# RETRO FORTH vs Terminal & SSH

RETRO FORTH and Terminal & SSH both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 85% of Terminal & SSH's written reviews are positive against 33% of RETRO FORTH's. Terminal & SSH also leads on ratings volume (105 vs 5) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). RETRO FORTH's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Terminal & SSH sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. RETRO FORTH asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for RETRO FORTH against 4.3 for Terminal & SSH. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Terminal & SSH has 105 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 33% of RETRO FORTH's written reviews are positive against 85% of Terminal & SSH's.

RETRO FORTH ships an update monthly, Terminal & SSH every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 6, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | RETRO FORTH | Terminal & SSH |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retro-forth/id1170943580/reviews)** | [4.3 (105 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/terminal-and-ssh/id1558156247/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **105** |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | **84.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 4 MB | 74 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Charles Childers](https://appshunter.io/developer/900749636) | [Pavlo Kravchenko](https://appshunter.io/developer/1474839903) |

## What reviewers say

### RETRO FORTH

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retro-forth/id1170943580)

A compact and adaptable concatenative programming language designed for ease of learning and customization. It features a code editor, interactive listener, and support for Gopher servers, allowing for flexible development.

**Highlights:** Concatenative programming language, Code editor with Markdown subset, Literate programming style, Interactive listener interface, Gopher server data fetching, File manager, Documentation browser

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Terminal & SSH

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/terminal-and-ssh/id1558156247)

Access and manage Linux or IoT devices securely from your mobile device. Offers SSH, SFTP, and a suite of network tools for command-line administration and file transfer. Includes a code editor and snippet manager for efficient workflow.

**Highlights:** SSH connection with key authentication, SFTP file transfer, Network tools (ping, ifconfig, etc.), Local text editor with syntax highlighting, Command snippets, Code editor, Terminal theme customization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove ads | $4.99 | per month |
| Remove ads | $9.99 | per 3 months |
| Five connections | $1.99 | one-time |
| Twenty connections | $4.99 | one-time |
| Infinity connections | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 🆓 Free of charge
- 🚫 No ads
- 💻 Great for remote server management

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- ⚠️ Not working on older iOS versions
- 🖱️ UI needs improvement
- ⌨️ Bluetooth keyboard arrow keys not working
- 🔄 App crashes on loading

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes after showing logo on iOS 12.2
- Crashes on iPad Air with iOS 12.3.1
- Crashes frequently (Chinese review)
- Crashes on loading
- App crashes on loading starting today

**Requested features**

- Keepalive features for long builds
- Physical arrow keys for Bluetooth keyboards
- Support for Chinese input in terminal
- UI improvements for common keys on toolbar
- Ability to touch and drag back through commands


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RETRO FORTH free?

RETRO FORTH is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Terminal & SSH free?

Terminal & SSH is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, RETRO FORTH or Terminal & SSH?

RETRO FORTH is rated higher. RETRO FORTH averages 4.4 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Terminal & SSH averages 4.3 from 105 ratings.

### Do RETRO FORTH or Terminal & SSH have ads?

Terminal & SSH shows ads; RETRO FORTH does not.

### Which is updated more often, RETRO FORTH or Terminal & SSH?

RETRO FORTH ships an update monthly, and Terminal & SSH every 2 weeks. Most recently, RETRO FORTH was updated on September 6, 2026 and Terminal & SSH on September 27, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*