Comparison

Tmux Term vs a+Terminal

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

Head to head
About

Tmux Term

Features
Read full description

Tmux Term turns your iPhone into a real terminal. SSH into your servers, attach to tmux sessions that never die, and run AI coding agents — from the train, the couch, or anywhere your laptop isn't. Built for developers who don't stop working when they leave the desk. — SECURE BY DESIGN — Password and private-key auth (ed25519, RSA). Host keys are pinned on first connect to stop man-in-the-middle attacks. Every credential lives in the iOS Keychain and never leaves your device. No accounts on our servers, no telemetry on your sessions. — TMUX THAT SURVIVES ANYTHING — Attach to long-running sessions, switch windows, and scroll back through history. Drop a connection in a tunnel? Tmux Term reconnects and reattaches the moment you're back — your work is exactly where you left it. — AI CLI, ONE TAP AWAY — Launch Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode, or Nmap instantly and resume sessions where you stopped. The remote agents you already use, now driven from your phone. — SEND SCREENSHOTS STRAIGHT TO CLAUDE — Upload images over SFTP directly into your Claude Code conversation. No clipboard tricks, no base64 paste — just pick a photo and go. — A KEYBOARD THAT ACTUALLY WORKS ON MOBILE — Ctrl, Esc, Tab, arrows, function keys, the tmux prefix, one-tap password injection, and custom snippets — all sitting right above the iOS keyboard, where your thumbs can reach them. — GESTURES MADE FOR A PHONE — Two-finger scroll through terminal history. Side buttons for tmux copy-mode. Toggle mouse mode with a single tap. This isn't a desktop client squeezed onto a screen — it's designed for the device in your hand. — ONE PRICE, FOREVER — Try everything free for 7 days. Then unlock it all with a single purchase. No subscriptions, no upsells, no ads. Future updates included. Tmux Term is a purpose-built SSH and tmux client. You'll need a server you own or have permission to access.

About

a+Terminal

This app provides a privacy-focused SSH terminal for remote machine access on your iPhone. It integrates with tmux and CLI AI coding agents, offering features like push-to-talk dictation and live session monitoring.

Highlights
  • Privacy-first SSH terminal
  • tmux and CLI AI agent integration
  • Push-to-talk dictation
  • Live Activities for session monitoring
  • Dev server port preview
  • Mac screen sharing (VNC)
Features
Read full description

a+Terminal is a privacy-first SSH terminal for working on your own machines from your iPhone — built around tmux and CLI AI coding agents. It's agent-agnostic: run any CLI coding agent, with plug-and-play profiles you can extend yourself. SCROLLING THAT ACTUALLY WORKS Swipes become real mouse-wheel events, so tmux and your agent's output scroll natively, with momentum — no more fighting copy-mode. SPEAK YOUR PROMPTS Push-to-talk dictation inserts straight into the terminal. Recognition runs entirely on your iPhone; audio never leaves the device. NEVER LOSE YOUR SESSION Live Activities and the Dynamic Island show your active sessions at a glance. Tap to jump back in — a+Terminal reconnects and re-attaches your session multiplexer (tmux, zellij, and more) automatically. PREVIEW YOUR DEV SERVER Start a dev server on the machine you're connected to and a+Terminal spots the port — from the URL your framework prints, or from the machine's own listener table. Tap it and the page opens over the SSH connection you already have. It renders in a viewer built for exactly one thing: the single port you forwarded. Every other address is refused, nothing it loads is kept, and it is not a web browser. Reload with a tap, and switch between the mobile and desktop layout to check both. MONITOR YOUR MAC Add a Monitor (VNC) session to watch your own computer's screen sharing right from your phone. Sign in with your macOS account and you land straight on the desktop; pinch to zoom and pan. Pop the screen out into a floating Picture-in-Picture window to keep an eye on it while you use other apps. Turn on Control to tap, drag, and type — enough to unlock a locked Mac and take over. It stays view-only until you do, and it connects only to the machine you enter. (Beta.) ZERO DATA COLLECTION No analytics, no accounts, no crash SDKs, no servers of ours. The App Privacy label says "Data Not Collected" because there is nothing to collect it with. The only network traffic is your own connections to machines you configure. SUPPORT THE APP An optional tip jar lets you support a+Terminal's development. Tips are one-time and unlock nothing — every feature is always available. • ed25519 keys generated on-device and kept in this device's Keychain, never in backups; they leave it only if you reveal, copy or export them • Password authentication option, stored in the Keychain only • Trust-on-first-use host key pinning with hard mismatch failures • Sticky Ctrl and C-b (tmux prefix) keys, Esc/Tab/arrows accessory bar • Attach an image or file from your phone over the existing SSH connection • Plug-and-play agent & multiplexer profiles — any CLI agent, tmux, zellij, screen — or define your own, no update required • Multiple simultaneous sessions with server groups • Preview a dev server running on the far end, over the SSH connection you already have — port detection and a single-port viewer • Monitor (VNC): view-only screen sharing for your own Mac, with a floating Picture-in-Picture window and optional touch & keyboard control (beta) • Light, dark, and follow-system themes Privacy Policy: https://aaroncx.github.io/a-plus-terminal/privacy

Screenshots

Tmux Term4 screens
a+Terminal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Tmux Term at every 2 days against a+Terminal's fortnightly. Tmux Term also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Tmux Term sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and a+Terminal sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tmux Term ships an update every 2 days, a+Terminal fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Tmux Term versus a+Terminal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTmux Terma+Terminal
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperErdinc CurebalAaron Character

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Tmux Term

One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$9.99
3 purchases

a+Terminal

One-time3
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
  • Large Tip$9.99

Questions

Is Tmux Term free?
Tmux Term is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is a+Terminal free?
a+Terminal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Tmux Term or a+Terminal have ads?
Neither Tmux Term nor a+Terminal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tmux Term or a+Terminal?
Tmux Term ships an update every 2 days, and a+Terminal fortnightly. Most recently, Tmux Term was updated on October 31, 2026 and a+Terminal on October 28, 2026.

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