Comparison

Tether vs Tether

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

Tether

This app creates temporary, location-aware groups for events. Hosts set a geofence and duration, and guests join easily via QR code. It provides a live map with alerts if anyone leaves the zone, and all data is automatically deleted when the event ends.

Highlights
  • Temporary group creation
  • Instant geofencing
  • QR code invites
  • Live group map
  • Zone alerts
  • Automatic data deletion
  • Battery-friendly
Features
Read full description

Tether is a short-lived group safety app built for events — stadium nights, music festivals, girls' nights out, school field trips, and any time you need your group to stay aware of each other without a permanent tracking circle. The host creates an event in seconds: name it, set a geofence radius on the map, and choose how long it lasts. Guests join by scanning a single QR code — no accounts, no contact list upload, no social graph. During the event, everyone sees each other on a shared map inside the halo. Alerts fire if anyone drifts outside the zone. The host sees a live activity log. When the timer hits zero, Tether stops tracking and wipes every location breadcrumb from every device. No permanent record. No data sold. No trail left behind. Key features: — Instant geofence around your venue — QR invite — guests join in one scan, no account required — Live group map with zone alerts — Auto-wipe: all location data deleted when the event ends — No marketing use, no data brokers, no third-party trackers — Battery-friendly: uses OS-level location triggers, not constant GPS polling

Screenshots

Tether3 screens
Tether4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Tether at daily against Tether's weekly. Tether also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.1). On price, rating, ratings volume 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 Tether. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tether ships an update weekly, Tether daily. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Tether versus Tether: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTetherTether
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings23 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS26.117.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB15 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperZack BartelTether Safety LLC

Customer experience

Tether

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

Tether

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Tether

No in-app purchases

None

Tether

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tether free?
Tether is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tether free?
Tether is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tether or Tether?
Tether and Tether are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Tether or Tether have ads?
Neither Tether nor Tether shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tether or Tether?
Tether ships an update weekly, and Tether daily. Most recently, Tether was updated on October 1, 2026 and Tether on October 13, 2026.

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