# Mud Portal - MUD Client — Connect to Text-Based Worlds

> Full-featured, accessible MUD client for connecting to text-based multiplayer worlds. (iPhone/iPad app by Steve Beranek.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mud-portal-mud-client/id6760872146 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Steve Beranek](https://appshunter.io/developer/1886537996)
- Category: Entertainment, Games, Role Playing
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.30/5 from 7 App Store ratings · 5 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 9+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 5 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-03-23
- Data updated: 2026-08-18
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mud-portal-mud-client/id6760872146/reviews.md

## What is Mud Portal?

Mud Portal is a full-featured MUD client for iPhone — connect to any text-based multiplayer world with desktop-class power and screen-reader-first design.

ACCESSIBILITY FIRST
- VoiceOver: every control labeled; long text reads in order, title first
- Gag triggers silence spam for VoiceOver too
- Bluetooth/hardware keyboard: Up/Down recalls history

CONNECT & PLAY
- Full Telnet, 16-/256-color ANSI, optional TLS encryption and MCCP2 compression
- Multiple simultaneous sessions with tab switching
- Reconnects automatically if the network blips
- GMCP support — vitals (auto-detects nonstandard gauges), room tracking

QUICK COMMAND GROUPS (NEW)
- Group quick commands by name and color — always-expanded or tap-to-open, per-button color overrides
- Flip buttons: one button holds two commands, alternating each press
- Reorder groups and buttons to match how you play

DISCOVER MUD DIRECTORY (NEW)
- Browse a curated, live MUD directory — filter by genre or screen-reader-friendliness, sort A-Z/Z-A, add with a tap; works offline from a cache
- Submit a MUD, or report one inactive, right from the app

LOCK SCREEN & DYNAMIC ISLAND (PRO)
- Live Activity + Dynamic Island: each session's server, character, connect time, idle-timeout countdown — disconnect right there, on-device only, no server involved
- If iOS pauses the app in the background, the card says so plainly instead of guessing

BACKGROUND KEEP-ALIVE (PRO, OPTIONAL)
- Off by default — turn on in Settings to stay connected, foreground or background
- Uses location only to keep the session active — never stored or sent; iOS always shows its own location indicator while it's on

SPLIT-SCREEN MAPS
- Servers using ANSI scroll regions get a pinned map above scrolling text, working automatically with standard VT100 positioning

iCLOUD SYNC
- Optional Pro sync: servers, triggers, aliases, scripts, and maps stay in step across devices via your private iCloud, off by default
- Device prefs (D-pad, haptics, fonts) stay per-device; clear status if sync needs attention

AUTOMATION
- Powerful triggers — regex/text match to highlight, gag, rewrite, send, play sounds, or vibrate; aliases with argument substitution and $variables
- Organize triggers, aliases, scripts, and timers into toggleable Classes; tick timers repeat commands on an interval
- Built-in scripting — variables, loops, conditionals, functions, #wait pauses, #if conditionals
- Combat tracking with real-time overlay and summary; smart, context-aware command suggestions

SESSION LOGS
- In-app log viewer (ANSI color) saved to Files (On My iPhone → Mud Portal) — color or plain text

CONTROLS
- D-pad with optional diagonals, movable to either side; four editable macro buttons, long-press to edit
- Landscape: D-pad and quick commands on opposite edges (top-aligned, scrollable); lock orientation per server
- Command history with prefix search; scrollback with scroll-lock indicator
- iPad / hardware keyboard: Cmd/Option + 1-9 jumps to a session

EXTRAS
- Built-in or imported alert sounds, preview first; in-app Help & Guide
- Adjustable font size per server; configurable timeout, graceful disconnect

NO ADS, NO GIMMICKS
Connecting, unlimited servers, maps, triggers, filtering, and every accessibility feature are free — no ads, no tracking.

MUD PORTAL PRO (optional)
Pro unlocks scripting, advanced/conditional triggers, combat analytics, smart suggestions, iCloud sync, Lock Screen/Dynamic Island, Background Keep-Alive, unlimited triggers/classes/timers/sounds. Yearly subscription or lifetime unlock; tips welcome.

Two MUD worlds are pre-loaded — add your own anytime.

Mud Portal Pro is an auto-renewing subscription, charged to your Apple ID at purchase; it renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in Apple ID Account Settings.

Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://beranek.us/mudportal-privacy-policy.html

## Key features

- Accessibility-first design with VoiceOver support
- Full Telnet with ANSI color rendering
- Multiple simultaneous sessions
- Split-screen maps
- Powerful triggers and automation
- Built-in scripting language

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mud Portal Pro (Yearly) | $2.99 | per year |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mud Portal Pro (Lifetime) | $14.99 | one-time |
| Soda | $1.99 | one-time |
| Slice | $4.99 | one-time |
| Movie | $9.99 | one-time |
| Combo Meal | $19.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (5 of 5)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mud-portal-mud-client/id6760872146/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Great mud client!

*2026-07-30*

Tried several and none feel comfortable like this one. However, it would be awesome if the app could stay connected after closing the app. I know there are limitations as the documentation states, but somehow the app Termius is able to keep a Telnet session alive and shows on lock screen as an active connection when the app is closed. This would be epic!

**Developer response:** Thank you for your kind review! We were actually testing the Pillbox and Lock Screen features, and we're happy to say that testing is wrapping up. They should be available in an upcoming release.

We're also adding Bluetooth keyboard shortcuts, including Alt+1, Alt+2, and more for quick active session switching, making it much easier to play multiple MUDs at the same time.

If you have any additional bug reports or feature requests, please send them to mudportal@beranek.us.

To everyone who has taken the time to share ideas, report bugs, and provide feedback/reviews —thank you for your continued support. And a special thank you to all of our PRO purchasers and yearly subscribers. Your support helps keep MudPortal growing and improving, and we truly appreciate it!

### 5/5 — Mud Portal Review

*2026-07-06*

I’m one week in and the app already outshines the competition.  I’ve found the usability and functionality to be refreshing and intuitive so far.  Will update as I continue to experience the app.

**Developer response:** Thank you for the review! If you find anything that needs adjusted or enhanced please let us know at mudportal@beranek.us.

### 3/5 — One issue I see

*2026-07-03*

I love it! Genuinely it’s one of the best mobile clients I’ve tried. I just have one problem. It’s inability to send blank lines, some games require them. And it’s really frustrating to not be able to access them

**Developer response:** Thank you — this genuinely made our day! We are so sorry and you are right about blank lines: some MUDs won't advance prompts without them, and there was no way to send one. That's fixed in v1.2.2, just released — you'll find the "Send Blank Lines" option in Settings, with the ability to override it per world for the games that need it. If you run into anything else, email us at mudportal@beranek.us and we'll get it sorted. We'd love to earn more stars, just let us know what we can do. Happy MUDding!

### 4/5 — It’s really good so far

*2026-06-15*

I love it so far I didn’t have trouble connecting to the mud server that I needed. The only thing is how do I make it read the output after I type in my command? That doesn’t seem to work for me with VoiceOver thank you

**Developer response:** Thank you so much for your feedback. We are addressing this now. We look to have it out for testing soon. Look for an update to the application soon.

### 3/5 — Looks clean...however...

*2026-04-06*

Couple issues I noticed, one might be fixable and I just don't know the settings well enough for, but the other idk.

Issue 1; text box does NOT keep up with what you're typing on iPhone 16 plus, leaving the last half of what you're typing a mystery to you.

Issues 2; I swapped out to check something came back and the app had disconnected me despite my idle timer being 2 hrs

**Developer response:** Thanks for the feedback — both issues are being addressed!                                                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
  Text input lag: This is fixed in the next update. The text field was triggering an expensive screen redraw on every keystroke, which was especially noticeable on the larger 16 Plus display. The fix isolates the input field so typing stays smooth regardless of how much output is on screen.                                                                                                                                      
   
  Idle disconnect: iOS aggressively suspends background apps, and even with a 2-hour idle timer set in the app, the OS can close the network connection much sooner (typically around 5 minutes). This is an iOS limitation we can't fully override. Two things that will help:                                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
  1. The next update improves background keepalive handling.                                                                                                                                                        
  2. For the most reliable experience, you can run our free MUD Keep-Alive Proxy on your computer or a server — it sits between Mud Portal and your MUD server, keeping the connection alive even when your phone sleeps. No account needed, just a small Python script: https://beranek.us/mud_proxy.html                                                                                                                            
   
  Both fixes plus a bunch of new features (GMCP scripting, trigger conditions, timer scripts, command history search, and more) are coming in v1.1. Appreciate you taking the time to report these!

## Frequently asked questions about Mud Portal

### Does Mud Portal have ads?

No, Mud Portal is completely ad-free. The developers have stated that connecting, unlimited servers, maps, regex triggers, filtering, sounds, command history, and all accessibility features are free and without ads.

### What is the cost of Mud Portal Pro?

Mud Portal Pro is available as a subscription for $2.99 per year or a lifetime unlock for $14.99. This Pro version unlocks advanced automation features.

### What devices does Mud Portal support?

Mud Portal is available for iPhone and iPad devices. It is designed to offer a desktop-class experience on mobile.

### How often is Mud Portal updated?

The latest version of Mud Portal is 1.2, which was last updated on June 25, 2026. This indicates a recent update and ongoing development.

### What are the main benefits of Mud Portal Pro?

Mud Portal Pro unlocks the deep automation toolkit, including scripting, variable-driven trigger actions, advanced and conditional triggers, combat analytics, smart suggestions, and unlimited triggers, classes, timers, and custom sounds.

### Is Mud Portal suitable for younger players?

Mud Portal has an age rating of 9+. While the game itself is text-based, the complexity of the client and its features are deemed appropriate for this age group.

### Can I use a hardware keyboard with Mud Portal?

Yes, Mud Portal supports Bluetooth and hardware keyboards. The Up/Down arrow keys can be used to recall command history, enhancing the typing experience.

### What makes Mud Portal accessible?

Mud Portal is built with accessibility first, featuring full VoiceOver support where every control is labeled and game text is read aloud. It also offers gag triggers to silence spam and is designed for players who relied on accessible MUD clients in the past.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.2.5 — 2026-08-17

NEW: Quick Command Groups — organize your quick commands into named, colored groups (always-expanded or tap to open), with per-button color overrides, drag-to-reorder, and flip buttons that alternate between two commands on each press.

NEW: Discover MUD Directory — browse a curated, live-updated list of MUDs, filter by genre or screen-reader-friendliness, sort A-Z/Z-A, and add one to your servers with a tap. Works offline from a cache. You can also submit a MUD or report one as inactive, right from the app.

FIXED: VoiceOver no longer drops the start of long room descriptions — the room title is always read first, with long text spoken in order instead of getting truncated.

IMPROVED: Background Keep-Alive (Pro) is more reliable — it now engages as soon as you're connected, so the location indicator you rely on to confirm it's working shows up right away instead of only after backgrounding.

IMPROVED: Landscape mode — the D-pad and quick-command panels now sit on opposite edges and reposition correctly at every size; a real per-world Landscape Orientation Lock keeps a session from snapping back to portrait; the D-pad can move to either side of the screen.

IMPROVED: GMCP vitals now auto-detect nonstandard gauges (like Discworld's gp) instead of only recognizing HP/Mana/Move.

NEW: MCCP2 compression support, for MUDs that compress their output stream.

Thanks for playing — and keep the feedback coming!

### 1.2.4 — 2026-08-13

NEW: Connection status on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island (Pro) — see every open session, an idle-timeout countdown, and disconnect with one tap, no need to reopen the app. If iOS pauses the app in the background, the card tells you plainly instead of guessing.

NEW: Background Keep-Alive (Pro, opt-in) — helps keep a session connected longer while backgrounded, using your location only to stay active. Your location is never stored or sent anywhere, and iOS always shows its own location indicator while it's on.

NEW: iPad / hardware keyboard shortcuts — Cmd or Option + 1-9 jumps straight to a session and focuses the command line.

IMPROVED: iCloud Sync now shows a clear status if something needs your attention, and cleans up duplicate worlds automatically after a two-device setup.

Thanks for playing — and keep the feedback coming!

### v1.2.3 — 2026-07-22

NEW: iCloud Sync (optional, off by default) — Mud Portal Pro members can now keep servers, triggers, aliases, scripts, and maps in sync across devices through their private iCloud. Turn it on in App Settings -> Sync. Device-specific preferences (D-pad, haptics, font sizes) stay on each device on purpose.

NEW: #wait scripting command — pause between commands in a sequence, e.g. open door;#wait 500;north

Under the hood: a safer database engine with hardened backup-and-restore recovery, and clearer diagnostics in the rare case data ever fails to load.

Thanks for playing — and keep the feedback coming!

### 1.2.2 — 2026-07-07

Bug Fix: 
     Logged files could not be viewed after logged.
     They now log, and give you the view option on the screen. You then can send them elsewhere, they should also save in color. Still working on some bugs here.

Improvements:
     New setting to allow sending blank lines, this can be toggled on at the main settings, and at the individual MUD level.
     If you want a blank line, and "Repeat last command" is toggled on, just backspace 1 time, and it clears the queue for the repeat last command.
     Additional minor improvements.

### 1.2.1 — 2026-07-01

This update makes Mud Portal faster and smoother for VoiceOver players - thank you to everyone in the AppleVis community for the feedback.
* Read Aloud, reworked for VoiceOver. In Queue (Normal) mode, incoming text plays in order - but the instant you send a command, speech jumps straight to the server's reply instead of making you wait out a long room description. Press Return anytime to skip ahead to what's next.

* Clearer Read Aloud options. Choose Off, Queue (Normal), or Interrupt (Aggressive), each with a plain-language description of what it does.

* Stability. Fixed a rare crash when resizing the screen iPad Split View, Slide Over, and rotation.

## More apps by Steve Beranek

- [Quick Quiz - Cert Exam Prep](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/quick-quiz-cert-exam-prep/id6760852622)
- [Quick Quiz DP-700](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/quick-quiz-dp-700/id6770161171)
- [FirstGig: Young Entrepreneur](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/firstgig-young-entrepreneur/id6794714184)

All apps by Steve Beranek: https://appshunter.io/developer/1886537996

## Related topics

[mudding games mulitplayer](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/mudding-games-mulitplayer)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-18.*
