# iSH Shell — Linux in your pocket

> Linux-like shell emulator for iOS for file management and command-line tasks. (iPhone/iPad app by Theodore Dubois.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ish-shell/id1436902243 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Theodore Dubois](https://appshunter.io/developer/1432356577)
- Category: Developer Tools, Utilities
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.70/5 from 1,230 App Store ratings · 396 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 11.0 · 6 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2020-10-22
- Data updated: 2026-09-09
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ish-shell/id1436902243/reviews.md

## What is iSH Shell?

A Linux-like shell on iOS. You can edit files with sed and cat, move them around, and more!

https://github.com/ish-app/ish/

## Key features

- Linux-like shell environment
- File editing with sed and cat
- File manipulation
- Command-line operations
- Pocket Linux experience

## Chart rankings

- #17 in Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

## What do users think of iSH Shell?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🚀 Excellent Linux environment
- 👍 Great for SSH and network utilities
- 💡 Allows running Linux apps on iOS
- 🔒 Secure and sandboxed
- 👍 Customizable and flexible

**Cons**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔋 Battery intensive
- ⚠️ Limited functionality compared to full Linux
- ⚠️ Outdated packages and dependencies

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Cursor focus issues
- Incompatibility with certain commands and packages
- Mounting issues with iOS file system

**Most requested features**

- Add support for more Linux distributions
- Improve performance and stability
- Implement GUI support
- Add shortcuts and automation features

## Recent user reviews (10 of 396)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ish-shell/id1436902243/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Very cool

*2026-08-30, version 1.3.2*

Very lightweight and functional even on older iOS versions. Works great on my iPhone SE first gen. I managed to install yt-dlp and some other fun things like neofetch on it. Very neat little Linux container to play with. My only dislike is that it is a bit slow, but that isn’t much of a problem. I have nothing bad to say about this app. 5 stars.

### 3/5 — It’s internal Python is too old

*2026-08-23, version 1.3.2*

It’s internal Python is too old

### 2/5 — Doesn’t fully work

*2026-08-16, version 1.3.2*

Things like “sudo” and “python” and a lot of others are not inputted Into app..

### 5/5 — He was  1

*2026-08-11, version 1.3.2*

Yep.  This thing has gotten me into coding n stuff. I like it a lot! My girlfriend hates it lol

### 3/5 — Serious Bugs

*2026-07-23, version 1.3.2*

I recently installed iSH and it says content unavailable in the files app and the console goes fuzzy.

### 5/5 — Great Linux app

*2026-07-21, version 1.3.2*

I used this to mod my 3DS because my computer broke recently and this app worked perfectly as if I was using my computer. Simple and easy to use (if you know what you’re doing) and my 3DS is fully modded and I’m playing tomodachi life rn❤️✌️😼

### 5/5 — Real good

*2026-07-09, version 1.3.2*

Can run all alpine commands, you might as well make a server out of it! I tried running rm -rf /*, and I got error code 2! Realistic!

### 5/5 — Perfect!

*2026-07-05, version 1.3.2*

I’m using this with an iPad mini 6 and a Logitech Keys-To-Go. I have wanted linux on my iPad for the longest time. It’s great! For anyone who is reading this review and is not the developers, if your external keyboard isn’t working, just turn off full keyboard access.  Anyway, that sums up my review!

### 4/5 — hoi lag

*2026-07-04, version 1.3.2*

edit big C file kinda laggy with Neovim

### 5/5 — 最强 App

*2026-06-23, version 1.3.2*

没有之一

## Frequently asked questions about iSH Shell

### What does iSH Shell do?

iSH Shell provides a Linux-like command-line environment on your iOS device. It allows you to execute common Linux commands for tasks like editing files with tools such as sed and cat, moving files, and other file management operations.

### What are the key features of iSH Shell?

Key features include a Linux-like shell, the ability to edit files using commands like sed and cat, and general file manipulation capabilities. It essentially brings a pocket Linux experience to your iPhone or iPad.

### Is iSH Shell free to use?

Yes, iSH Shell is a free application. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements within the app.

### What can I use iSH Shell for?

You can use iSH Shell for various command-line tasks on your iOS device, such as basic file management, scripting, or learning Linux commands in a portable environment. It's useful for developers or anyone who needs terminal access on the go.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.3.2 — 2023-05-21

Fixed bugs:
- Make better diagnostics work in the file provider too, to diagnose Files app issues

### 1.3.1 — 2023-05-08

Fixed bugs:
- Send better diagnostics to me through Apple when a crash happens
- Dump stack in dmesg output for segmentation fault and illegal instruction errors
- Include file timestamps in filesystem exports and imports
- Fix crash when renaming a theme
- Fix timer error on startup of Vim 9
- Fix deadlock on exit of Vim 9
- Fix startup of newer versions of htop

### 1.3 — 2023-04-24

New stuff:
- iSH now supports custom themes
- Preferences are now exposed via procfs
- Some more app icon choices
- Hyperlinks created by OSC 8 are underlined instead of invisible

Fixed bugs:
- Forward SO_RCVTIMEO, SO_SNDTIMEO in setsockopts to support snac
- Add about four dozen SIMD instructions to improve support for nodejs and Rust
- Fix bottom keyboard inset for iPad, Stage Manager, and devices with no home button
- Implement /proc/pid/task to fix recent versions of GDB
- Fix VoiceOver focus stealing keyboard focus on iOS 15+
- Resolve an issue with xadd causing git clones to hang
- Trigger segfault on unaligned cmpxchg8b, which iSH does not support
- Fix a race condition that causes some output to be lost
- Fix toolbar button sizing

### 1.2.3 — 2021-12-20

New stuff:
- Updated to Alpine 3.14. If a red badge appears on the settings button, tap and follow the prompts to migrate your repositories.
- Improvements to font measurement in the terminal
- Implemented pmaxub (thanks @akemimadoka on GitHub)
- Comment added to /etc/apk/repositories explaining what it is
Fixed bugs:
- Removed file provider cleanup timer, reducing the amount of time iSH spends in the background doing nothing
- Infinite loop in sigtimedwait

### 1.2.2 — 2021-07-01

New stuff:
- Added an option to hide the status bar
- Updated Alpine repositories to the latest as of 2021-06-25
Fixed bugs:
- Significantly improve launch performance

## Apps similar to iSH Shell

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Termius - Modern SSH Client](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/termius-modern-ssh-client/id549039908) | 4.7 (19,104) | Free | Developer Tools |
| [WebSSH - Sysadmin Toolbox](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/webssh-sysadmin-toolbox/id497714887) | 4.7 (2,515) | Free | Developer Tools |
| [SSH Client - Secure ShellFish](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ssh-client-secure-shellfish/id1336634154) | 4.8 (1,510) | 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 (539) | Free | Developer Tools |
| [xTerminal - SSH Terminal Shell](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xterminal-ssh-terminal-shell/id1544728400) | 4.7 (1,919) | Free | Developer Tools |

## More apps by Theodore Dubois

- [Modulus Calculator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/modulus-calculator/id1432356578)
- [nasin sitelen Wakalito](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nasin-sitelen-wakalito/id1569543076)

All apps by Theodore Dubois: https://appshunter.io/developer/1432356577

## Related topics

[linux terminal](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/linux-terminal) · [ish](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ish) · [linux terminal command](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/linux-terminal-command) · [terminal emulator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/terminal-emulator) · [linux shell](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/linux-shell) · [termux emulator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/termux-emulator) · [unix terminal](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/unix-terminal) · [ish sheel](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ish-sheel) · [issh](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/issh) · [terminal](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/terminal) · [linux](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/linux) · [bash](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bash) · [ssh shell](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ssh-shell) · [command line](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/command-line) · [terminal app](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/terminal-app) · [rootshell](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/rootshell) · [shell](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shell) · [ssh](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ssh) · [termux](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/termux) · [xterminal](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/xterminal)

---

*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 2026-09-09.*