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ShellPilot

PuTTY for Android

PuTTY never had an official Android release — it's a Windows desktop tool. ShellPilot is the mobile equivalent: a real SSH client that gives you terminal sessions, saved connection profiles, and key-based authentication on your phone.

Free on Google Play

If you've searched for 'PuTTY for Android', you already know what you want: open an SSH session to a server, type commands, get output. PuTTY itself is a Windows program with no official Android port, so the practical answer is a native Android SSH client that covers the same ground. ShellPilot is built for exactly that.

Like PuTTY, ShellPilot stores connection profiles. You enter a host's address, port, and username once, pick password or private-key authentication, and the connection is one tap away after that. There's no re-typing credentials every time you reconnect, and there's no desktop required.

The terminal does what PuTTY's terminal does. ANSI colors render correctly so htop, vim, and tmux look right; control sequences like Ctrl+C and Ctrl+Z work; and a scrollback buffer keeps output you'd otherwise lose. An extended on-screen keyboard adds Tab, Escape, pipe, and the arrow and function keys that a phone keyboard normally hides.

Where ShellPilot goes beyond a straight PuTTY clone is mobility. The whole point is that the server is reachable when you're not at a desk — a deploy that needs a restart, a log that needs tailing, a service that needs a kick. PuTTY can't help you from a phone; ShellPilot is designed for it.

What you get

Native Android SSH client — no desktop needed

Saved connection profiles, like PuTTY sessions

Password and SSH private-key authentication

Full terminal emulation with ANSI colors

Extended keyboard: Tab, Esc, pipe, arrows, function keys

Scrollback buffer for past output

Port forwarding support

Fingerprint lock to protect saved hosts

Dark terminal theme with adjustable font size

Works over Wi-Fi and mobile data

How to use ShellPilot as PuTTY for Android

1
Install ShellPilot
Download ShellPilot free from Google Play — it's the Android SSH client that replaces PuTTY on mobile.
2
Add your server
Tap New Connection and enter the host address, port (usually 22), and username — the same details you'd put in a PuTTY session.
3
Choose authentication
Use a password or import an SSH private key for key-based login, exactly as you would in PuTTY.
4
Connect and work
Tap the saved profile to open a terminal session and run commands on your server from your phone.

Who uses ShellPilot

Restart a service on the go

A service went down and you're away from your desk. Open the saved host, run systemctl restart, confirm it's back — no laptop required.

Quick edits over SSH

Pull up a config in vim over the SSH session, make the one-line fix, save, and reload — all from the phone.

Check logs after a deploy

Tail the application log right after a release to confirm there are no errors, the way you'd do from PuTTY at a desk.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official PuTTY app for Android?

No. PuTTY is a Windows desktop application and has no official Android version. ShellPilot is a native Android SSH client that provides the same core functionality — terminal sessions, saved hosts, and key authentication — on your phone.

Can I import my PuTTY keys into ShellPilot?

ShellPilot supports standard SSH private keys for key-based authentication. PuTTY's .ppk format can be converted to a standard OpenSSH key (using PuTTYgen's export option) and then imported.

Does ShellPilot cost anything?

ShellPilot is free to download and use for SSH connections. It's ad-supported with an optional one-time Pro upgrade.

Does it support key-based login like PuTTY?

Yes. You can authenticate with a password or an SSH private key, just like a PuTTY session.