Comparison

VVTerm vs dotMux SSH for tmux & herdr

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

Head to head
About

VVTerm

A native SSH client for Apple devices, offering secure server connections, remote file browsing, and seamless synchronization across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Supports advanced features like tmux, Mosh, and tunneling for a comfortable remote work experience.

Highlights
  • Native SSH client for iPhone, iPad, Mac
  • Password and SSH key authentication
  • SFTP remote file browsing
  • iCloud sync for servers
  • tmux and Mosh support
  • Customizable themes and modes
Features
Read full description

Your servers, always with you. VVTerm is a native SSH terminal powered by Ghostty for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Connect to your servers, return to your sessions, manage remote files, and check server activity from one app. CONNECT YOUR WAY • Connect with SSH passwords or keys. • Use Tailscale, Mosh, Eternal Terminal, or Cloudflare. • Discover SSH servers on your local network. • Organize servers into workspaces with colors and environment labels. • Sync servers and workspaces across your devices with iCloud. PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF • Keep remote tasks running after you disconnect with Herdr, tmux, Zellij, or zmx. • Choose a session when you connect. • Work across multiple tabs and split panes with Pro. FILES AND SERVER STATS • Browse, upload, and download files over SFTP. • Preview, rename, move, and share files. • Check CPU, memory, storage, and network activity. • Wake compatible servers with Wake-on-LAN. MAKE THE TERMINAL YOURS • Choose themes and fonts, including a separate font for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. • Customize keyboard shortcuts, saved commands, and floating controls. • Access Esc, Tab, Ctrl, arrows, and function keys on iPhone and iPad. • Turn speech into text, with optional on-device transcription on supported devices. SECURITY • Store credentials securely in Keychain. • Protect access with app lock and per-server biometric unlock. • Use Privacy Mode to hide sensitive content. START FREE New users get 1 workspace, 1 server, and 1 active connection. VVTerm Pro unlocks unlimited workspaces, servers, and tabs, plus split panes. Choose a monthly or yearly subscription, or lifetime access. Terms of Use (EULA): https://vvterm.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://vvterm.com/privacy/

About

dotMux SSH for tmux & herdr

Features
Read full description

Stop fighting tmux and herdr on a touchscreen. dotMux speaks tmux control mode — and now herdr — natively, and rebuilds your remote workspace as real iOS UI, the way iTerm2 does on the Mac. Windows and panes become native tabs and views you drive by touch. NATIVE tmux AND herdr, NOT raw text - tmux windows and herdr tabs become native tabs; every pane a native view — focused full-screen on iPhone, true side-by-side splits on iPad and iPhone Duo. - Split, resize, and close panes from the app — pane menu, long-press, drag the divider, or keyboard shortcuts. - The window and pane pickers render your real terminals, live: pick a window by what's in it, not by its name. - Select and copy text with native handles; tap links in the terminal to open them. - No tmux or herdr on the host? dotMux falls back to a plain terminal. herdr: BUILT FOR AI CODING AGENTS - Pick herdr or tmux per host: herdr's workspaces, tabs, and panes are native UI, just like tmux's. - Each agent's state — blocked, working, done — shows in the tab bar and on the pane, so you see at a glance which agent needs you. - A live tab grid and pane previews; split, resize, rename, and close from the app. - Shortcuts run over herdr too. - Needs herdr 0.9.0 or newer on your server. Inline images don't come through herdr. UNFOLD IT: iPhone Duo AND iPad - Closed, the Duo's cover is a focused terminal. Open it, and the inner display lays out real side-by-side splits, the way iPad does. - Fold, half-fold, rotate: the layout and the keyboard bar follow the display you're using. - On iPad, open hosts side by side in multiple windows; built for hardware keyboard and trackpad. EVERY HOST AT ONCE - Connect to as many hosts as you like at once. Leaving a terminal doesn't disconnect it. - The host list is the connection switcher: live hosts marked, one tap away. Group hosts into folders. - Lost the connection while away? dotMux reconnects on its own when you come back. - Forward a remote port over SSH and open your server's web UI inside dotMux. REAL SSH, DONE RIGHT - Password and public-key authentication. - Import ed25519 or ECDSA (P-256) keys by paste or from Files — passphrase-protected keys included. - Or generate a key in the Secure Enclave: non-exportable, never leaving the device. - Manage credentials and trusted host keys in Settings. - Direct from your device to your servers. No middleman, no developer backend. PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF - The session picker lists every tmux session on the host; switch in place or create named ones. - iOS suspended the app? Jobs keep running on the server, and dotMux re-attaches and rebuilds your tabs and panes. A KEYBOARD BUILT FOR TERMINALS - A helper bar with Esc, Ctrl, Tab and more — add, remove, and reorder every key, even your own text. - Snippets: save commands globally or per host and run them without typing. - A multi-line composer for long commands and agent prompts, sent in one go. - Paste images: annotate them first, and dotMux uploads them and pastes the path (built for Claude Code). - Hardware keyboard: Cmd-V paste, and the helper bar stays if you want it. MAKE IT YOURS - Fonts: JetBrains Mono, Fira Code, Hack, IBM Plex Mono and more. - Themes with live preview: Dracula, Nord, Solarized, Gruvbox, Tokyo Night — or import any Ghostty or iTerm2 theme. AUTOMATE IT - Shortcuts: connect to a host, send a command, read the output back — or open a host in a new tmux window. Unattended runs, enabled per credential. SECURITY THAT STAYS ON YOUR DEVICE - Face ID app-lock, plus a Face ID gate per credential. - Credentials live in the Keychain and Secure Enclave, bound to this device — never synced, never sent anywhere. - No data collected. No analytics, no tracking, no ads, no account. PRICING - Free: save and connect to one host, fully featured. - Unlimited Hosts: a one-time $1.99 purchase. No subscription. Restore Purchases supported. Note: RSA keys are not supported. Use ed25519, ECDSA (P-256), or a Secure Enclave key.

Screenshots

VVTerm4 screens
dotMux SSH for tmux & herdr4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: VVTerm at every 5 days against dotMux SSH for tmux & herdr's monthly. VVTerm also leads on chart position (#155 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (16.1 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. VVTerm sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.49 per month and dotMux SSH for tmux & herdr sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VVTerm ships an update every 5 days, dotMux SSH for tmux & herdr monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
VVTerm versus dotMux SSH for tmux & herdr: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVVTermdotMux SSH for tmux & herdr
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (10 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings10 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
Best chart rank#155 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.1 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVivy TechnologiesFree Tomorrow

In-app purchases

3 purchases

VVTerm

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$6.491 Month
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$49.99
1 purchases

dotMux SSH for tmux & herdr

One-time1
  • dotMux — Unlimited Hosts$1.99

Questions

Is VVTerm free?
VVTerm is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is dotMux SSH for tmux & herdr free?
dotMux SSH for tmux & herdr is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do VVTerm or dotMux SSH for tmux & herdr have ads?
Neither VVTerm nor dotMux SSH for tmux & herdr shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VVTerm or dotMux SSH for tmux & herdr?
VVTerm ships an update every 5 days, and dotMux SSH for tmux & herdr monthly. Most recently, VVTerm was updated on October 28, 2026 and dotMux SSH for tmux & herdr on October 29, 2026.

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