Prompt 3 vs TerminalCat
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Prompt 3
A fully-native terminal emulator for Apple devices, offering robust connectivity for SSH, Mosh, and more. It features fast emulation, customizable clips, secure authentication, and cross-device syncing for a seamless experience.
- Native terminal emulator
- SSH, Mosh, Eternal Terminal, Telnet support
- Panic Sync for cross-device server syncing
- Superfast emulation with GPU acceleration
- Customizable clips for commands
- FaceID/TouchID authentication
- Jump Hosts and Agent Forwarding
Read full descriptionHide full description
Prompt 3 is our #1 fully-native terminal emulator for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and now, Apple Vision Pro! Yes, with one purchase, you get four platforms. Supporting SSH, Mosh, Eternal Terminal, Telnet, and Local Shells (on Mac), you can stay connected even on the most unstable networks. And with Panic Sync, your servers sync everywhere. For terminals, this is the only app you need. NOW EVEN BETTER: • SSH, Telnet, and Local (for Mac) Rock-solid and reliable connectivity to your hosts. • Mosh and Eternal Terminal Keep your terminal open even when you get disconnected. Mosh is optimized for high-latency, low-throughput networks. Eternal Terminal is great for when you need to keep your full terminal history on a flaky connection. • Lower Price Everything is so expensive right now. So we made Prompt cheaper. Take that, capitalism. • Superfast Emulation We retooled the text engine in Prompt 3 to be up to 10x faster, including GPU acceleration, and with improved terminal emulation, you can run nvim inside tmux without breaking a sweat. • Clips Put your most-used commands and text bits into clips and access them with a single tap via Prompt’s keyboard bar. Clips can be stored globally or per-server. • Secure Enclave Authenticate with FaceID and TouchID. The keys will stay secure on your device. • Panic Sync Sync your favorite servers, passwords, private keys, and clips, between Prompt on all of your devices. • Customizable Make Prompt perfect with new themes, fonts, and a very configurable iOS keyboard. • Jump Hosts and Agent Forwarding Access corporate servers, even at the beach. • Mouse Support Use your mouse to interact with TUI-based apps that run through the terminal. AND YES, A DARK ICON. What more can we say? TAKE CONTROL FROM ANYWHERE, INCLUDING YOUR MAC AND APPLE VISION PRO. WE HOPE YOU ENJOY PROMPT 3. © Panic EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
TerminalCat
Read full descriptionHide full description
TerminalCat: Terminal in your pocket TerminalCat is a mobile SSH client for iPhone. Connect securely to remote servers and work from anywhere. [Key Features] ▸ SSH Connections Access remote servers over secure encrypted connections. Password authentication is supported. ▸ Multi-Host Support Connect to multiple servers simultaneously and switch between them instantly using tabs. ▸ Native tmux Integration Manage tmux sessions and windows as tabs. TerminalCat supports ANSI colors and persistent sessions, allowing you to continue working after reconnecting. ▸ SFTP File Browser Browse directories and download files from remote servers. ▸ File Upload Upload files directly to your server from the camera, photo library, or Files app. ▸ Mobile-Optimized Keyboard Use dedicated Ctrl, Alt, Tab, Escape, and arrow keys for efficient terminal operation. ▸ Dark Theme A dark interface designed for comfortable terminal work. ▸ Languages Available in English and Japanese. The language can follow your device settings or be selected manually. [Account] Sign in with Apple, Google, or email. You can also start as a guest and link your account later from Settings. [Subscription] TerminalCat Premium unlocks all features. ▸ Monthly and annual auto-renewable plans ▸ A free trial may be available to eligible users ▸ Cancel anytime Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription from your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://terminalcat.com/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://terminalcat.com/privacy-policy Support: https://terminalcat.com/support
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TerminalCat at none against Prompt 3's 2. TerminalCat also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Prompt 3's advantage is chart position (#19 vs unranked) and device support (4 vs 1). On price and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Prompt 3 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. TerminalCat asks for nothing beyond the download.
Prompt 3 ships an update every 6 weeks, TerminalCat every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Prompt 3 | TerminalCat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (376 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 21.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 376 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | #19 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 58 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Panic, Inc. | Tsuyoshi Yonemoto |
Bugs and requests
Prompt 3
Reported bugs
5 issues- Server list randomly disappears with Panic Sync
- Crashes when connected to external monitor
- Black screen issues with custom font configurations
- Sync issues causing data loss
- Vertical display sync issues
Requested features
8 requests- Shortcuts support on macOS
- Ability to click and select within commands
- Local shell option
- Run clips on server connection
- Export/backup clips
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Alt/Meta key support for Emacs
- iCloud sync option
- Sign in with Apple for Panic Sync
TerminalCat
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Prompt 3
- Prompt 3 iOS + Mac (Annual)7 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Prompt 3 One Time$49.99
TerminalCat
No in-app purchases









