# PiHelper — SFTP & SSH & GPIO

> Remote management and monitoring tool for Raspberry Pi and Linux machines. (iPhone/iPad app by 茜 沙.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pihelper/id1369930932 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [茜 沙](https://appshunter.io/developer/1336462534)
- Category: Utilities, Productivity
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.10/5 from 247 App Store ratings · 157 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 8.0 · 24 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2018-04-24
- Data updated: 2026-07-06
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pihelper/id1369930932/reviews.md

## What is PiHelper?

Get started with PiHelper:
https://medium.com/swlh/using-pihelper-to-monitor-and-manage-raspberry-pis-9a24065febed

PiHelper lets you connect and manage your Raspberry Pi or Linux machine easily.

- Monitor
CPU, memory, disk usage, processes and/or temperature statics in realtime.

- GPIO
Colorful pinout. Tap to change GPIO mode and output.

- SSH Terminal
Realtime shell with full xterm experience.

- SFTP / File browser
Browse files and directories. Easy upload, download, rename and delete.

- Single tap to reboot / halt server. Custom commands are also supported.

- Multi-language support:
  -- English
  -- 中文
  -- 日本語
  -- Русский (Thanks to Sergey Britov)
  -- Deutsche (Thanks to Daniel Wolf)
  -- Français (Thanks to Dorian Eydoux)
  -- Lietuvis (Thanks to Ernestas Kardzys)

Report issue:
- Email: pihelper@outlook.com
- Twitter: @shaqian629

Notes:
- Public/Private key authentication only supports RSA keys. 
- To use the GPIO tool with RPi 4, please upgrade wiringPi to 2.52+:
cd /tmp 
wget https://project-down­load­s.­dro­gon.net/wiring­pi-lat­est.deb 
sudo dpkg -i wiring­pi-lat­est.deb
Reference: http://wiring­pi.­com/wiring­pi-up­dat­ed-to-2-52-for-the-rasp­ber­ry-pi-4b/

## Key features

- Real-time system monitoring (CPU, memory, disk, temp)
- Interactive GPIO control
- Full SSH terminal experience
- SFTP file browser with upload/download
- Remote reboot and halt server
- Custom command execution

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of PiHelper?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 💻 Convenient remote management
- 📊 Useful monitoring features
- 🔑 SSH and SFTP access
- 🚀 Clean and intuitive UI
- 💰 Reasonable pricing

**Cons**

- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer OS versions
- 🔒 Unreliable authentication methods
- 🖥️ Terminal interface limitations
- 🔄 Abandoned by developers
- ⚠️ Potential security concerns

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Inability to connect to Raspberry Pis
- Clipboard data being accessed
- Terminal crashes and text wrapping issues
- Inaccurate CPU and GPU usage reporting
- Incompatibility with newer SSH ciphers

**Most requested features**

- Support for Raspberry Pi 5
- Temperature monitoring in Fahrenheit
- Ability to clear RSA keys
- Network and disk usage monitoring
- Offline notification alerts

## Recent user reviews (10 of 157)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pihelper/id1369930932/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Not working

*2026-02-05, version 1.6*

I performed a reasonable amount of troubleshooting before posting.  It seems this app does not work.  I am confident that all of my machine configurations are accurate and that the problem is within the PiHelper app.

### 1/5 — No longer works

*2025-09-12, version 1.6*

Connection failed tap to retry message seen when trying ssh. My hunch is that the app doesn’t support the newer and more secure ciphers, cipher suites, and/or other algorithms on devices with up to date OS. 

One not so secure option  is to edit the Pi to accept and use older ciphers or find a new app.

### 2/5 — Was awesome, but now needs some love

*2025-06-22, version 1.6*

This used to be a great app however in iOS 18.5 it doesn’t seem to work either with the password or private key. as of the date of this review the app has not been updated in four years. Here is hoping to develop her will come back and work his or her magic again.

### 1/5 — DOA for new OS’s

*2025-06-10, version 1.6*

Was a great clean tool while it worked but recent pi OS updates render the app unusable. Hopefully the dev can update it.

### 1/5 — Not updated hence not working

*2025-02-11, version 1.6*

I cannot get this app to connect to my pihole server. Tried everything. Username password, not working. Private key, not working. Always tells me that a connection to my pihole server isn’t working. Philly on the other hand works fine. I wonder if the app is refusing to connect because my pihole blocks adds?! Not paying money for testing. No way. Might have been a great app, but since I cannot test it, I can only give it 1 Star.

### 5/5 — update to rp5

*2025-01-31, version 1.6*

pls update the app for support raspberry pi 5.

### 1/5 — No longer compatible

*2025-01-30, version 1.6*

Sadly no longer compatible with Bookworm and fails to connect to my Raspberry Pi's. Used to be very useful tool but not anymore.

### 1/5 — No longer compatible

*2024-12-27, version 1.6*

App is no longer compatible with Debian (bookworm) and unable to make connection. 
App needs to be removed from the App Repo

### 1/5 — No Bookworm support

*2024-12-06, version 1.6*

Doesn't work with Bookworm. Used it for years.  Have to find something else.

### 1/5 — So long!!

*2024-11-03, version 1.6*

It was good while it lasted

## Frequently asked questions about PiHelper

### What does PiHelper do?

PiHelper allows you to connect to and manage your Raspberry Pi or Linux machine remotely. It offers features like real-time system monitoring, GPIO pin control, an SSH terminal, SFTP file browsing, and the ability to reboot or halt your server.

### What are the key features of PiHelper?

Key features include real-time monitoring of CPU, memory, disk usage, and temperature. You can also interact with GPIO pins, use a full SSH terminal, browse and manage files via SFTP, and execute custom commands or reboot/halt your server.

### Is PiHelper free to use?

The application is free to download and use, but it does offer in-app purchases. This suggests that some advanced features or functionalities might require a purchase to unlock.

### What devices is PiHelper compatible with?

PiHelper is designed to manage Raspberry Pi and other Linux machines. For specific hardware like the RPi 4, you might need to upgrade the wiringPi package to version 2.52+ for full GPIO functionality.

### What are common use cases for PiHelper?

Common use cases include monitoring the health of your Raspberry Pi projects, remotely controlling hardware connected to GPIO pins, accessing your server's command line from your phone, and managing files on your server without needing a physical connection.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.6 — 2020-10-06

New:
- Add option to disabling/enabling a connection
- Add option to show temperature on main screen
- Add language support for German, French, Lithuanian
Bug fix:
- Fix bug where keyboard hides part of command screen
- Fix term height for iPhone X

### 1.5 — 2020-03-26

- Fix keyboard input issue in terminal after iOS 13.4 upgrade.

### 1.4 — 2020-03-16

- Add option to re-order the connections.  
- Add option to switch between celsius and fahrenheit.
- Add a note about upgrading wiringPi version for RPi 4.

### 1.3 — 2019-04-07

- Add passphrase support for private key authentication.
- Change custom command limit to 15.

### 1.2 — 2019-01-13

- Add language support for Russian
- Fix crash issue when entering terminal

## Apps similar to PiHelper

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Terminal - SFTP & SSH Client](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/terminal-sftp-and-ssh-client/id6503295365) | 4.4 (107) | Free | Utilities |
| [AnyDesk Remote Desktop](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anydesk-remote-desktop/id1176131273) | 4.5 (27,568) | Free | Utilities |
| [Miitems](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/miitems/id1464179200) | — | Free | Utilities |
| [Pusher for Firebase](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pusher-for-firebase/id1450720020) | 5.0 (1) | $0.99 | Utilities |
| [TCI Bitacora](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tci-bitacora/id1464209780) | — | Free | Utilities |
| [Livly Hub](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/livly-hub/id1464225200) | 4.7 (13) | Free | Utilities |

## More apps by 茜 沙

- [Pics & Words - Japanese Quiz](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pics-and-words-japanese-quiz/id1336470474)

All apps by 茜 沙: https://appshunter.io/developer/1336462534

## Related topics

[pifi](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/pifi) · [raspberry pi connect](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/raspberry-pi-connect) · [volumio](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/volumio) · [raspberry pi](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/raspberry-pi) · [gpt32](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/gpt32)

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*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 2026-07-06.*