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Solar-PuTTY vs PuTTY-CAC: catalog facts
Solar-PuTTY	PuTTY-CAC
Free Free to download and use.	Free Free to download from the project's GitHub releases page.
Windows	Windows
Tabbed interface for many sessions at once Saved credentials and private keys for auto-login	SSH login with smart cards, CAC cards and certificates FIDO key support, including YubiKeys and passkeys
Windows only Closed source, from a vendor that uses it to promote paid monitoring products	Windows only Interface keeps PuTTY's dated configuration dialogs
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Closed source	Closed source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.