SwiftServer and ServerCat, side by side
Both monitor servers over SSH with nothing to install. The difference is everything else.
ServerCat reads Linux metrics over SSH, including CPU, memory, network, disk, GPU, and Docker containers. Monitoring is free; the terminal and container management are Premium.
SwiftServer monitors the same, adds macOS and Windows hosts, and brings port forwarding, jump hosts, proxies, and Mosh.
| Feature | SwiftServer | ServerCat |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | SwiftServer:iPhone, iPad, and Mac. iOS 18 and macOS 15 or later. | ServerCat:iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision. |
| Pricing | SwiftServer:Free. Premium is $1.99 a month, $9.99 a year, or $34.99 once. | ServerCat:Free with in-app purchases. Premium is $5.99 a year or $18.99 for lifetime. |
| Account required | SwiftServer:None. There is no SwiftServer account to create. | ServerCat:— |
| Server monitoring without an agent | SwiftServer:Read-only commands over the SSH connection you already have. | ServerCat:Yes. Reads the Linux /proc filesystem over SSH and installs nothing. |
| Docker management | SwiftServer:Containers, Compose, images, volumes, networks, and live events. | ServerCat:View containers and stats in the free tier. Creating and managing containers is Premium. |
| Mosh | SwiftServer:Included in the free tier, with no session limit. | ServerCat:— |
| Port forwarding | SwiftServer:Local, remote, and dynamic SOCKS. | ServerCat:— |
| Jump hosts | SwiftServer:A single hop or a chain of hops. Premium. | ServerCat:— |
| Connection proxy | SwiftServer:SOCKS5 and HTTP CONNECT profiles. Premium. | ServerCat:— |
| NVIDIA GPU metrics | SwiftServer:Read from nvidia-smi on Linux and Windows hosts. | ServerCat:Yes, GPU usage and the processes running on it. |
| Sync between devices | SwiftServer:iCloud. A private CloudKit database, credentials in iCloud Keychain. | ServerCat:iCloud. Credentials are encrypted and stored on device. |
| SSH engine named and open source | SwiftServer:Traversio, written by GitSwift, AGPL-3.0 and commercial. | ServerCat:— |
| SFTP | SwiftServer:Browsing, transfers, and server-to-server copy between two sessions. | ServerCat:— |
ServerCat information is taken from its website and App Store listing.
Where SwiftServer is different
The networking toolbox
Forwards saved as rules, jump routes through several bastions, proxies per machine or per rule, and Mosh.
Linux, macOS, and Windows on one dashboard
Three systems, one set of cards, with NVIDIA GPU on Linux and Windows.
A terminal on a first-party engine
Traversio is GitSwift’s open-source SSH engine, written in Swift with modern cryptography by default. The terminal comes with 518 themes.
Questions
Do both apps really install nothing on the server?
Yes. SwiftServer runs read-only commands over the SSH connection you already have, and leaves nothing running. ServerCat’s FAQ says the same of its own reads.
Is the terminal free in SwiftServer?
Yes. The terminal, Mosh, snippets, SFTP, widgets, and unlimited saved hosts are free. Premium covers iCloud sync, monitoring more than three servers at once, Docker actions, jump hosts, proxies, concurrent port forwards, and terminal theming.
Which servers can SwiftServer monitor?
Linux, macOS, and Windows. Linux gets the full card set. macOS has no vnStat history. Windows has no Docker panel, load average, or temperature.
How does SwiftServer read GPU metrics?
Through nvidia-smi, and only when the server has it. You get utilization, VRAM, temperature, power, and the processes holding the card.
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.