Comparison

SSH Tunnel vs Blink Shell, Build & Code

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

Head to head
About

SSH Tunnel

Securely manage SSH tunnels and port forwarding on your mobile device. Configure local SOCKS5 proxies and private tunnels to your own server, with support for various authentication methods and advanced traffic redirection rules.

Highlights
  • Local Port Forwarding
  • Dynamic Port Forwarding (SOCKS5 proxy)
  • Password, Private Key, 2FA authentication
  • Multiple SSH Key support
  • Connection Export & Import
  • Proxy Auto-Configuration (PAC) file support
Features
Read full description

SSH Tunnel is the easiest way to tunnel your traffic through your own SSH server on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Version 3.0 is a complete native rewrite with a new VPN engine: route ALL device traffic through your server, keep it running in the background, and reconnect automatically. The old foreground-only limitation is gone. TWO ENGINES - VPN engine: system-wide tunnel built on Apple's Network Extension. Works in the background, survives restarts, and restores itself after reboots and network changes (On Demand). - Proxy engine: a local SOCKS5 proxy with a PAC file for browsers, third-party apps, or sharing the tunnel with other devices on your Wi-Fi. Run several tunnels at once. FEATURES - Dynamic port forwarding (SOCKS5 proxy), like "ssh -D" - Local port forwarding, like "ssh -L 80:intra.example.com:80 gw.example.com" - Password, private key, and keyboard-interactive (2FA/OTP) authentication - Keys: ed25519, ECDSA, RSA (rsa-sha2), OpenSSH and PuTTY .ppk formats, import from file - Modern ciphers and OpenSSH 8.8+ compatibility - Host key fingerprint verification - In-app browser that uses the tunnel (iOS) - Proxy Auto-Configuration (PAC) URL with custom PAC rules - Live transfer statistics and connection logs - Connection export & import - Passcode & Face ID protection - Idle disconnect timer - Native menu bar app on macOS, included with your purchase - Dark mode. No ads, no subscriptions, no accounts. YOUR SERVER, YOUR DATA SSH Tunnel connects only to a server YOU provide. There are no accounts and no servers we operate: your traffic flows directly between your device and your own SSH server. We never see, collect, or sell any of it. You need your own SSH server to use this application. Support: support@ssh-tunnel-ios.com

About

Blink Shell, Build & Code

Transform your iOS device into a powerful terminal for coding and development. Leverage Mosh and SSH for stable, fast connections. Integrate with VS Code and manage your entire development workflow from your pocket.

Highlights
  • Mosh and SSH connections
  • VS Code integration (Blink Code)
  • Remote runtime creation (Blink Build)
  • Full SSH toolset
  • Hardware keyboard support
  • External display support
  • SFTP transfers
Features
Read full description

Do Blink! Transform your iOS device into a pro-grade terminal. Blink is the first professional, desktop-grade terminal for iOS that leverages the support of Mosh and SSH. Thus, we can guarantee stable connections, crazy-fast speeds, and full configurations. It can and should be your all-day-long tool.  **Start your 14-day free trial now!** But, Blink is much more. Now with Blink Code and Blink Build**, your entire development workflow fits in your pocket. What the Blink community is saying: “In some ways, I prefer my iPad / Blink / Digital Ocean setup to coding on my Mac“ - TheVerge "I have tried a number of terminals on iOS and this is really The One." - Twit.tv “Connections still come up when I get back to a client project after a weekend off.“ - The Sweet Setup “The way to use VS Code on the iPad” - programminglife.io What our users love the most from Blink Shell: - Mosh connections that even survive a device reboot. - Most complete SSH implementation on iOS. - Code command for VS Code integration. - Blazingly fast terminal and SFTP transfers. - Includes Pragmata Pro with ligatures. Blink Shell has a fully loaded SSH toolset: - SSH with PKI support: DSA, RSA, ECDSA & ED25519 keys. - Support for Secure Enclave Keys and Certificates. - Port forwarding with local, remote & dynamic tunnel support. - SOCKS5 proxy for a private VPN. - Agent Forwarding. - Complete SSH Config file support. - ControlMaster and pooled connections. - Files.app integration for SFTP remote hosts. - SFTP with copy-on-change. Blink has been the leading developer tool in the AppStore for +5 years, so there is a lot more: - External Display support. - Legendary Hardware Keyboard support, even remap shortcuts and keyboard codes. - Local & iCloud Blink Shell folders for Files.app access across devices. - Host sync over iCloud. - Link-files from other applications and work with them in Blink. - Cool themes and fonts, and install your own! - Smart Keys on SW Keyboard to navigate with touch. - FaceCam command to create tutorials and streams. - Bell notifications. - Supports multiple windows and multiple tabs. - Network & UNIX CLI tools, check our docs for more information. Blink Code integrates with VS Code: - Code on local projects, or seamlessly on remote machines. - Fully-loaded code editor. - A coding experience fitted to your device, that connects to VS Code for web, GitHub Codespaces, GitPod or your own VS Code server. Blink Build (Requires a $7.99/month subscription) Creates remote runtimes that can be accessed on all your devices. You can use Build in your day-to-day workflows whether you need to do development, DevOps or just play around with new tooling. Participate in our community, and don’t forget to leave us your feedback and your feature(s) requests. Enjoy! http://blink.sh http://twitter.com/blinkshell http://GitHub.com/blinksh Terms of Use: https://blink.sh/blink-gpl Privacy Policy: https://blink.sh/pp * Blink Code is not affiliated nor endorsed by Microsoft. ** Blink Build requires a separate subscription to make use of our Virtual Machines.

Screenshots

SSH Tunnel4 screens
Blink Shell, Build & Code4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Blink Shell, Build & Code at Free against SSH Tunnel's $9.99. Blink Shell, Build & Code also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and chart position (#12 vs #49). SSH Tunnel's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 3.1) and in-app purchases (none vs 5). On ratings volume, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Blink Shell, Build & Code is free to download; SSH Tunnel costs $9.99 up front. Blink Shell, Build & Code sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. SSH Tunnel asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SSH Tunnel holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 148 and 421 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of SSH Tunnel's written reviews are positive against 37% of Blink Shell, Build & Code's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SSH Tunnel ships an update every 6 weeks, Blink Shell, Build & Code every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
SSH Tunnel versus Blink Shell, Build & Code: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSSH TunnelBlink Shell, Build & Code
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (148 ratings) — better3.1 (421 ratings)
Positive reviews46.2% of reviews — better36.8% of reviews
Number of ratings148421 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#49#12 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB211 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMobibean, LLCBlink Shell, Inc

Customer experience

SSH Tunnel

All ratings148 ratings
Positive70.9%
Neutral6.8%
Negative22.3%
Written reviews104 reviews
Positive46.2%
Neutral9.6%
Negative44.2%

Blink Shell, Build & Code

All ratings418 ratings
Positive51.7%
Neutral2.6%
Negative45.7%
Written reviews348 reviews
Positive36.8%
Neutral2.3%
Negative60.9%

Bugs and requests

SSH Tunnel

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • 2FA login not working despite being advertised
  • In-app browser unable to access localhost or local IP addresses
  • Private key parsing issues (requires proper line endings)
  • Connection drops frequently (every 5 minutes in some cases)
  • App crashes unexpectedly
Show 7 more
  • Cannot edit or delete existing connections
  • Tunnel connection drops when changing applications
  • Port remains busy after tunnel termination
  • Location services prompt appears every time app closes
  • App not updated for iOS 16+ compatibility
  • SOCKS5 functionality not working in some cases
  • Incompatible with iOS 18

Requested features

12 requests
  • Background app refresh capability
  • VPN interface implementation for system-wide traffic routing
  • Multiple simultaneous tunnels
  • Tabs in built-in browser
  • Remote port forwarding support
Show 7 more
  • 2FA/Two-factor authentication support
  • Better documentation and setup guides
  • Support for PuTTY key format
  • Mouse click events in in-app browser
  • Shortcuts app integration
  • Compression option support
  • Global proxy support for mobile networks

Blink Shell, Build & Code

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

SSH Tunnel

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Blink Shell, Build & Code

Subscriptions4
  • Build Basic - 50 credits/month1 Month trial$7.991 Month
  • Blink+Build Basic7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Blink Plus$19.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Blink+14 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Blink Shell ClassicFree

Questions

Is SSH Tunnel free?
SSH Tunnel costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Blink Shell, Build & Code free?
Blink Shell, Build & Code is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SSH Tunnel or Blink Shell, Build & Code?
SSH Tunnel is rated higher. SSH Tunnel averages 4.0 out of 5 from 148 ratings, while Blink Shell, Build & Code averages 3.1 from 421 ratings.
Do SSH Tunnel or Blink Shell, Build & Code have ads?
Neither SSH Tunnel nor Blink Shell, Build & Code shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SSH Tunnel or Blink Shell, Build & Code?
SSH Tunnel ships an update every 6 weeks, and Blink Shell, Build & Code every 3 weeks. Most recently, SSH Tunnel was updated on October 24, 2026 and Blink Shell, Build & Code on October 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, SSH Tunnel or Blink Shell, Build & Code?
SSH Tunnel currently peaks at #49 in the App Store charts, and Blink Shell, Build & Code at #12. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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