Tessera vs Otar

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.

Otar (formerly Otter Beam) connects the AI agents, files and apps on your computers while you are on the go. AI agents • Find, resume or start coding-agent chats and terminals on your computers • View each agent chat as a friendly chat or as the plain terminal • Supported harnesses: Claude Code, Codex, Grok Build, Pi, Oh My Pi (OMP), and Antigravity (agy). Available controls depend on the harness. • Compatible configurations include Z.ai through Claude Code and DeepSeek through Codex. • High-accuracy voice transcription and input • Get notified when a chat needs your input Computer files and webpages • Browse your computers and add projects (folders) • View and edit (alpha) files (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx, .md and more) • Upload and download files • View webpages and dev servers Computer displays and apps • View a computer display, apps or an extra virtual display for monitoring and testing • Control and operate the displays and apps right from the Otar app Multi-platform, adaptive layout • Layouts optimized for iPhones and iPads • Use Otar on iOS, computers, the web and other platforms • Continue your projects, chats, files and edits when you re-open the app or switch devices (with sync turned on) • Carefully designed details for comfortable reading, navigation and quick actions Security and privacy • View and manage every signed-in device under Profile > Devices • Direct SSH over your local network near your computer; away from it, the Otter Relay forwards your encrypted stream and it remains private • Sensitive data is end-to-end encrypted — keys are never uploaded to our servers, staying on your devices Plans Otar Pro and Premium subscriptions add: • More advanced voice transcription time each month • Longer Otter Relay sessions for agents, files and displays on the go Pricing, billing frequency and automatic-renewal terms are shown before purchase. Manage or cancel a subscription in Apple App Store; purchases can be restored from the Plan screen. A free Otar account is required to link devices. Requires installing and setting up Otar on your computer. Otar is independent software and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any AI coding-agent provider. Privacy: https://otterd.com/privacy Terms: https://otterd.com/tos Support: https://otterd.com/support Account deletion: https://otterd.com/account-deletion