It's especially aimed for programmers and network administrators, which means that newcomers won't find it easy to use. The program features a simple, straightforward interface with no included documentation.

Despite its apparent simplicity, PuTTY is highly configurable and includes many options to tweak connections, sessions, SSH security features and even the window's appearance.

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For starters, be warned that WinSCP is not the easiest FTP client to use. Because of the extra security features, WinSCP can appear overwhelming at first, although it does feature two modes of graphical user interface. WinSCP also supports integration with Windows in terms of drag & dropping files, pasting URLs and shortcuts.

The key to WinSCP is the fact that it supports both SFTP and SCP protocols over SSH-1 and SSH-2. Of course, it also supports normal FTP protocols too. It also features full SSH support and has entirely configurable security and encryption options. A particularly nice addition is the Session Saving option. If you want to save your session configuration, you can use the save button on the login dialog. In this way, you can make huge FTP file transfers and not worry about stopping and completing it later.

WinSCP isn't the most user-friendly FTP client out there, but it must be one of the most secure.

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SecureCRT uses very strong encryption with a broad range of authentication options that can be used to protect passwords, user accounts, data, and computer systems. SecureCRT also provides secure remote access, file transfers, and data tunneling within an organisation or company. SecureCRT also offers session management and customization features, for those that need to work in multiple sessions.

SecureCRT emulates a number of major terminal consoles such VT100, VT102, VT220, ANSI, SCO ANSI, Wyse 50/60, Xterm, and even Linux. SecureCRT can also help you automate routines so that you don't have to worry about executing them manually.

SecureCRT is a great terminal manager and secure authenticator that can help protect your most sensitive data.

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PuTTY Portable is a Telnet Client and SSH Server for Windows that is packed with features and can be transported anywhere on a USB stick or external storage device. Whats more, it's completely free. Firstly however, note that the developer issues a warning on the program website that PuTTY Portable may not be legal in your country so check the law before you use it!

Basically, PuTTY Portable allows you to connect to another computer remotely using the Telnet and SSH protocols. So for example, you can install it on a Windows machine and it will connect to a Unix machine. This is great if you are administrator as you can use PuTTY Portable to take full control of the machine and work at it remotely.

In the PuTTY window that's opened, you can send messages to the other machine and vice versa. This leads to one of the major annoyances when using PuTTY Portable - the program does not remember the credentials for successive logins. This is understandable for security reasons, but could end up being very annoying if you use PuTTY Portable to regularly connect to an external client.

If you need to control a remote computer and need a client that supports SSH, then PuTTY Portable is a superb option considering that it's totally free and portable.

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WinSCP Portable doesn't require installation and though is quite easy to use, its interface may appear a bit overwhelming at first due to the extra security options.

Besides the standard FTP protocol, WinSCP Portable also supports both SFTP and SCP over SSH-1(Secure Shell) and SSH-2, which make your file transfers secure and avoids third-party interception.

Another handy feature in WinSCP Portable is the possibility to save sessions, so that you can pause file transfers at any point and resume them later on.

WinSCP may not be the easiest FTP client, but it's definitely one of the most secure. If you're concerned about your file transfers, this is what you need.

Download WinSCP Portable 4.3.5 in Softonic

TunnelierPortable's portability is its key asset. The program requires no prior installation and can be accessed directly from a pendrive, a CD or any other storage medium, allowing you to get on the network very quickly.

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It also includes features, printing and logging options. There's not much that distinguishes this from other Telnet utilities except that you can customize colors and fonts and it supports Modem transfers.

It does also integrate into Windows shell meaning it can be accessed simply by right clicking and selecting the program from the context menu.

The developers have added an in integrated SFTP client in this latest release which means you no longer have to start an external file transfer application to transfer your files which is another plus.

They also urge anyone who wants to test a mobile version of this to get in touch with them which would certainly be an interesting evolution for the Windows Mobile platform although whether it's necessary or not I'm not so sure.