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What are the best telnet clients for Windows?

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ZOC Terminal vs Windows Telnet vs KiTTY

 vs PuTTY

Specs

Platforms

-

License

-

Initial Release

-

Latest Release

-

com2

-

serial

-

Platforms

-

License

-

Initial Release

-

Latest Release

-

com2

-

serial

-

Platforms

-

License

-

Initial Release

-

Latest Release

-

com2

-

serial

-

Platforms

Windows, GNU/Linux

License

MIT

Initial Release

1999-01-22

Latest Release

2021-07-17

com2

0x2f8

serial

/dev/.ttyS1

Pros + Cons

Pro
 Telnet and Telnet/SSL

Also supports SSL encrypted telnet connections.
Comment

Pro
 Scriptable

Zoc provides complete automation of the client using its macro scripting.
Comment

Pro
 Very minimalistic and barebones

Call it from the command line and it's there. A bare bones typical telnet client like on Linux.
Comment

Pro
 Comes with Windows

No need to download. Just add the feature in the Windows installer.
Comment

Pro
 Multiple terminal windows

Supports tiling multiple terminal windows side by side in different layouts without needing to use an extra program like tmux.
Comment

Pro
 Startup sessions

Support start-up sessions which allow you to specify the window/tab layout, working directories, and programs to run on startup.
Comment

Pro
 Cross-platform

Works on Linux and macOS.
Comment

Pro
 OpenGL for rendering

Offloads rendering work to the GPU for lower system load.
Comment

Pro
 True Color support

Supports True Color, so software like Vim can display a really nice pallet.
Comment

Pro
 Unicode

Uses Unicode for the best character compatibility.
Comment

Pro
 Can store login credentials

Comment

Pro
 Includes additional features over PuTTy

Sessions filter Shortcuts for pre-defined command The session launcher Automatic logon script URL hyperlinks Running a locally saved script on a remote session Send to tray Transparency Quick start of a duplicate session SSH Handler: Internet Explorer integration pscp.exe and WinSCP integration New command-line options
Comment

Con
 Still new

Has no packages for a lot of main distros.
Comment

Con
 Can not save passwords

Anyway, you can use "PuTTYgen" to generate a key pair, then use "Pageant" to do a password-less SSH remote login.
Comment

Con
 Tedious logging/tracing

Its tedious to set up logging and tracing (e.g. for serial connections).
Comment

Pro
 De facto standard client for SSH, Telnet and Rlogin

PuTTY is one of the oldest and most popular clients. It has earned the trust of a great number of users over a long period by being reliable, offering useful features and helpful support. It got into the 15 Essential Open Source Tools for Windows Admins list by InfoWorld.
Comment

Pro
 Free

Comment

Con
 Ugly design, too simple

Comment

Con
 Lacks features

It is JUST an SSH client. There are many other options with built in X-servers, Multitabbing, etc.
Comment
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