The Simulator is a virtual iPhone for running your own builds. Zeptap is your actual iPhone, with the App Store apps, accounts and notifications on it.
| Feature | Zeptap | iOS Simulator |
|---|---|---|
| A real iPhone | Yes | No, a virtual device on the Mac |
| App Store apps | Any | Only apps you build yourself |
| Your accounts, iMessage and iCloud | Yes | No |
| Push notifications and SMS codes | Real ones | Simulated |
| Camera, Face ID, Bluetooth | The real hardware | Simulated or missing |
| Needs Xcode | No | Yes |
| Runs many devices in parallel | Up to 3 per license | As many as the Mac can hold |
| Price | $99 once or $25 a month | Free with Xcode |
The Simulator can't install Instagram, your bank or the app your gym uses, because App Store apps don't run there. On a real iPhone they're already installed and signed in, so your agent can use them the way you do.
Sign-in codes by SMS, real push notifications, permission prompts, the share sheet, and hand-offs to Mail, Messages or Settings and back. On a real iPhone your agent sees exactly what your users see.
Simulator tools need Xcode, and gigabytes of it. Zeptap is a small Mac app: install it, plug in the iPhone, pair Bluetooth. Not every agent user is an iOS developer.
For fast iteration on your own app's layout, running many device sizes at once, or CI on a Mac with no phone attached, the Simulator is free and quick. Zeptap is for the real phone: App Store apps, real accounts and the hardware flows a simulator can't reproduce.
The docs go deeper, and they're written for agents to read too.
No. Zeptap drives your real, physical iPhone. The screen comes over USB and taps and typing go over Bluetooth.
Yes. Install your build on the iPhone however you already do (TestFlight, the App Store or straight from Xcode) and your agent taps through it and reports back with screenshots.
No. There's no Xcode, Developer Mode or signing. You only need a Mac on macOS 14 or later, an iPhone and a USB cable.