Kodex vs iSH Shell
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Kodex
An advanced code editor for iOS devices, offering desktop-class features like multi-caret editing, regex search, and syntax highlighting for over 150 languages. It integrates with the Files app and supports external keyboards for a seamless coding experience.
- Multi-caret editing
- Regex search and replace
- Minimap for navigation
- Syntax highlighting (150+ languages)
- External keyboard support
- Files app integration
- Customizable themes and fonts
Read full descriptionHide full description
Kodex is an advanced code editor which brings powerful and desktop-class editor features to your iPad or iPhone: * Multi-caret editing, to quickly transform code selections. * Regex search and replace, with template matching and replace-all-matches. * Minimap which allows quick scroll navigation though the document. * Multiple window support * Syntax highlighting for over 150 languages. * Trackpad support with custom gestures to add cursors (ctrl+shift+click). * Auto complete feature (currently only for HTML). * Add as many guide columns as you wish (default 80 and 120 characters). * Configurable tab size (default 4 spaces), or insert spaces when pressing tab. * Draw hints for invisible characters such as new lines, tabs, and spaces. * Customizable key bindings, so you can configure Kodex to use the same key combos you are already used to. * Kodex smartly preserves your open documents so that your work stays as you left it between launches. * Light and Dark modes. Kodex is integrated with the Files app, so you can easily open files from any other app, and from your iCloud documents folder. You can launch Kodex QuickEdit from any file sharing view in any app to edit its contents without launching the main Kodex App (be aware this functionality depends on the host app implementing the sharing activity properly). Included are 10 editor themes, and several monospaced fonts for code editing (you can install your own preferred fonts using system profiles). Font size and line spacing are adjustable, so you can configure Kodex to best fit your preferred screen size, arrangement, and orientation. Kodex is not a compiler, and you can not build or run the code you edit from it. Think of Kodex as a NotePad++ or Sublime Text substitute for iPhone and iPad. Kodex is currently optimized for external keyboards, such as Apple's Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro, or any bluetooth/USB keyboard. More virtual keyboard features will be added in a future version.
iSH Shell
Experience a Linux-like command-line environment directly on your iOS device. This application allows you to perform common Linux operations such as editing, moving, and manipulating files using familiar commands.
- Linux-like shell environment
- File editing with sed and cat
- File manipulation
- Command-line operations
- Pocket Linux experience
Read full descriptionHide full description
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/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: iSH Shell at 4.7 against Kodex's 4.2. iSH Shell also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (80% vs 63%). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Kodex sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. iSH Shell asks for nothing beyond the download.
iSH Shell holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iSH Shell has 1.3K ratings behind it against 209, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Kodex's written reviews are positive against 80% of iSH Shell's.
Kodex ships an update monthly, iSH Shell every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Kodex | iSH Shell |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (209 ratings) | 4.7 (1.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 63.1% of reviews | 80.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 209 | 1.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #73 | #20 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Bruno Philipe Resende Silva | Theodore Dubois |
Customer experience
Kodex
iSH Shell
User reviews
Kodex
From 209 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Powerful code editor
- 👍 Well-integrated with iPad features
- 🎨 Excellent syntax highlighting and theming
- 📁 Broad file format support
- 💡 Useful QuickEdit mode
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Lack of search and replace functionality
- 🔀 Difficulty navigating between files
- 🚫 No option to run/compile code
- 📏 Forced word wrapping with no toggle
iSH Shell
From 1.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent Linux environment
- 👍 Great for SSH and network utilities
- 💡 Allows running Linux apps on iOS
- 🔒 Secure and sandboxed
- 👍 Customizable and flexible
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔋 Battery intensive
- ⚠️ Limited functionality compared to full Linux
- ⚠️ Outdated packages and dependencies
Bugs and requests
Kodex
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes when opening certain file types
- Loses data after copy/paste and undo/redo
- Compatibility issues with latest iOS versions
- Overlapping UI elements in search/replace
Requested features
5 requests- Add search and replace feature
- Implement code execution/compilation
- Improve file management and navigation
- Provide option to disable word wrapping
- Introduce more keyboard shortcuts
iSH Shell
Reported bugs
3 issues- Cursor focus issues
- Incompatibility with certain commands and packages
- Mounting issues with iOS file system
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for more Linux distributions
- Improve performance and stability
- Implement GUI support
- Add shortcuts and automation features
In-app purchases
Kodex
- Tip$4.99
iSH Shell
No in-app purchases
