Termphin vs Prompt 3

Prompt 3 is Panic's polished, native terminal for Apple devices: one purchase covers Mac, iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro, with Mosh, Eternal Terminal and Panic Sync. Termphin is a free SSH client whose shell keeps running on the server when the connection drops.

TermphinFree
Prompt 3One-time purchase
Connection
Session survives a dropped connection
Agent on the server keeps the shell, on by default
Mosh and Eternal Terminal, need a server component
SSH
Yes
Yes
Mosh and Eternal Terminal
No
Both
Telnet
No
Yes
Local shell
No
On Mac
Jump hosts
Included, chains too
Yes
Agent forwarding
No
Yes
Files and forwarding
SFTP
Browser with code editor and image preview
Not listed
Port forwarding
Local and remote
Not listed
Keys and security
Hardware-backed keys
No
Secure Enclave with Face ID or Touch ID
App lock
PIN or biometric
Face ID or Touch ID
Working in the terminal
Snippets
With run history
Clips, global or per server
Price and platforms
Price
Free, nothing to buy
One purchase covers all four platforms
Sync
Soon
Panic Sync: servers, passwords, keys, clips
Desktop app
Soon
Mac
Included Partly, or on a paid plan Not available Soon In progress

Last reviewed , against the sources listed at the end of this page.

Which one is for you

Pick Termphin if you want

  • Files and tunnels

    Termphin has an SFTP browser with an editor and image preview, plus local and remote port forwarding. Neither is listed for Prompt.

  • Persistence with nothing to install

    Termphin uploads its own open-source agent over SSH and runs your shell under it, so the session is there after the app is closed.

  • Free

    No purchase, no subscription, nothing held back.

Pick Prompt 3 if you want

  • Apple everywhere

    One purchase gives you Prompt on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro, and Panic Sync keeps servers, keys and clips in step between them.

  • Mosh and Eternal Terminal

    Both protocols keep a terminal open through a bad connection, and Eternal Terminal keeps the full history. Each needs its server side installed on the host.

  • Craft

    Panic has made Prompt since 2011. A GPU-accelerated renderer, a configurable keyboard bar and Secure Enclave keys.

Moving from Prompt 3

  1. Keep Prompt for now

    Nothing has to go. Try Termphin on the hosts you use most.

  2. Bring your key

    Import your private key into Termphin, or generate a new Ed25519 key and add its public half to your servers.

  3. Recreate your clips

    Clips become snippets. Termphin keeps the output of every run.

Try Termphin

A free SSH client whose sessions survive a dropped connection.

Get Termphin

Sources

Every Prompt 3 fact on this page comes from these, checked on . Plans change - if something here is out of date, tell us at [email protected].