SwiftServer and Prompt 3, side by side
Prompt 3 is Panic’s terminal. SwiftServer pairs a terminal with a server dashboard and a Docker panel.
Prompt 3 is built for speed and a native feel. It supports SSH, Mosh, Eternal Terminal, and Telnet, and syncs through Panic’s own end-to-end encrypted servers.
SwiftServer connects just as well, and adds live metrics, a Docker panel, forwarding rules, and proxy profiles.
| Feature | SwiftServer | Prompt 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | SwiftServer:iPhone, iPad, and Mac. iOS 18 and macOS 15 or later. | Prompt 3:Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision. |
| Pricing | SwiftServer:Free. Premium is $1.99 a month, $9.99 a year, or $34.99 once. | Prompt 3:Free with in-app purchases. $9.99 a year, or $49.99 once, covering all platforms. |
| Account required | SwiftServer:None. There is no SwiftServer account to create. | Prompt 3:— |
| Server monitoring without an agent | SwiftServer:Read-only commands over the SSH connection you already have. | Prompt 3:— |
| Docker management | SwiftServer:Containers, Compose, images, volumes, networks, and live events. | Prompt 3:— |
| Mosh | SwiftServer:Included in the free tier, with no session limit. | Prompt 3:Yes, alongside SSH, Eternal Terminal, Telnet, and a local shell on the Mac. |
| Port forwarding | SwiftServer:Local, remote, and dynamic SOCKS. | Prompt 3:Yes, as its own connection type since 3.0. |
| Jump hosts | SwiftServer:A single hop or a chain of hops. Premium. | Prompt 3:Yes. On the Mac, ProxyJump from ~/.ssh/config is honoured. |
| Connection proxy | SwiftServer:SOCKS5 and HTTP CONNECT profiles. Premium. | Prompt 3:Arbitrary ProxyCommand, added in 3.0.2. |
| NVIDIA GPU metrics | SwiftServer:Read from nvidia-smi on Linux and Windows hosts. | Prompt 3:— |
| Sync between devices | SwiftServer:iCloud. A private CloudKit database, credentials in iCloud Keychain. | Prompt 3:Panic Sync, on Panic’s own servers, encrypted end to end. |
| SSH engine named and open source | SwiftServer:Traversio, written by GitSwift, AGPL-3.0 and commercial. | Prompt 3:— |
| SFTP | SwiftServer:Browsing, transfers, and server-to-server copy between two sessions. | Prompt 3:— |
Prompt 3 information is taken from its website and App Store listing.
Where SwiftServer is different
Every server has a status page
Open SwiftServer and every machine’s health is already there. Reorder or hide cards, and see the fleet on a world map.
Docker with a tap
Seven tabs, from containers to live events. Reading is free; actions are Premium.
Sync through your own iCloud
Machines and rules live in your private iCloud database, and credentials in iCloud Keychain, end-to-end encrypted. Turn sync on or off anytime.
Questions
Does SwiftServer have a local shell on the Mac?
Yes, through the SwiftServer Helper, a small package you install on your own Mac. Remote sessions use SSH or Mosh.
Does SwiftServer support Eternal Terminal?
No. It speaks SSH and Mosh. Mosh covers the case Eternal Terminal is usually reached for: a session that survives sleep, a dead zone, and a change of network.
Is there a one-time purchase?
Yes. Premium is $34.99 once, or $1.99 a month, or $9.99 a year. The monthly plan has a 3-day trial and the yearly plan a 2-week trial. Family Sharing is not supported.
Can SwiftServer show Docker containers on a Mac server?
Yes. It finds the daemon socket through DOCKER_CONTEXT, DOCKER_HOST, or docker context show, which covers Docker Desktop, OrbStack, Colima, and Rancher.
Try it against your own servers.
The download is free, there is no account, and the dashboard fills in within seconds of adding a host.