Comparison

Tether vs Pi SSH

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 enjoy secure, local network connectivity without cloud services or accounts. Requires a companion desktop application.

Highlights
  • Shared clipboard synchronization
  • Bi-directional file transfers
  • Local network discovery
  • End-to-end mTLS encryption
  • No cloud services or accounts 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

Pi SSH

Control your Raspberry Pi remotely with an interactive SSH terminal, file manager, and system monitoring tools. Manage Docker, systemd, and GPIO pins directly from your iPhone or iPad over your local network.

Highlights
  • Interactive SSH terminal
  • SFTP file manager
  • Live system monitoring
  • Docker and systemd control
  • GPIO pinout grid
  • Network tools
  • Command snippets and macros
Features
Read full description

Pi SSH is the Raspberry Pi control app with a real interactive SSH terminal — plus SFTP files, live monitoring, GPIO, Docker, and systemd. Connect over direct LAN SSH (no cloud relay) from iPhone or iPad. SSH TERMINAL (NEW IN 2.0) Open a full VT100/xterm SSH terminal to your Raspberry Pi or Linux box. Colors, interactive tools (htop, nano, vim), password or Ed25519 keys, optional jump/bastion host, on-screen shortcuts (Tab, Ctrl+C, arrows), and reconnect when the shell ends. The terminal uses its own session so live metrics keep updating. CONNECT WITH CONFIDENCE Clearer connection help when SSH fails, plus Scan network from the error screen. Bonjour discovery and Wi‑Fi subnet scanning find Pis on your local network. SFTP FILE MANAGER Browse folders, upload and download files, edit text configs, rename, copy, move, and delete — plus upload from the iOS share sheet. DOCKER & SYSTEMD Start, stop, and restart containers and services. View Docker and journal logs with live follow. GPIO CONTROL 40-pin pinout grid with per-pin input/output, PWM, custom labels, and bus-pin safety prompts. SYSTEM MONITORING CPU, memory, temperature, disk, and network — with charts and history. Home Screen widgets show the latest metrics after you capture them in the app. SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION Docker containers & images • systemd units • apt upgradable packages • journal/syslog viewer • edit boot or SSH config files. NETWORK TOOLS Local-network SSH discovery (Bonjour + subnet scan), Wake-on-LAN, TCP port checks, plus ping/traceroute run on the Pi. SNIPPETS & MACROS Save commands and run them with one tap; chain steps into macros. PRIVACY-FIRST Secrets stay in Keychain. Works over LAN/VPN — your credentials never pass through our servers. Supports Raspberry Pi OS and other Debian/Ubuntu-style Linux installs.

Screenshots

Tether3 screens
Pi SSH4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Pi SSH at 12 against Tether's 4. Pi SSH also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.1). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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 5.0 for Pi SSH. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 12 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tether ships an update weekly, Pi SSH every 3 days. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Tether versus Pi SSH: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTetherPi SSH
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings412 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS26.117.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZack BartelPankaj Gaikar

Customer experience

Tether

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Pi SSH

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Tether

No in-app purchases

None

Pi SSH

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tether free?
Tether is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pi SSH free?
Pi SSH is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tether or Pi SSH?
Tether and Pi SSH are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 12 ratings respectively.
Do Tether or Pi SSH have ads?
Neither Tether nor Pi SSH shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tether or Pi SSH?
Tether ships an update weekly, and Pi SSH every 3 days. Most recently, Tether was updated on November 5, 2026 and Pi SSH on November 5, 2026.

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