Comparison

ZenTerm vs PocketStack

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

Head to head
About

ZenTerm

Features
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ZenTerm is a self-hosted terminal client for iPhone and iPad, designed to run AI coding agents on a server you own โ€” no cloud, no middleman, no account. It connects your device directly to your own machine (a Mac at home, a single-board computer, or a Linux VPS), letting you browse, edit, and run commands from anywhere. FEATURES โ€ข Full Terminal โ€” A real xterm.js-based shell with tmux multi-window tabs โ€ข Multiple Sessions โ€” Run several AI coding agents in parallel and switch between them โ€ข iPad Workspace โ€” Landscape support, sidebar navigation, and split panes for side-by-side work โ€ข Guided Setup โ€” Start the Gateway, pair by QR code, and configure remote access step by step โ€ข Rate Limit Tracking โ€” Monitor your AI agent usage at a glance from Settings โ€ข File Browser โ€” Browse, upload, and download files on your server โ€ข Dark & Light Themes โ€” A calm Zen Garden visual design HOW IT WORKS Run the open-source ZenTerm Gateway on a computer you own (any Mac, Linux machine, single-board computer, or VPS). Your iPhone or iPad communicates directly with the Gateway over WebSocket. Nothing routes through our servers โ€” your data stays with you. WHO IT'S FOR โ€ข Check on your server from anywhere โ€ข Operate AI coding agents from your iPhone or iPad โ€ข Prefer a self-hosted, open-source solution over a SaaS terminal PRIVACY No account required. No ads. No analytics. No tracking. All data stays on your device and on your server. Gateway source code on GitHub: https://github.com/phni3j9a/zenterm

About

PocketStack

Features
Read full description

Manage VMware, Nutanix, and Proxmox virtual machines from your iPhone or iPad. PocketStack puts real infrastructure control in your pocket. Connect to VMware vCenter, Nutanix Prism Central, and Proxmox VE servers and manage virtual machines, hosts, and alerts from wherever you are. KEY FEATURES Dashboard Real-time CPU, memory, and storage utilization across all connected hypervisors. See cluster health at a glance with live performance metrics and capacity trends. VM Management Browse, search, and filter virtual machines across platforms. Perform power actions (start, stop, restart, suspend), create and manage snapshots, and trigger live migrations between hosts, all from your device. Host Monitoring Track host performance with CPU, memory, network, and storage metrics. Identify resource bottlenecks and monitor host status in real time. Alert Management View active alerts across your infrastructure. Acknowledge, filter by severity, and stay on top of critical events without opening a laptop. Multi-Platform Support One app for three major hypervisors: - VMware vCenter (including Enhanced Linked Mode and multi-datacenter) - Nutanix Prism Central (AHV clusters) - Proxmox VE (clusters and standalone nodes) Enterprise Security Credentials are stored exclusively in the iOS Keychain. Trust on First Use (TOFU) certificate verification lets you securely connect to servers using enterprise certificate authorities. No data is sent to third-party servers. SUBSCRIPTION PocketStack is free to download, connect, and explore so you can see how it works. If you decide you want to manage your environment and perform actions from your phone, those features are available with a paid subscription. Terms of Use: https://www.weavehub.app/pocketstack/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.weavehub.app/pocketstack/privacy

Screenshots

ZenTerm4 screens
PocketStack4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ZenTerm at none against PocketStack's 2. ZenTerm also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. PocketStack sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. ZenTerm asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ZenTerm ships an update every 9 days, PocketStack every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
ZenTerm versus PocketStack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZenTermPocketStack
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 days โ€” betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 โ€” better18.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size50 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYuki NakanoWeaveHub Technologies LLC

In-app purchases

None

ZenTerm

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

PocketStack

Subscriptions2
  • PocketForge Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • PocketForge Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is ZenTerm free?
ZenTerm is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PocketStack free?
PocketStack is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ZenTerm or PocketStack have ads?
Neither ZenTerm nor PocketStack shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ZenTerm or PocketStack?
ZenTerm ships an update every 9 days, and PocketStack every 2 weeks. Most recently, ZenTerm was updated on October 5, 2026 and PocketStack on September 30, 2026.

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