Manta UI vs Termius + SSH

If you already run Claude Code on a VPS and reach it with Termius, you have already solved the part most tools get wrong, which is keeping the agent alive when you walk away. Manta runs on the same box beside Termius. Here is the honest difference.

Verdict

Keep SSHIf Termius, iTerm or Blink already gets you a tmux window on the box, your agent runs there, and the only thing you wish was different is smaller. You are using a battle-tested stack that costs nothing and runs anywhere.
Add MantaFor the parts SSH does not cover. A readable transcript on a phone instead of a terminal UI on a phone keyboard, one-tap approvals instead of typing into a TUI, a push the moment the agent blocks, dictation, file upload, and tools the agent can use to act between turns.
OverlapBoth share the box, the tmux session and the SSH transport. Manta adds a UI layer and a server process. Termius stays.

Side by side

What is the same, and what differs

The Termius + SSH column describes the common incumbent stack. Rows we lose stay in.

	Termius + SSH	Manta UI
Agents run on	Your VPS	Your VPS (same box)
Architecture	Terminal + tmux on the box	Server + clients, real tmux underneath
Keeps running with every client closed	Yes, that is the point of tmux	Yes
Phone client	Termius app shows terminal	The full app, with a transcript
Approve a command from your phone	Type into the TUI	One tap
Tells you when the agent is blocked	No. You go and look	Push to the right device
Remote access	SSH keys, by hand	Detected and set up (Tailscale or public hostname)
Platforms (the box)	Anywhere SSH runs	Linux or macOS
Permissions model	Approve at the terminal	Permission cards in the chat panel
Diff review / inline annotation	Your normal git host	No
Built-in code editor	Your editor over SSH	Terminal + chat only
Agent runtimes supported	Anything that runs in a terminal	2 (Claude Code, opencode)
Git worktree per session	By hand	Yes
Real tmux underneath	Yes	Yes
Agent scheduling, webhooks, secrets	No	Yes
Account required	Termius sync is account-bound; SSH itself is not	No
Licence	Termius: proprietary. Claude Code: proprietary	MIT
Maturity	Both are mature and widely deployed	Manta is new
Price	Termius has a free tier and a paid plan. Claude Code is API cost	Free. You still pay Claude

The Termius + SSH stack already keeps the agent alive. The cost is that the only way to interact with it from a phone is through a terminal UI.

Where Termius + SSH is better

The incumbent gets a lot right

Conceding first and plainly. The hard part is already solved.

›It keeps the agent alive. That is the hard part, and tmux has done it for two decades. Closing the lid never stops the work.
›It is mature. Termius, iTerm, Blink, the GNOME terminal, Windows Terminal, and PuTTY all do this. Whichever you use is well-understood by the people who maintain it.
›It runs anywhere SSH runs. Every desktop OS, every phone, every tablet. If SSH works there, your agent works there.
›It costs nothing extra. OpenSSH is on every Unix box. Termius has a free tier. Adding Claude Code is just an API key.
›You already know how it works. There is nothing to learn. The same key, the same config, the same muscle memory.
›It is general purpose. SSH gets you to anything on the box. Edit a file, run a deploy, check a log. The agent is one of many things you do there.

Where Manta is better

The five things SSH does not give you

Specific. None of these attack the SSH stack; they are things the stack is the wrong shape for.

›A real phone client. A readable transcript instead of a terminal UI, one-tap approvals instead of typing into a TUI, dictation, and file upload. Reading an agent's terminal output on a phone keyboard is miserable; this is the actual client.
›A push the moment the agent is blocked. Today, you have to go and look. Manta's phone app wakes up when the agent needs a decision, with the same routing it has on desktop.
›Tools the agent can use between turns. Schedules, webhooks, secrets by reference, notify, peers. The agent extends its own capabilities. SSH gives the agent the terminal; Manta gives it those tools too.

Reading a terminal UI on a phone keyboard is miserable. This is the actual client.

Architecture

The same box, one extra process

Manta installs a server on the same box. SSH still works. tmux still works. The agent still lives in tmux.

Termius + SSH: terminal + tmux

   Your VPS          ← owns the work
     ├── tmux ── agent sessions
     └── sshd ── termius, iTerm, etc.

        │              │
   termius (phone)   termius (desktop)

  the only way to interact
  with the agent is through
  a terminal window.

Manta: server + clients, tmux still underneath

   Your VPS          ← owns the work
     ├── manta-server ── chat, schedules, secrets
     ├── tmux ── agent sessions (same)
     └── sshd ── still there

        │      │      │
   desktop   phone   browser
  (full app) (full)  (full)

  termius, ssh, tmux all
  still work.

Coexistence

Can I use both?

Yes. This is the page's whole point.

Manta installs on the same box and does not take SSH away. The same tmux session that Termius attaches to is the one Manta's chat panel talks to. SSH still works, tmux still works, Termius still works. The chat panel and the phone client are the parts that change. Most setups we expect are exactly that: Termius for terminal-heavy work, Manta for chat and phone.

FAQ

What people ask before they add Manta

Five questions, answered in full.

Does Manta replace SSH?

No. SSH still works on the same box. You can ssh into the box, attach to the same tmux session Manta is steering, and continue from the terminal.

Do I need to give up Termius?

No. Termius keeps connecting to the same box. The chat panel and the phone client are the parts that change. Most people we expect to talk to run both: Termius for editor-heavy work, Manta for chat and phone.

Does Manta work alongside Claude Code?

Yes. Manta runs Claude Code in a tmux session on the box. The same session can be attached from Termius or steered from Manta's chat panel. The model provider stays the same.

Will Manta's installer break my existing SSH setup?

No. The installer adds a system service (manta-server) and either opens no public port (Tailscale path) or one HTTPS port (Caddy + LE on a per-box hostname). It does not change your SSH config, your authorized keys, or your sshd settings.

Should I add Manta or stick with my current setup?

If your current setup covers your needs, keep it. Manta is for the cases SSH does not cover: a phone app that can actually approve a command, a notification when the agent gets stuck, dictation, file upload, and tools the agent can use between turns.