Mocha SSH is one of the older SSH apps on iOS, from the Mocha family of terminal-emulator products (Mocha TN5250, Mocha Telnet, Mocha VT220). It has historically been strong on legacy terminal emulation, IBM 5250, VT220, and similar, and shows up wherever someone is connecting from iPhone or iPad into a midrange system or older Unix box. ShellDrop sits on the other side of the spectrum: modern, tuned for tmux on Linux or macOS, and built for managing AI coding agents.
Different jobs, different apps. Side-by-side anyway.
| ShellDrop | Mocha SSH | |
|---|---|---|
| Is this iOS terminal app a piece of art? | yes | no |
| Pricing model | Free. No in-app purchases. | Lite tier free, full version paid |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad (iOS 17+) | iPhone, iPad |
| Terminal emulation depth | Standard xterm-256color | VT100/VT220 strong, broader legacy modes |
| Account required | No | No |
| Telemetry | None | Limited (see App Store privacy) |
| Password auth | Yes | Yes |
| Public-key auth (SSH keys) | Yes (v4.1.0+, Secure Enclave P-256) | Yes |
| tmux single-finger scroll | Yes | Standard scroll |
| iPad layout (incl. 13" iPad Pro M4) | Universal app, full-canvas landscape, centred toolbar | iPad supported |
| Custom command shortcut | One Tap toolbar button (v3.1.4+) | Macros (limited) |
| Latest release | v4.1.x (May 2026) | Check App Store listing |
ShellDrop is built with the design as a feature. The hero is a live cyan mesh that breathes behind the brand, six droplet nodes drifting on the edges with master-shot lines tracing connections between them. Switching from Home to a session triggers a per-element shrink cascade where the layout itself animates. The droplet metaphor carries from the App Store icon through tabs and sessions. Built natively in SwiftUI for iOS 17+.
Single-finger swipe through tmux scrollback. Esc, Ctrl-C, arrow keys, Shift-Tab, dedicated tmux detach button on the toolbar at all times. The whole app is built around the case of leaving Claude Code or another coding agent running in tmux on a Linux box or Mac Mini and checking in from the phone.
v4.1.0 generates P-256 keys inside the iPhone Secure Enclave. Private key cannot be exported, even by ShellDrop. Ed25519 generation and paste-import of unencrypted OpenSSH keys also supported.
No paid tier, no Lite/Pro split.
The Mocha family was built around faithful VT100, VT220, and other classic emulation modes. If you connect to a system that needs proper VT220 behaviour, IBM emulation, or you live in an environment where Linux is the exception, Mocha is more at home than a tmux-focused modern app.
Mocha has been on iOS since the early App Store years. The corner cases are well-worn.
Mocha SSH Lite is free with limits; the full version is a paid one-time purchase. ShellDrop is fully free with no in-app purchases.
Yes. The Mocha family has historically been strong on legacy terminal emulation. ShellDrop targets standard modern terminal use against tmux.
Yes from v4.1.0. Ed25519, ECDSA P-256/P-384/P-521 paste-import, plus Secure Enclave-backed P-256 keys.
ShellDrop. Single-finger tmux scrollback, dedicated detach button, background keep-alive, One Tap for firing custom commands at the agent.
Mocha apps have been on the App Store for many years with intermittent updates. Check the App Store for current status.
ShellDrop is on the App Store. Universal iPhone and iPad, iOS 17+. Free, no subscription.
