Comparison

Headspace vs Tessera

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Headspace

This app offers a unique 3D approach to organizing thoughts and creating hierarchical outlines. Visualize your information in a floating space, navigate with intuitive gestures, and connect related ideas with visual links. It's designed for a dynamic and engaging way to manage lists and mind maps.

Highlights
  • Build hierarchical outlines in 3D space
  • Navigate and zoom with familiar finger gestures
  • Connect related items with link lines
  • Change item color and opacity
  • Universal app for iPhone and iPad
  • Sync files with Dropbox
  • PDF export with active note links
Features
Read full description

*** PLEASE NOTE: This NOT the meditation app! *** (There is another app called "Headspace: Guided Meditation and Mindfulness" and this is NOT that app!) This is the *original* Headspace! HEADSPACE is iOS's coolest 3D outliner and mind-mapping app! Do your list-making and mind-mapping in 3D space with the *original* Headspace. "Five stars on iPhone, completely off the scale on iPad" "This is the app I've most wanted to run on the iPad since the day it was announced, and the app that anyone looking over your shoulder will immediately want to buy an iPad just to run. " "Love the program. Favorite app. Useful and looks great. " "The implementation is beautiful! In my opinion, Headspace is becoming one of the best apps in the store." "I bought Headspace last night on a whim - been fooling around with mindmapping apps lately. This is a little piece of brilliance, you know that, right? " "This app could not just be a mindmapping program, It has the capability to become a new kind of U.I. That in my opinion that improved over apples U.I." Headspace allows you to create items and groups of items on a floating plane in three-dimensional space. The hierarchy of items and their various sub-items make for a beautiful display of information as they recede into the distance. Simple and familiar finger gestures allow you to move around the space. Use the menu button to travel between various groups. Easily create links and travel between them. The beautiful animated interface is like something from a sci-fi movie, but it isn't just eye-candy. You can go from an "eagle-eye" view of your entire map to focusing on a single item with a simple pinch of your fingers. There's just something about being able to manipulate the scale and space that goes perfectly with the idea of outlining. Here's a rundown on all its cool features: ● build hierarchical outlines in 3D space ● use familiar finger gestures to navigate and zoom ● connect related items with link lines - even between files! ● change item color and opacity ● change text color ● 'Flick' up or down to travel to top or bottom of lists ● special characters and foreign-language support ● universal app -- runs on both iphone and ipad ● easy travel between groups and files ● cut-and-paste items ● search in spaces, notes, and files ● item notes for supplemental information (text/photo/url) ● optional accelerometer rotate ● customizable color palette ● "to-do" style item checkboxes ● 2D orthogonal mode ● sync files between your iphone and iPad with Dropbox ● file support for Freemind, the free multi-platform desktop mind-mapping program ● stunning PDF export w/ active note links Get some perspective on your thoughts. Try Headspace today! Let us know what else you'd like to see added, email headspace@flatblackfilms.com!

About

Tessera

A fast, keyboard-first SSH, Mosh, and tmux terminal for iOS devices. It offers seamless session handoff between devices, robust tmux integration, and secure, private connections directly to your servers without any tracking.

Highlights
  • Keyboard-first SSH, Mosh, and tmux terminal
  • Seamless session handoff between devices
  • First-class tmux integration with auto-attach
  • Mosh for persistent connections across network changes
  • Hardware keyboard support with shortcuts and key legend
  • Configurable swipe pad for quick access
  • Remote file panel with native iOS sharing
Features
Read full description

Tessera is a fast, keyboard-first SSH, Mosh, and tmux terminal for iPhone and iPad. It connects directly to servers you own or control — no middleman, no account, no tracking. MOVE BETWEEN YOUR DEVICES • Hand off a live session: start on iPad, pick it up on iPhone, then double-tap to take back control. The session keeps running either way. • Your focused session appears in the App Switcher and Dock on your other devices. • Nearby Setup copies your hosts, keys, and preferences to a new device directly over the local network — you choose exactly what to copy, both devices confirm a matching code, and each grant needs Face ID. • Or don't sync at all: choose whether sessions follow you or stay on each device. STAY CONNECTED • First-class tmux integration: auto-attach on connect, so a dropped connection never loses your work. • Native tmux windows as tabs, with real panes. • Mosh keeps your session alive across Wi-Fi ↔ cellular roaming and sleep/wake — pick up exactly where you left off. • Session restore brings your saved hosts and layout back after relaunch. BUILT FOR TOUCH AND KEYBOARD • First-class hardware-keyboard support: shortcuts, a key legend (⌘ hold), and careful handling of modifier keys for real terminal work. • A configurable swipe pad puts arrows, Esc, Ctrl and your own macros in the thumb zone. • Mouse and trackpad support, including scrolling that works. • Find-in-terminal, themes, and adjustable fonts and appearance. • Optional on-device dictation straight into the terminal. FILES, PORTS, AND JUMP HOSTS • A remote file panel that tracks your shell's current directory, over SSH and mosh alike — with native iOS sharing to move files and images in and out. • Local port forwarding with a live tunnels overview. • Jump hosts for servers you can only reach through a bastion. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT • Tessera has no servers, no analytics, and collects no data. Connections go directly from your iOS devices to your machines. SECURITY YOU EXPECT • Keys are generated and stored in the iOS Keychain; Secure Enclave–backed keys never leave your device and can require Face ID to use. • Host-key verification with a persistent known-hosts store. • App lock with Face ID / passcode on launch, background return, and idle timeout. OPEN SOURCE • Tessera is free software (GPL-3.0). The full source code is available at github.com/bambouville/tessera. Tessera requires servers you provide — it is a client, not a hosting service. Mosh and tmux features require mosh/tmux installed on the server.

Screenshots

Headspace4 screens
Tessera4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Tessera at Free against Headspace's $3.99. Tessera also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). Headspace's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (10 vs 2). On ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Tessera is free to download; Headspace costs $3.99 up front. Tessera sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Headspace asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tessera holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Headspace has 10 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Headspace's written reviews are positive against 100% of Tessera's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Headspace ships an update every 2 months, Tessera every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Headspace versus Tessera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHeadspaceTessera
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (10 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings10 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS9.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFlat Black FilmsBambouville Inc.

Customer experience

Headspace

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews182 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral12.6%
Negative15.9%

Tessera

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Headspace

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • App crashes on creating new groups
  • Crashes when entering text on iPad
  • Text color picker fails to change colors
  • Instant crash when closing text color picker
  • Crashes on Dropbox connection
Show 10 more
  • Data loss with file format updates
  • Existing links lost after updates
  • Screen flickers between files
  • Text display issues after multiple app launches
  • Color brightness settings lost
  • Keyboard popup without dialog box
  • Accelerometer causes erratic screen movement
  • Incompatibility with iOS/iPadOS updates
  • Performance lag with large maps
  • Syncing issues between devices

Requested features

24 requests
  • Desktop/Mac version for syncing
  • iCloud syncing between iOS devices
  • Google Drive and OneDrive support
  • Evernote integration
  • Ability to drag items between groups
Show 19 more
  • Undo functionality
  • Export to email directly
  • Different arrow/connector styles
  • OPML export format
  • Reminders and deadline notifications
  • Different text box shapes
  • Photo/image import and support
  • Web-based version
  • Ability to move items outside groups
  • Simpler gesture controls for text entry
  • List view option
  • Icons and visual indicators for content types
  • Advanced search functionality
  • Child count indicators on parent nodes
  • Customizable 3D graphics
  • Movie recording with preset paths
  • Structured data visualization capabilities
  • Automatic color selection for new groups
  • Bullet points for children items

Tessera

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Headspace

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Tessera

One-time1
  • Unlimited Saved Hosts$9.99

Questions

Is Headspace free?
Headspace costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tessera free?
Tessera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Headspace or Tessera?
Tessera is rated higher. Headspace averages 4.4 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Tessera averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Headspace or Tessera have ads?
Neither Headspace nor Tessera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Headspace or Tessera?
Headspace ships an update every 2 months, and Tessera every 4 days. Most recently, Headspace was updated on October 15, 2026 and Tessera on October 5, 2026.

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