iOS SSH Clients Compared: Termius vs. Prompt 2

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Engineers often need to hop onto a server via SSH—even when a laptop is not nearby. On iOS two clients dominate: Termius and Prompt 2. Termius offers a free tier with paid add-ons; Prompt 2 is paid upfront. Here is how they stack up.

Platforms and pricing

Termius ships on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux. The basic tier is free everywhere, and a $2.49/month subscription (¥203/year on the App Store) unlocks advanced features across all platforms.

Prompt 2 is iOS-only and costs ¥98 with no in-app purchases.

Interface

Termius shows a two-pane layout: sidebar menu on the left, host list on the right. Hosts open by default.

Prompt 2 opens directly to the connection screen. Swipe from the left edge for the server list; the gear icon in the upper right opens settings.

Features

Connections

Termius supports SSH, Telnet, Mosh, and SFTP. You can authenticate with passwords or keys and relay via SSH Agent Forwarding.

Prompt 2 supports SSH, Telnet, and SFTP but not Mosh (and according to support docs that will not change). It also works with passwords or keys, integrates with 1Password for login prompts, and supports SSH Agent Forwarding.

Keyboard customization

Prompt 2 offers fewer customization options.

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Background sessions

Prompt 2 cannot keep sessions alive in the background. Instead it sends a push notification before disconnecting.

Termius can maintain background sessions using location services.

Snippets

Prompt 2 supports both global and per-host clips.

Termius only supports global clips.

Pricing recap

Prompt 2: ¥98 one-time purchase, iOS-only.

Termius: ¥203/year subscription, features shared across every platform.

Security

Both apps protect stored data with passwords and Touch ID.

Termius Premium and Prompt 2 encrypt synced host data with AES-256 end-to-end.