SSH Tunnel vs TxThinking SSH
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
TxThinking SSH
This app provides a secure SSH terminal for managing multiple servers. It supports simultaneous sessions, password, and private key authentication. A one-time purchase unlocks its functionality across Apple devices.
- Manage multiple servers
- Multiple SSH sessions simultaneously
- Password authentication
- Private key authentication
- One-time purchase
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A SSH Terminal. [Just make a one-time purchase, and you can download it on your iPhone, iPad, and macOS devices!] - Manage multiple servers - Supports opening multiple SSH sessions simultaneously - Support password authentication - Support private key authentication Standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Service: https://www.txthinking.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://www.txthinking.com/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: TxThinking SSH at 100% against SSH Tunnel's 46%. TxThinking SSH also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and device support (4 vs 2). SSH Tunnel's advantage is price ($9.99 vs $19.99) and ratings volume (147 vs 3). On 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
SSH Tunnel costs $9.99 and TxThinking SSH $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
TxThinking SSH holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SSH Tunnel has 147 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of SSH Tunnel's written reviews are positive against 100% of TxThinking SSH's.
| Parameter | SSH Tunnel | TxThinking SSH |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 — better | $19.99 |
| Rating | 4.0 (147 ratings) | 4.7 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 45.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 147 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #45 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Mobibean, LLC | TxThinking, Inc. |
Customer experience
SSH Tunnel
TxThinking SSH
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
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- 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
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- 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
TxThinking SSH
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SSH Tunnel
No in-app purchases
TxThinking SSH
No in-app purchases









