Comparison

SaiTerm vs Apperture

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

Head to head
About

SaiTerm

Features
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SaiTerm brings a full-featured SSH terminal experience to iPhone and iPad. **Easy Connection** Enter a hostname, port, and username to connect to your server instantly. Supports password and public key authentication (Ed25519 / ECDSA). Generate or import SSH keys directly in the app. Passwords and private keys are stored securely in the Keychain. **Multi-hop SSH (Jump Hosts)** Connect through bastion servers with multi-hop SSH. Access internal servers and private networks without a VPN. **Port Forwarding** Access services on remote servers from your device with local port forwarding. Configure multiple port forwards per host and start them automatically on connection. Open forwarded web services directly in your browser. **Multiple Sessions** Connect multiple sessions to the same host simultaneously and switch between them with tabs. Sessions are maintained even in the background. **Terminal Customization** Choose from 8 themes including Dark, Light, Solarized, Dracula, Nord, Monokai, and Tokyo Night. Adjust the font size to your preference. **Connection Stability** Auto-reconnect on unexpected disconnections, automatic recovery from WebView crashes, and connection buffer preservation for a reliable experience. **Startup Commands** Set commands to run automatically after login for each host. No need to manually type shell initialization or aliases every time. **Hardware Keyboard Support** Full support for external keyboards on iPad. An accessory bar with Escape, Tab, Ctrl, Alt, and arrow keys is also available for comfortable use with the on-screen keyboard. **Pro Subscription** Jump host connections, premium themes (Solarized, Dracula, Nord, Monokai, Tokyo Night), and startup commands are available with the Pro plan. Please review our privacy policy and term of use: Privacy Policy: https://saiterm.isidesystem.net/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Apperture

Features
Read full description

Apperture lets you see and control one Mac app right from your iPhone — not your whole desktop. Apperture mirrors just the app that matters, full-screen on your phone, so it feels like the app is running in your hand. Traditional screen sharing puts a 27-inch desktop on a 6-inch screen and makes you pan, zoom, and hunt for windows. Apperture takes the opposite approach: pick a single running Mac app and it fills your iPhone with a sharp, low-latency live view sized for the screen you're actually holding. BUILT FOR DEVELOPERS • Mirror the iOS Simulator and it feels native: touches map directly, and rotating your phone rotates the simulated app. • Keep working while your Mac builds and runs. Perfect for agent-assisted coding — let Claude Code or your favorite agent build and launch the app on your Mac, then review and interact with the result from anywhere in the house. • Stream any Xcode-launched Mac app with its real window chrome intact. FULL CONTROL, NOT JUST A VIEW • Tap, drag, long-press for right-click, two-finger scroll — touch input translated naturally to the Mac. • Type with the iPhone keyboard, including full Unicode text entry. • Browse and run the Mac app's real menu bar commands from a searchable, touch-friendly palette. • Send clipboard text securely between devices. • Fit-width, fit-height, and readable-zoom layout modes in portrait and landscape. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No accounts. No cloud relay. Your screen never touches our servers. • Pairing starts with a short-lived QR code on your Mac, and the Mac owner must explicitly approve every phone. • Connections work only over private networks — your Wi-Fi or your own VPN such as Tailscale. Public endpoints are rejected by design. • Every session is encrypted. Pairing trust is stored in the device Keychain and never synced to the cloud. • Review or revoke paired devices anytime. The Mac keeps a local 30-day session history — device, time, and app names only, never keystrokes or screen contents. GOOD TO KNOW • Apperture requires the free companion Mac app from runapperture.com. It's notarized by Apple and distributed directly because it uses Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions the Mac App Store doesn't allow. • Away from home, you'll need a VPN to reach your Mac — Tailscale takes about five minutes to set up, works beautifully, and is free for personal use. • Your Mac does all the work, so it needs to be on, awake, and logged in. Apperture is a viewer and controller for your own Mac, not a way to run Mac apps on iPhone. • Apperture streams one selected window at a time — that focus is the point. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SaiTerm3 screens
Apperture4 screens

Verdict

The call

SaiTerm and Apperture are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. SaiTerm sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Apperture sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
SaiTerm versus Apperture: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSaiTermApperture
PriceFreeFree
Update frequency—Every 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeriside systemLAND MK 1

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SaiTerm

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly14 Days trial$9.991 Year
1 purchases

Apperture

One-time1
  • Early Adopter$24.99

Questions

Is SaiTerm free?
SaiTerm is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Apperture free?
Apperture is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SaiTerm or Apperture have ads?
Neither SaiTerm nor Apperture shows ads.

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