Comparison

CatClaw Terminal vs SparkDeck

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

Head to head
About

CatClaw Terminal

Transform your mobile device into a powerful development environment. Access an SSH terminal, AI chatrooms, file management, and advanced workflow tools for on-the-go coding and debugging.

Highlights
  • Full SSH client with persistent sessions
  • AI ghost-text suggestions and error explanations
  • SFTP file browser with batch operations
  • Multi-tool AI chatrooms with various AI models
  • On-device Apple Intelligence features
  • Background job execution with push notifications
  • DevOps toolkit for code review and monitoring
Features
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ClawTerminal turns your iPhone or iPad into a full mobile dev environment. SSH terminal, AI chatrooms, file browser, multi-agent orchestration, and a Mac-class workflow that fits in one hand. Start a refactor on the train. Review a PR at lunch. Diagnose an outage from bed. Your Mac does the heavy lifting; your phone is the remote control. WHAT'S NEW IN v1.5.0 - Push with no account - the new ntfy channel needs no login or registration. Run /notifier ntfy, pick a topic, and subscribe in the free ntfy app. Telegram, Discord, and Slack work too. - Every Claude Code command works - ClawTerminal forwards any slash command your claude session supports, including new ones in future CLI releases, instead of an unknown-command error. - QR connect - set up a connection once, show it as a QR, and scan it on another iPhone or iPad. No retyping host, port, and key on a phone keyboard. - Claude Fable 5 - the fast 1M-context model is selectable everywhere, with a new Fast agent-routing preset that runs your whole team on it. - Quiet while the app is open - no more double-buzzing for a job you are already watching; banners resume when you leave. WHAT YOU GET A Real Terminal - Full SSH client with persistent sessions, themes, autocomplete - Vim, htop, tmux, mosh - everything just works - AI ghost-text suggestions; tap errors for instant explanations - SFTP file browser with batch operations - Share a connection by QR to set up a second device in one scan (NEW) - iPad multi-window, drag and drop, cursor support Multi-Tool AI Chatrooms - Claude, Codex, Gemini, or Aider - switch tools per chatroom - Direct API mode or CLI mode over SSH to your Mac - Claude Fable 5, Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku model options (NEW) - Apple Intelligence on-device when no API key is set - ?prefix routes a message through parallel exploration - Cross-session memory and custom skills tailored to you Power Commands - /research - in-app propose-evaluate-refine for about a penny - /whatif - predict 3 likely outcomes before a risky command - /frugal - strip the preamble for cheaper, faster answers - /duck - Socratic rubber-duck debugging - /standup - daily standup from yesterday's chat plus git log Multi-Agent Orchestration - /batch, /team, /race, /orchestrate - parallel agents, side-by-side - Quality, Balanced, Budget, or Fast (all Fable 5) routing presets (NEW) - Git worktree isolation per agent with --vcs - --app opens a visual command center; bare commands use Claude's native orchestration Background Jobs with Push - /submit runs long jobs in the background; push when they finish - /notifier ntfy - no account, no login, just a topic you pick (NEW) - /notifier setup for APNs from your own Mac; /notifier telegram for your own bot - Chat-app push for Hermes and OpenClaw results (Telegram, Discord, Slack, ntfy) - Per-job cost tracking, budgets, auto-recovery DevOps Toolkit - /git, /health, /monitor, /security, /pr, /preview, /conflicts - AI code review, live web preview, merge conflict resolver Context-Aware AI (OPT-IN) - Time, calendar, motion, battery shape Claude's tone and length The Learn Hub - 6 interactive tutorial tracks, 43 hands-on steps - Written tutorials and examples, bundled offline Cross-Device - /handoff between phone and Mac tmux sessions - Shared chatrooms, synced profiles, Apple Watch companion Voice and Camera - /voice and Speak with Search (iOS 26 SpeechAnalyzer) - Snap and Code - point camera at a whiteboard, get code Privacy First - All credentials in the iOS Keychain - On-device AI when supported - your prompts can stay on the phone - No account, no telemetry, no tracking, no ads WHO IT IS FOR - Developers who want their Mac available everywhere - Indie founders and DevOps engineers shipping from anywhere - Anyone who wants Claude Code, Codex, or Gemini from a phone Requires an SSH-reachable Mac or Linux server for heavy work. AI chatrooms also work fully offline from your Mac via direct API mode or Apple Intelligence on iOS 26.

About

SparkDeck

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SparkDeck is a remote command center for NVIDIA DGX Spark AI workstations. Monitor your GPU, run SSH commands, and manage Docker containers from anywhere. KEY FEATURES • Real-Time Dashboard GPU utilization, VRAM, temperature, power draw, and storage — all at a glance. • SSH Terminal Access (Pro) Full PTY terminal with multi-session support. Connect via LAN or Tailscale. • Docker Management (Pro) Start, stop, and restart containers remotely with one tap. • Local LLM Chat Chat with your on-device LLMs. Conversations never leave your hardware. • Multi-Device Fleet (Pro) Connect and manage multiple DGX Spark machines from a single app. WHO IT'S FOR AI researchers, ML engineers, and DGX Spark owners who need control on the go. PRO SUBSCRIPTION SparkDeck is free for basic monitoring. Unlock SSH, advanced Docker, and multi-device with Pro: - Monthly: $3.99/month - Annual: $29.99/year (save 37%) Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage in your App Store account. REQUIREMENTS iOS 18.0 or later, an NVIDIA DGX Spark with the SparkDeck Agent installed, and SSH credentials. Terms of Use: https://sparkdeck.net/terms Privacy Policy: https://sparkdeck.net/privacy

Screenshots

CatClaw Terminal4 screens
SparkDeck4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CatClaw Terminal at none against SparkDeck's 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. SparkDeck sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. CatClaw Terminal asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
CatClaw Terminal versus SparkDeck: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCatClaw TerminalSparkDeck
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB15 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperLiqun ChenYunus Sahin

In-app purchases

None

CatClaw Terminal

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

SparkDeck

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$29.991 Year

Questions

Is CatClaw Terminal free?
CatClaw Terminal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SparkDeck free?
SparkDeck is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CatClaw Terminal or SparkDeck have ads?
Neither CatClaw Terminal nor SparkDeck shows ads.

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