# Blink Shell, Build & Code — The Pro tool for developers > Pro-grade terminal and development environment for iOS. (iPhone/iPad app by Blink Shell, Inc.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blink-shell-build-and-code/id1594898306 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Blink Shell, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1526795995) - Category: Developer Tools, Utilities - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 3.10/5 from 414 App Store ratings · 341 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 17+ - Requires: iOS 17.6 · 230 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2022-02-09 - Data updated: 2026-08-27 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blink-shell-build-and-code/id1594898306/reviews.md ## What is Blink Shell, Build & Code? Do Blink! Transform your iOS device into a pro-grade terminal. Blink is the first professional, desktop-grade terminal for iOS that leverages the support of Mosh and SSH. Thus, we can guarantee stable connections, crazy-fast speeds, and full configurations. It can and should be your all-day-long tool.  **Start your 14-day free trial now!** But, Blink is much more. Now with Blink Code and Blink Build**, your entire development workflow fits in your pocket. What the Blink community is saying: “In some ways, I prefer my iPad / Blink / Digital Ocean setup to coding on my Mac“ - TheVerge "I have tried a number of terminals on iOS and this is really The One." - Twit.tv “Connections still come up when I get back to a client project after a weekend off.“ - The Sweet Setup “The way to use VS Code on the iPad” - programminglife.io What our users love the most from Blink Shell: - Mosh connections that even survive a device reboot. - Most complete SSH implementation on iOS. - Code command for VS Code integration. - Blazingly fast terminal and SFTP transfers. - Includes Pragmata Pro with ligatures. Blink Shell has a fully loaded SSH toolset: - SSH with PKI support: DSA, RSA, ECDSA & ED25519 keys. - Support for Secure Enclave Keys and Certificates. - Port forwarding with local, remote & dynamic tunnel support. - SOCKS5 proxy for a private VPN. - Agent Forwarding. - Complete SSH Config file support. - ControlMaster and pooled connections. - Files.app integration for SFTP remote hosts. - SFTP with copy-on-change. Blink has been the leading developer tool in the AppStore for +5 years, so there is a lot more: - External Display support. - Legendary Hardware Keyboard support, even remap shortcuts and keyboard codes. - Local & iCloud Blink Shell folders for Files.app access across devices. - Host sync over iCloud. - Link-files from other applications and work with them in Blink. - Cool themes and fonts, and install your own! - Smart Keys on SW Keyboard to navigate with touch. - FaceCam command to create tutorials and streams. - Bell notifications. - Supports multiple windows and multiple tabs. - Network & UNIX CLI tools, check our docs for more information. Blink Code integrates with VS Code: - Code on local projects, or seamlessly on remote machines. - Fully-loaded code editor. - A coding experience fitted to your device, that connects to VS Code for web, GitHub Codespaces, GitPod or your own VS Code server. Blink Build (Requires a $7.99/month subscription) Creates remote runtimes that can be accessed on all your devices. You can use Build in your day-to-day workflows whether you need to do development, DevOps or just play around with new tooling. Participate in our community, and don’t forget to leave us your feedback and your feature(s) requests. Enjoy! http://blink.sh http://twitter.com/blinkshell http://GitHub.com/blinksh Terms of Use: https://blink.sh/blink-gpl Privacy Policy: https://blink.sh/pp * Blink Code is not affiliated nor endorsed by Microsoft. ** Blink Build requires a separate subscription to make use of our Virtual Machines. ## Key features - Mosh and SSH connections - VS Code integration (Blink Code) - Remote runtime creation (Blink Build) - Full SSH toolset - Hardware keyboard support - External display support - SFTP transfers ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Blink Plus | $19.99 | per year | | Build Basic - 50 credits/month | $7.99 | per month | | Blink+Build Basic | $9.99 | per month | | Blink+ | $19.99 | per year | **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Blink Shell Classic | Free | one-time | ## Chart rankings - #73 in Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store) - #9 in Top Grossing · Developer Tools (US App Store) ## Recent user reviews (10 of 341) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blink-shell-build-and-code/id1594898306/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Either love it or hate it? I loved it. *2026-08-16, version 18.6.3* Based on the ratings, it seems that users either love or hate it. I am pleased with it, as it allows me to remotely open a terminal that is connected to my remote MacBook Pro. A terminal is not an interface for the faint-of-heart, but for more technically oriented users. It required some work on my MacBook Pro, though it was a breeze as ClaudeCode held my hand throughout the process. With this app now I can open a ClaudeCode terminal in my iPhone, or iPad, via SSH or MOSH, and work on it as if I was directly sitting in front my Mac. Worth $20/year in my opinion. Again: it requires some work on the Mac side. Based on the few reviews I read, seems to me, that those complaining either did not know how to set up the Mac side correctly, and/or do not want to pay for it. I have TailScale on my Mac, which made it easier though. ### 5/5 — The one you’re looking for *2026-08-03, version 18.6.3* This thing basically works right every time without any unnecessary bells or whistles. The $20 annual was a no-brainer. ### 5/5 — i *2026-07-30, version 18.6.3* ❤️❤️❤️ ### 5/5 — John *2026-07-21, version 18.6.3* Great stuff ### 1/5 — Deceptive *2026-07-07, version 18.6.2* The description states, “Blink Shell Classic $0.00”. There is no “Classic” option. There is no “Free trial.” There is no $9.99 version. It is all a lie. You must pay $19.99 before you can get past the app’s initial screen. Blink on that. ### 4/5 — I thought I could not copy long outputs to clipboard, but… *2026-07-06, version 18.6.2* It would be nice to have a way to highlight and copy a long prompt, rather than pinch to zoom out. ### 5/5 — Simply Amazing for a Developer *2026-07-01, version 18.6.2* I’m running a software startup on top of a full time job. I’ve used every terminal under the sun for MacOS and this is truly the only one I feel at home on. It just works the way I the way I expect and love that it has it’s own shell that you use to connect or send commands. I love how mosh keeps things connected. When I go on lunch breaks or can get away from my day job for a few minutes I use my iPad via cellular/tailscale and have no hiccups. Being able to grab a lightweight device and complete 95% of what I can do with a MBP by connecting to my MBP is just amazing. The VSCode integration works well too however using neovim/tmux on the MacBook via Mosh is my preferred flow. The MacBook has to stay connected to peripherals required to validate my code changes and now I can work remote and don’t have to splurge on a higher end Mac mini or studio or carry a ton of stuff with me:) ### 1/5 — Says free trial.. rip off *2026-06-22, version 18.6.2* It says it’s a free trial but it attempts to charge. Luckily all final transactions needs my approval via text otherwise instant denial. I do not recommend this app. Rip off and they are legit scamming and stealing. App Store shouldn’t allow this. ### 1/5 — It was a good ride *2026-06-19, version 18.6.2* I thought I bought it years ago, but now it means nothing and it locked me out with a pay wall. I understand the need to pay for development, but it could have been handled more gracefully. ### 5/5 — Fixed all issues I had with Termius *2026-06-09, version 18.6.2* This terminal does not have any of the occasional glitching that I would get with termius using nvim & tmux. Makes better use of space on my 11inch ipad. People complaining and downvoting due to the price are really making a disservice to the community, because the app is genuinely good. $20 a year is nothing for the amount of value offered. ## Frequently asked questions about Blink Shell, Build & Code ### What is Blink Shell? Blink Shell transforms your iOS device into a professional, desktop-grade terminal. It supports Mosh and SSH for stable, fast connections, allowing you to manage your development workflow directly from your pocket. It also includes features like Blink Code for VS Code integration and Blink Build for creating remote runtimes. ### What are the key features of Blink Shell? Key features include robust Mosh and SSH support with PKI authentication, port forwarding, SOCKS5 proxy, and complete SSH config file support. It also offers VS Code integration via Blink Code, hardware keyboard support, external display support, and fast SFTP transfers. ### How much does Blink Shell cost? Blink Shell offers a 14-day free trial. While the core terminal functionality is available, advanced features like Blink Build require a subscription. Specific pricing details for subscriptions can be found within the app or on the developer's website. ### What devices is Blink Shell compatible with? Blink Shell is designed for iOS devices. It leverages features like external display support and hardware keyboard support, making it ideal for iPads and iPhones, especially when used with accessories. ### What are common use cases for Blink Shell? Common use cases include remotely accessing servers via SSH, coding on the go with VS Code integration, managing DevOps tasks, and utilizing your iOS device as a powerful command-line interface for various development and IT needs. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 18.6.3 — 2026-07-14 Blink 18.6.3 • Added a close button to Settings for easier dismissal. • Settings now clearly indicates that Blink Build isn't available during the trial. • Fixed copying selected text so it no longer includes the wrong characters, including with wide (CJK/emoji) glyphs. ### 18.6.2 — 2026-05-11 v18.6.2 - HTerm's fixes to DSR5 sequences (thanks to robertmryan and kylesower) #2256. - Fixes IME cursor issues (thanks to oddlid, rfc1459 and sundebug) ### 18.6.1 — 2026-04-27 - On Files.app, disabled operations on bootstrap that are causing the extension to get flagged (with a symbol (!) ) on start. The functionality was not affected, but the warning symbol was causing confusion. ### 18.6.0 — 2026-04-21 v18.6.0 - New Appearance settings, splitting Style and Display. - Files.app validation restored. - Fixed issue on the shell where some commands could not be found. - Fixed snippets creation to always default to shell type. - Fixed snippets not working in the local shell. - Fixed issue with Snippets blocking modifiers after release. ### 18.5.1 — 2026-03-30 V18.5.1 - Shortcut changes take effect immediately and across all terminals (blinksh/blink#2225) - Arrow keys visible again on the SmartKeys bar when Cmd is pressed — was a regression (blinksh/blink#2226). - Default shortcuts are now cleared, not deleted, and can restore the default shortcuts value (blinksh/blink#2228) - iOS no longer auto-corrects text in config fields — iOS was mangling with smart quotes and dashes in config fields (blinksh/blink#2221). Made a few more changes to the Shortcuts Config UI: - Custom Sequence editor moved to its own dedicated view from the actions list. This simplifies the code and makes the action more clear. - One Blink Shortcut per action — the action picker now only shows unassigned actions. - Done/Cancel editing flow — incomplete key presses are discarded (new) or reverted (existing) on Cancel, only saved on Done. This follows the behavior of other configuration flows. Check out https://github.com/blinksh/blink/discussions/2220 for more information ## Apps similar to Blink Shell, Build & Code | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Termius - Modern SSH Client](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/termius-modern-ssh-client/id549039908) | 4.7 (18,903) | Free | Developer Tools | | [SSH Client - Secure ShellFish](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ssh-client-secure-shellfish/id1336634154) | 4.8 (1,468) | Free | Developer Tools | | [WebSSH - Sysadmin Toolbox](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/webssh-sysadmin-toolbox/id497714887) | 4.7 (2,515) | Free | Developer Tools | | [ShellBean - AI SSH Client](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shellbean-ai-ssh-client/id1504613231) | 4.1 (15) | Free | Developer Tools | | [SSH Client - Terminal & Termux](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ssh-client-terminal-and-termux/id1475741280) | 3.6 (406) | Free | Developer Tools | | [a-Shell](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell/id1473805438) | 4.6 (535) | Free | Developer Tools | ## Related topics [blink shell](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/blink-shell) · [codes building](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/codes-building) · [rootshell](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/rootshell) · [emacs](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/emacs) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*