Comparison

a+Terminal vs Ground Control Chat

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

Head to head
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, stored in the Keychain (never exportable, never in backups) • 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

About

Ground Control Chat

Features
Read full description

Every Claude Code session on your Mac becomes a pixel pilot on your phone. Ground Control shows your AI coding agents as unique little creatures marching on a neon city street. Cyan means working. Lavender means idle. Pink means one of them needs you. Tap a pilot to open its conversation. Read every reply as it streams in. Send new orders from the couch, the train, or the other side of the world, and watch your actual terminal on the Mac update live. SETUP IN ONE MINUTE Run one command on your Mac (npx @clastres/groundcontrol), scan the QR code it prints, done. No account. No signup. PRIVATE BY ARCHITECTURE Your pairing key is generated on your Mac and shared only through the QR code you scan. Everything travels end to end encrypted. Our relay routes sealed bytes and cannot read them. We store nothing. UNIQUE PILOTS Every session hatches its own creature, generated from its identity, with its own walk cycle. It keeps that face forever. Requires a Mac running Claude Code and the Ground Control daemon.

Screenshots

a+Terminal4 screens
Ground Control Chat4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ground Control Chat at none against a+Terminal's 3. Ground Control Chat also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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. a+Terminal sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Ground Control Chat asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

a+Terminal ships an update every 8 days, Ground Control Chat weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
a+Terminal versus Ground Control Chat: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parametera+TerminalGround Control Chat
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAaron CharacterLASTRES SANCHO CARLOS ANDRES

In-app purchases

3 purchases

a+Terminal

One-time3
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
  • Large Tip$9.99
None

Ground Control Chat

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is a+Terminal free?
a+Terminal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ground Control Chat free?
Ground Control Chat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do a+Terminal or Ground Control Chat have ads?
Neither a+Terminal nor Ground Control Chat shows ads.
Which is updated more often, a+Terminal or Ground Control Chat?
a+Terminal ships an update every 8 days, and Ground Control Chat weekly. Most recently, a+Terminal was updated on October 6, 2026 and Ground Control Chat on October 11, 2026.

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