Comparison

Textastic Code Editor vs SSHive

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Textastic Code Editor

A powerful text and code editor for mobile devices, offering syntax highlighting for over 80 languages, code completion, and formatting tools. It allows connection to various servers and cloud storage for seamless file management and editing.

Highlights
  • Syntax highlighting for 80+ languages
  • SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, and Dropbox client
  • Built-in SSH terminal
  • Code completion and formatting
  • External keyboard and trackpad support
  • Split View and Slide Over multitasking
Features
Read full description

Textastic is a comprehensive and versatile text and code editor for iPad and iPhone. It supports syntax highlighting for more than 80 programming and markup languages. Connect to SFTP, FTP, and WebDAV servers or to your Dropbox account. Use the built-in SSH terminal to work directly on your server. Features: - Syntax highlighting for more than 80 languages, including HTML, JavaScript, CSS, C++, Swift, Objective-C, Rust, XML, Markdown, PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, Lua, YAML, JSON, SQL, shell scripts, and many more (full list available on the website) - Compatible with Sublime Text 3 and TextMate 1 syntax definitions and themes - Code completion for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, C, Objective-C, and PHP - SFTP (SSH), FTP, FTPS (FTP over SSL), WebDAV, and Dropbox clients - SSH terminal connections - Code formatter for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and JSON - Git repositories from the Git client app Working Copy can be opened as external folders in Textastic - Emmet support - JavaScript console - iCloud Drive file synchronization - WebDAV server for easy file transfer between Textastic and your Mac or PC over Wi-Fi - Symbol list for quick navigation within a file - Full support for external keyboards, trackpads, and mice - Configurable keyboard shortcuts - Additional keys above the virtual keyboard for frequently used programming characters - Cursor navigation wheel for easy text selection - Move the cursor using swipe gestures - Split View and Slide Over multitasking on iPad - Open multiple files in tabs - Multiple windows on iPadOS - Dark Mode support - Support for common text encodings such as UTF-8, UTF-16, and ISO-8859-1 - Support for different tab widths and soft tabs (spaces instead of tabs) - Custom fonts - Find and Replace, including regular expression search - Find in multiple files - File information such as character and word counts - Local and remote web preview for HTML and Markdown files Pricing: Textastic requires a monthly or yearly subscription or a one-time purchase. Each subscription includes a 7-day free trial with full access to all features. Privacy Policy: https://www.textasticapp.com/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

SSHive

This app provides comprehensive remote access to servers and desktops, supporting SSH, SFTP, RDP, VNC, and VPN. Manage files, open terminals, and control remote machines securely from your iPhone or iPad.

Highlights
  • SSH terminal access
  • SFTP file management
  • RDP and VNC remote desktop
  • Built-in VPN
  • Secure credential management
  • iCloud sync
  • Face ID/Touch ID protection
Features
Read full description

SSHive is the all-in-one remote access client for iPhone and iPad — SSH, SFTP, RDP, VNC and a built-in VPN in one fast, private, native app. Manage your servers, open a full terminal, transfer files, and control remote Windows, macOS and Linux desktops from anywhere. SUPPORTED PROTOCOLS • SSH — full terminal (SwiftTerm), key & password auth • SFTP — browse, upload, download and manage files • RDP — Remote Desktop to Windows PCs and servers • VNC — screen sharing for macOS and Linux • OpenVPN — open a secure tunnel before you connect KEY FEATURES • Touch-optimized mouse & keyboard for RDP and VNC • SSH key generation, import and management • Port forwarding / SSH tunnels • Command snippets and history • Shared credentials reused across profiles • Folders to organize your connections • Face ID / Touch ID protection for every secret • iCloud sync of profiles and keys across your devices • Import / export your connections (.sshive) • Native SwiftUI design for iPhone and iPad, light & dark NETWORK TOOLS • Ping — test host reachability • DNS Lookup — resolve domain names • Traceroute — trace the network path • Whois — domain registration info • MX Lookup — a domain's mail servers • Blacklist Check (DNSBL) — see if an IP is blacklisted • Network interfaces — local IP, netmask and active interfaces PRIVACY FIRST Your passwords and keys live in the iOS Keychain, protected by Face ID / Touch ID. Nothing goes through our servers — connections run straight from your device to yours. FREE & PRO Use SSHive for free with core SSH access. Upgrade to Pro to unlock RDP, VNC, VPN, unlimited sessions and profiles, tunnels, broadcast, shared accounts and more. Whether you are a developer, sysadmin or DevOps engineer, SSHive puts your whole infrastructure in your pocket.

Screenshots

Textastic Code Editor4 screens
SSHive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: SSHive at freemium against Textastic Code Editor's subscription. SSHive also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 69%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Textastic Code Editor's advantage is ratings volume (2.5K vs 1) and chart position (#19 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Textastic Code Editor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and SSHive sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SSHive holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Textastic Code Editor has 2.5K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Textastic Code Editor's written reviews are positive against 100% of SSHive's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Textastic Code Editor versus SSHive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTextastic Code EditorSSHive
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.5K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.5K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
Best chart rank#19 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander BlachNetMeSafe

Customer experience

Textastic Code Editor

All ratings2,537 ratings
Positive93.1%
Neutral1.5%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews601 reviews
Positive68.9%
Neutral8.7%
Negative22.5%

SSHive

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Textastic Code Editor

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Issues with SSH/SFTP connectivity and authentication
  • Problems with handling large files or files with certain extensions
  • Inconsistent text selection and editing behavior

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for more cloud storage providers (e.g. Google Drive, OneDrive)
  • Implement a more seamless remote file editing and syncing workflow
  • Improve code editing features like code folding, multi-cursor support, and code beautification
  • Add a built-in terminal or ability to run code directly within the app

SSHive

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Textastic Code Editor

Subscriptions2
  • Textastic Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Textastic Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Textastic Pro (One-Time)$69.99
1 purchases

SSHive

One-time1
  • SSHive Pro$8.99

Questions

Is Textastic Code Editor free?
Textastic Code Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SSHive free?
SSHive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Textastic Code Editor or SSHive?
SSHive is rated higher. Textastic Code Editor averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while SSHive averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Textastic Code Editor or SSHive have ads?
Neither Textastic Code Editor nor SSHive shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Textastic Code Editor or SSHive?
Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 3 weeks, and SSHive every 3 weeks. Most recently, Textastic Code Editor was updated on October 13, 2026 and SSHive on September 30, 2026.

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