Pangolin Client vs Tether
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pangolin Client
This open-source platform provides secure, encrypted access to private applications and infrastructure. It eliminates the need for traditional VPNs by implementing zero-trust principles, controlling access at the application level.
- Open-source
- Zero-trust connectivity
- Encrypted access
- Least-privileged access
- Identity-aware access control
- Browser-based reverse proxy
- Client for SSH, RDP, databases
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Pangolin is a fully open‑source, zero‑trust connectivity platform that provides encrypted, least‑privileged access to private applications and infrastructure without exposing public IP addresses or opening inbound ports. It works across on‑premise networks, cloud environments, and remote sites, eliminating the complexity and risk of traditional VPNs. Pangolin brings identity to the access layer, allowing you to control access to specific applications, services, or network ranges instead of entire networks. Users authenticate through trusted identity providers and can only reach the resources you explicitly allow, applying Zero Trust principles end‑to‑end. With lightweight site connectors, you can drop Pangolin into any network and instantly make hosts or entire network ranges securely accessible. Add as many networks as you need and connect to multiple sites at the same time, even behind restrictive firewalls or NAT. Pangolin’s internal DNS lets you assign friendly names to resources, so users never have to remember IP addresses. Users can access private web applications through browser‑based, identity‑aware reverse proxies with automatic SSL, routing, and health checks—no client required. For deeper access, Pangolin clients provide fast, reliable connections to SSH, databases, RDP, and private services. Pangolin can be fully self‑hosted for complete control, or you can use Pangolin Cloud for the quickest and easiest setup. With strong security, high performance, and minimal operational overhead, access is fully auditable, MFA can be enforced per resource, and applications require zero code or configuration changes.
Tether
Seamlessly integrate your mobile device with your Linux desktop. Share clipboards, transfer files, and discover your desktop locally over Wi-Fi. All communication is secured with end-to-end encryption, with no cloud servers or accounts needed.
- Shared Clipboard Sync
- Bi-directional File Transfers
- Local Network Discovery
- End-to-End Encryption
- No Cloud Services Required
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Tether is an app designed for Linux users running custom desktop environments (Wayland). It provides essential ecosystem integration between your mobile device and your workstation, operating entirely over your local Wi-Fi. There are no cloud servers, third-party services, or accounts required. All data is routed strictly on your local network and secured with end-to-end mTLS encryption. Features: • Shared Clipboard: Sync clipboard text bi-directionally between your iPhone and your Linux machine. • File Transfers: Send documents, photos, and archives directly to your desktop, or receive files from it. • Local Discovery: Uses mDNS/Bonjour to automatically find your desktop - no static IP configuration needed. • Encrypted Connections: Device pairing and all network traffic are secured via mutual TLS certificates. Note: Tether is the iOS client app. To use it, simply run the free, open-source Tether desktop application (available as a CLI or GTK app) on your Linux machine. Visit the project's repository to download it and get started.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tether at 100% against Pangolin Client's 0%. Tether also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). Pangolin Client's advantage is ratings volume (7 vs 2) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Tether holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Pangolin Client's written reviews are positive against 100% of Tether's.
Pangolin Client ships an update fortnightly, Tether weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pangolin Client | Tether |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (7 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fossorial, Inc. | Zack Bartel |
Customer experience
Pangolin Client
Tether
In-app purchases
Pangolin Client
No in-app purchases
Tether
No in-app purchases









