# Waycar vs Secure ShellFish

Secure ShellFish is an SSH and SFTP client with Files app, tmux and agent hooks. Waycar is built for coding agents in tmux or herdr: status, push, chat and mosh.

Facts checked October 18, 2026 against the sources listed at the end. Products change. "Not documented" means the maker's own pages say nothing either way, so we claim nothing. It does not mean No.

## The short version

**Pick Waycar if:**

- Your phone time goes to coding agents that run in tmux or herdr on your own machine.
- You want one list of agents sorted by who needs you, and a push when one is Blocked or Done.
- You want Allow and Cancel in a chat view for Claude Code, Codex, omp, pi or opencode agents you start in Waycar.
- You want mosh, with SSH as the fallback, and no account.

**Pick Secure ShellFish if:**

- You want a general SSH and SFTP client, and agents are one use among many.
- You want your server's folders in the Files app and in Finder, with other apps editing files in place.
- You want widgets, Shortcuts actions and a Mac app next to the iPhone app.
- You want a one-time Lifetime Pro Unlock at $29.99 instead of a subscription.

## Side by side

| | Waycar | Secure ShellFish |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **How it connects** | | |
| Where the agent runs | Your own Mac or Linux machine, in herdr or tmux | Your own server or Mac, reached over SSH |
| Account needed | None. Optional iCloud Keychain sync between devices | No account documented. iCloud Keychain syncs servers |
| How your phone reaches the session | Direct mosh or SSH to your machine. No session relay | Direct SSH. Alerts and widgets relay via maker and Apple |
| mosh | Yes, in the free tier, with SSH fallback | Not documented |
| Agent keeps running when your phone drops | Yes. Waycar starts agents inside herdr or tmux | Yes, with tmux turned on per server |
| What your machine needs | OpenSSH, herdr 0.7.5+/tmux 3.2+, opt. mosh-server. No Node | SSH server. Optional Shell Integration and tmux |
| **Watching and steering agents** | | |
| Agents it works with | 23 launch from the app; any CLI runs in a shell | Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode hooks; any CLI runs |
| Agent status list | Yes. herdr: every agent it knows. tmux: 5 agents | Not documented |
| Push alerts when blocked or done | Yes, Blocked or Done, encrypted. On tmux: 5 agents | Yes, alerts from Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode hooks |
| Answer a blocked agent from the phone | Yes. Allow or Cancel in Chat Mode (tmux: hooks), or type | Partial: alert, then answer in the terminal |
| Chat view of the agent | Yes, Chat Mode for 5 agents you start in Waycar | Not documented |
| Full terminal | Yes, a native terminal into the agent or a shell | Yes, a native SSH terminal |
| Lock Screen Live Activity | Yes, Lock Screen and Dynamic Island | Yes (Pro), follows active terminal, incl. agent questions |
| Send images and files to the agent | Yes, up to 10 per message; files up to 64 MiB | Yes, paste uploads the file and can insert its path |
| Voice input | Yes, on-device dictation (iOS 26 or later) | Yes, long-tap Paste to dictate prompts |
| Usage and rate limits | Partial: limits via CodexBar; Claude on a Mac not read | Not documented |
| Resume a closed agent | Yes, Closed Sessions are kept for 30 days | Partial: pick tmux sessions. Agent resume not documented |
| **Platforms, price and fit** | | |
| iPhone and iPad app | Yes, iPhone and iPad, iOS 18 or later | Yes, iPhone and iPad, iOS 17.4 or later |
| Android app | No. An Android app is coming soon | Not documented. Only Apple platforms are listed |
| Desktop or web client | No native app. iPad app on M-series Macs (macOS 26) | Yes, a Mac app. No web client documented |
| Source code | Closed source app. Host plugin is Apache-2.0 | No public source repo found |
| Price | Free: 10 Launches per 30 days. Pro $5/mo or $40/yr | Free with ads. Pro $2.99/mo, $14.99/yr or $29.99 (US) |
| General SSH tools (SFTP, port forwarding, any server) | No. Your machine must run herdr or tmux | Yes: SSH, SFTP, Files app, jump hosts |

## What Secure ShellFish is

Secure ShellFish is an SSH and SFTP client for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision, with a watch app too. One developer makes it. It works with any OpenSSH-compatible server. You open shell sessions from your phone, and your server's folders show up in the Files app and in Finder.

It also has help for coding agents. Its help pages describe notification hooks for Claude Code, Codex CLI and OpenCode. A Live Activity can show questions from the agent, on Pro. It is free to download with ads, and Pro is a subscription or a one-time unlock.

## How it reaches your agent

Your phone connects straight to your server over SSH. The agent runs on that server, not on the phone. We did not find a Secure ShellFish account in its docs. Your servers sync between your devices through iCloud Keychain.

Two features use the maker's server. The notify and widget commands send a payload through it and through Apple push. Its privacy page says that payload is encrypted with a key known only to the command and your app.

On the machine, SSH is enough to open a terminal. Shell Integration is an optional install. It adds the agent hooks and the widget command. tmux is optional and is turned on per server.

We found no mention of mosh in its docs, so we make no claim about it.

## What Waycar adds to Secure ShellFish

Waycar is not a general SSH client. It is a console for coding agents that run in tmux or herdr on your own machines. Secure ShellFish also sends alerts and has a Live Activity, so the gap is not there. The real differences:

- **One list, sorted by who needs you.** The Console shows agents from all your machines as Blocked, Done, Working or Idle. We did not find an agent status list in Secure ShellFish's docs.
- **Chat Mode for five agents.** Start Claude Code, Codex, omp, pi or opencode in Waycar with Chat Mode on, and it opens as a chat. When one asks for permission, you tap Allow or Cancel. We did not find a chat view or approve buttons in Secure ShellFish's docs. Its docs do not say how you answer; the terminal is the way we know of.
- **mosh, with SSH as the fallback.** Waycar's mosh keeps going while the app is open and catches up after dead zones. We found no mention of mosh in Secure ShellFish's docs.
- **Closed Sessions.** Bring back an agent you quit by mistake, for 30 days. We did not find the same in Secure ShellFish's docs.

Waycar has no account. Your sessions go straight from your phone to your machine over mosh or SSH, with no Waycar server in the path of your sessions. Waycar has an optional push relay. Your machine encrypts each notification first, so the relay cannot read what it says. For Live Activities it does see how many agents are in each status.

## Where Secure ShellFish is better

Secure ShellFish wins on these:

- **Any server.** It opens any SSH or SFTP server. Waycar needs herdr or tmux on the machine and cannot open a plain SSH server with neither.
- **Files.** Server folders appear in the Files app and in Finder, and other apps can edit files in place. Waycar has no SFTP file browser and no port forwarding. It uses SFTP to upload the files you attach and to preview files an agent mentions.
- **A Mac app and more.** It runs on Mac, Apple Vision and a watch, and its widgets can be driven from any server with one shell command. Waycar has no desktop or web client.
- **tmux built in.** It has a session picker with thumbnails, and Handoff of a tmux session between your Apple devices.
- **Automation.** Shortcuts actions include Run Command, Upload and Download.
- **Price.** The Lifetime Pro Unlock is $29.99 once. Waycar Pro is billed monthly or yearly.

On the rows we share, it matches Waycar: full terminal, alerts, Live Activity, voice input and pasted files.

## What each costs

Secure ShellFish is free to download, and the free version shows ads at the bottom of the terminal. Pro features such as upload through the Files app, unlimited servers, offline folders and Live Activity need Pro. On the US App Store listing (checked 2026-10-18) Pro is $2.99 a month, $14.99 a year or $29.99 once. The one-time unlock covers iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Waycar is free for up to 10 Launches in any rolling 30 days, with every feature included. A Launch is starting a new agent or shell from Waycar, resuming a closed agent, or starting an agent by typing its command in a Waycar shell. Opening and watching agents that already run never counts. Waycar Pro removes the limit for $5 a month or $40 a year (US).

## Can you use both?

Yes. Keep Secure ShellFish for files, widgets and general servers. Use Waycar for the agents on your machine. Both can open SSH sessions to the same machine, and tmux is the common ground (see [tmux on iPhone](https://waycar.dev/solutions/tmux-on-iphone) and [checking an agent remotely](https://waycar.dev/solutions/check-ai-agent-remotely)).

## Questions people ask

### Does Secure ShellFish support mosh?

We found no mention of mosh anywhere on its site, including the help pages and the privacy page, so we do not claim either way. Waycar runs agent terminals over mosh and falls back to SSH on its own. It needs mosh-server on your machine, and mosh has no predictive local echo in Waycar.

### Does Secure ShellFish work with Claude Code?

Yes. You can run claude in its terminal like any command. Its help pages also describe notification hooks for Claude Code, Codex CLI and OpenCode. You install them from Shell Integration, and the agent then alerts you when it needs input or finishes a task.

### Can Secure ShellFish notify me when Claude Code or Codex finishes?

Yes, after you install the hooks from Shell Integration on the server. Pro users can also turn on a Live Activity for questions from the agent. Waycar sends a push when an agent is Blocked or Done, and it adds a Console and Chat Mode.

### Is Secure ShellFish a subscription or a one-time purchase?

Both. The US App Store lists a Monthly subscription at $2.99, an Annual subscription at $14.99 and a Lifetime Pro Unlock at $29.99. The free version shows ads at the bottom of the terminal. Waycar Pro is $5 a month or $40 a year (US).

### Does Secure ShellFish keep a session alive on iPhone?

It has built-in tmux support, turned on per server. A Location Persistence setting keeps the SSH connection running in the background. It uses location access, which stays on the device. Waycar keeps its terminal for about 20 seconds after you leave, then re-attaches on its own while the agent keeps running in herdr or tmux.

## Sources

- [Secure ShellFish home page](https://secureshellfish.app/)
- [Secure ShellFish help: agentic coding](https://secureshellfish.app/help/agentic-coding)
- [Secure ShellFish help: tmux](https://secureshellfish.app/help/tmux)
- [Secure ShellFish help: Files app and Finder](https://secureshellfish.app/help/files-app)
- [Secure ShellFish help: terminal](https://secureshellfish.app/help/terminal)
- [Secure ShellFish help: widgets](https://secureshellfish.app/help/widgets)
- [Secure ShellFish privacy policy](https://secureshellfish.app/privacy.html)
- [Secure ShellFish on the App Store (listing and version history)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ssh-client-secure-shellfish/id1336634154)
- [Secure ShellFish help: adding servers](https://secureshellfish.app/help/add-server)
- [Secure ShellFish help: Shortcuts](https://secureshellfish.app/help/shortcuts-automation)
- [Secure ShellFish help: offline folders](https://secureshellfish.app/help/offline-folders)

Product names are trademarks of their owners. Waycar is an independent app from OTREVA, LLC. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Secure ShellFish.

## Related

- [Waycar vs Termius](https://waycar.dev/compare/termius)
- [Waycar vs Blink Shell](https://waycar.dev/compare/blink-shell)
- [Waycar vs Claude Code Remote Control](https://waycar.dev/compare/claude-code-remote-control)
- [tmux on your iPhone and iPad](https://waycar.dev/solutions/tmux-on-iphone)
- [Check on your AI coding agent remotely](https://waycar.dev/solutions/check-ai-agent-remotely)

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Waycar: https://waycar.dev/help/what-is-waycar. On the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6815881853

Waycar comparisons: https://waycar.dev/compare