# Headspace vs Tessera

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.

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.

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.

Headspace ships an update every 2 months, Tessera every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Headspace | Tessera |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.4 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/headspace/id300244538/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tessera-ssh-terminal/id6779869388/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **10** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 19 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Flat Black Films](https://appshunter.io/developer/300244541) | [Bambouville Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/6779869390) |

## What reviewers say

### Headspace

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/headspace/id300244538)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Beautiful, visually stunning 3D interface
- 💡 Innovative 3D mind mapping approach
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to learn
- 🔗 Powerful linking and cross-referencing features
- ✅ Useful checkbox functionality for to-do lists

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 💾 Data loss after updates and crashes
- 🔧 Clunky and cumbersome user interface for basic tasks
- 😵 Confusing workflow for adding and editing items
- 🎮 3D gimmick can be distracting and impractical

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Desktop/Mac version for syncing
- iCloud syncing between iOS devices
- Google Drive and OneDrive support
- Evernote integration
- Ability to drag items between groups


### Tessera

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tessera-ssh-terminal/id6779869388)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Saved Hosts | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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 18, 2026 and Tessera on October 5, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*