Comparison

Tether vs Dashboarr

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Shared Clipboard Sync
  • Bi-directional File Transfers
  • Local Network Discovery
  • End-to-End Encryption
  • No Cloud Services Required
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Dashboarr

This app provides a unified dashboard to control and monitor your self-hosted media server stack. Manage downloads, automation, streaming, and server health from a single, native application. It offers a privacy-first, open-source experience with no accounts, subscriptions, or ads.

Highlights
  • Unified dashboard for all services
  • Control downloads, automation, and streaming
  • Monitor server health (CPU, RAM, disk)
  • Push notifications for events
  • Wake-on-LAN functionality
  • Encrypted API key storage
  • Local/remote URL switching
Features
Read full description

Dashboarr is the open-source mobile companion for your self-hosted media server. Control your entire stack — downloads, automation, requests, streaming, and server health — from a single fast,native app. No accounts. No subscriptions. No ads. No tracking. Just a clean, dark-mode interface that talks directly to the services you already run. SUPPORTED SERVICES • qBittorrent — manage torrents, pause/resume, set limits, monitor speeds • Radarr — search, add, and monitor movies; browse queue and missing • Sonarr — search, add shows, track episodes, view airing schedule • Overseerr — browse, search, and request movies or TV shows; approve or decline • Tautulli — live streams, bandwidth, playback history • Prowlarr — indexer status, global search, grab releases, stats • Plex — now playing, recently added, on deck, library browser • Bazarr — manage missing subtitles • Glances — live CPU, RAM, disk, and network monitoring KEY FEATURES • Unified dashboard — every service at a glance • Dark mode native UI, built with React Native • Pull-to-refresh and haptic feedback everywhere • Local vs remote URL switching based on WiFi — seamless at home or away • SSL/TLS and reverse proxy support • Wake-on-LAN — wake your server from anywhere on your LAN • Calendar view of upcoming releases • Activity view across all services • Service health monitoring • Push notifications via optional self-hosted backend relay (completely optional) • Config export / import for easy migration and backup • Encrypted storage for API keys (iOS Keychain) PRIVACY-FIRST Dashboarr is a client-side app. It talks directly to the services on your own server using your own API keys. Nothing is routed through a third-party cloud, no analytics, no telemetry. Your data stays on your devices and your network. OPEN SOURCE Licensed under GPL-3.0. The full source code is on GitHub. No hidden monetization, no paywalls — pure functionality for people who host their own stack. REQUIREMENTS You need to already be running the services you want to manage (qBittorrent, Radarr, Sonarr, etc.). Dashboarr is a control interface — it does not host or stream content itself, and it does not provide any media. Built for self-hosters, home-lab enthusiasts, and anyone tired of juggling nine browser tabs to manage their home server.

Screenshots

Tether3 screens
Dashboarr4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Dashboarr at 16 against Tether's 2. Dashboarr also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.1). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Tether against 4.9 for Dashboarr. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dashboarr has 16 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Tether versus Dashboarr: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTetherDashboarr
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.9 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings216 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.115.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZack BartelRenzo Beux

Customer experience

Tether

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Dashboarr

All ratings16 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Tether

No in-app purchases

None

Dashboarr

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tether free?
Tether is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dashboarr free?
Dashboarr is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tether or Dashboarr?
Tether is rated higher. Tether averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Dashboarr averages 4.9 from 16 ratings.
Do Tether or Dashboarr have ads?
Neither Tether nor Dashboarr shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tether or Dashboarr?
Tether ships an update weekly, and Dashboarr weekly. Most recently, Tether was updated on October 1, 2026 and Dashboarr on October 8, 2026.

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