Comparison

Tessera vs Orbit Moon Alpha

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

Head to head
About

Tessera

A fast, keyboard-first SSH, Mosh, and tmux terminal for iOS devices. It offers seamless session handoff between devices, robust tmux integration, and secure, private connections directly to your servers without any tracking.

Highlights
  • Keyboard-first SSH, Mosh, and tmux terminal
  • Seamless session handoff between devices
  • First-class tmux integration with auto-attach
  • Mosh for persistent connections across network changes
  • Hardware keyboard support with shortcuts and key legend
  • Configurable swipe pad for quick access
  • Remote file panel with native iOS sharing
Features
Read full description

Tessera is a fast, keyboard-first SSH, Mosh, and tmux terminal for iPhone and iPad. It connects directly to servers you own or control — no middleman, no account, no tracking. MOVE BETWEEN YOUR DEVICES • Hand off a live session: start on iPad, pick it up on iPhone, then double-tap to take back control. The session keeps running either way. • Your focused session appears in the App Switcher and Dock on your other devices. • Nearby Setup copies your hosts, keys, and preferences to a new device directly over the local network — you choose exactly what to copy, both devices confirm a matching code, and each grant needs Face ID. • Or don't sync at all: choose whether sessions follow you or stay on each device. STAY CONNECTED • First-class tmux integration: auto-attach on connect, so a dropped connection never loses your work. • Native tmux windows as tabs, with real panes. • Mosh keeps your session alive across Wi-Fi ↔ cellular roaming and sleep/wake — pick up exactly where you left off. • Session restore brings your saved hosts and layout back after relaunch. BUILT FOR TOUCH AND KEYBOARD • First-class hardware-keyboard support: shortcuts, a key legend (⌘ hold), and careful handling of modifier keys for real terminal work. • A configurable swipe pad puts arrows, Esc, Ctrl and your own macros in the thumb zone. • Mouse and trackpad support, including scrolling that works. • Find-in-terminal, themes, and adjustable fonts and appearance. • Optional on-device dictation straight into the terminal. FILES, PORTS, AND JUMP HOSTS • A remote file panel that tracks your shell's current directory, over SSH and mosh alike — with native iOS sharing to move files and images in and out. • Local port forwarding with a live tunnels overview. • Jump hosts for servers you can only reach through a bastion. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT • Tessera has no servers, no analytics, and collects no data. Connections go directly from your iOS devices to your machines. SECURITY YOU EXPECT • Keys are generated and stored in the iOS Keychain; Secure Enclave–backed keys never leave your device and can require Face ID to use. • Host-key verification with a persistent known-hosts store. • App lock with Face ID / passcode on launch, background return, and idle timeout. OPEN SOURCE • Tessera is free software (GPL-3.0). The full source code is available at github.com/bambouville/tessera. Tessera requires servers you provide — it is a client, not a hosting service. Mosh and tmux features require mosh/tmux installed on the server.

About

Orbit Moon Alpha

Features
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Orbit Moon Alpha is an AI orchestration nexus that unifies advanced AI workspaces, modular tools, and adaptive multi-model workflows. Key features: - AI Agent workspace for productivity tasks - Agent Mode for structured research and information workflows - File, image, and audio upload support - Voice input for faster task creation - Kepler workspace access for account, task, and workspace management - Knowledge, media, and workflow-oriented workspace areas - Account management

Screenshots

Tessera4 screens
Orbit Moon Alpha4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Orbit Moon Alpha at none against Tessera's 1. Orbit Moon Alpha also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Tessera's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). On price, 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. Tessera sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Orbit Moon Alpha asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tessera ships an update every 4 days, Orbit Moon Alpha every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 4, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Tessera versus Orbit Moon Alpha: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTesseraOrbit Moon Alpha
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB4 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperBambouville Inc.ORBITMOONALPHA LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Tessera

One-time1
  • Unlimited Saved Hosts$9.99
None

Orbit Moon Alpha

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tessera free?
Tessera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Orbit Moon Alpha free?
Orbit Moon Alpha is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Tessera or Orbit Moon Alpha have ads?
Neither Tessera nor Orbit Moon Alpha shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tessera or Orbit Moon Alpha?
Tessera ships an update every 4 days, and Orbit Moon Alpha every 2 months. Most recently, Tessera was updated on September 4, 2026 and Orbit Moon Alpha on September 11, 2026.

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