tray, without reopening a settings dialog.
Files and terminals side by side
SFTP in two panes, up to four terminals in one workspace and mosh for shaky links, all in the same window.
What PuTTY does that BranchShell does not
- A free, open source licence
- A single small executable that runs without installing
- Telnet, rlogin and raw connections
- More than twenty-five years of track record
If one of these is part of your day, keep PuTTY. The rest of the time, BranchShell does the job from one vault, for one payment.
Is there a PuTTY for Mac?
Can BranchShell use the SSH keys I already have?
Is BranchShell free like PuTTY?
Can I try BranchShell before leaving PuTTY?
What does BranchShell cost?
Try it next to PuTTY.
Import your SSH config and connect to the hosts you already have. Nothing to sign up for, nothing to renew and nothing to uninstall until you are sure.