Comparison

SSH Tunnel vs Conduit

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

Conduit

Features
Read full description

Stop tracking your infrastructure across scattered text files, Notion pages, and plaintext spreadsheets. Conduit is a framework-agnostic, offline-first infrastructure vault designed for sysadmins, homelabbers, and freelance developers, which acts as a local command centre to map custom services, networks, and configurations, keeping theenvironment details organized and instantly accessible. KEY FEATURES: . Fully Agnostic Custom Services: Track any and all architectures. Add ports, configs, ip addresses, internal routings and other custom settings . Hardware-Encrypted Credential Vault: Keep root credentials, database passwords, and system logins hidden from plain sight. Passwords are never written to the standard database; they are securely locked behind FaceID/TouchID using the iOS Secure Enclave (Keychain API). . Network & Tunnel Mapping: Keep track of your local reverse proxies, system ports, and Cloudflare Tunnel configurations side-by-side with your active deployments. . Client & Project Organization: Group deployments neatly by client or environment (Staging vs. Production) for effortless context-switching when you're managing multiple independent architectures. . Network Diagnostics: Multiple features like Ping, Port conflicts checker, server up status checker, and more features to be added. . API Key Vault: Protect api keys with on device storage guarded by Face ID . Emergency directory: Save any emergency contact, for who to contact during any emergency or site support BUILT FOR PRIVACY: . Conduit is engineered to be completely sandboxed. . 100% Offline: There are no remote servers, no third-party databases, and no cloud syncing in the free version. . Zero Tracking: No telemetry, user data or analytics collection. What happens in your infrastructure stays strictly on your device hardware. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SSH Tunnel4 screens
Conduit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Conduit at Free against SSH Tunnel's $9.99. Conduit also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 6 weeks). SSH Tunnel's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and chart position (#47 vs unranked). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Conduit is free to download; SSH Tunnel costs $9.99 up front. Conduit sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. SSH Tunnel asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SSH Tunnel ships an update every 6 weeks, Conduit every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
SSH Tunnel versus Conduit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSSH TunnelConduit
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (148 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews46.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings148 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank#47 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMobibean, LLCSiddharth Mahajan

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

Conduit

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

SSH Tunnel

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Conduit

Subscriptions2
  • Conduit Plus Monthly$1.491 Month
  • Conduit Plus Annual$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Conduit Plus Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is SSH Tunnel free?
SSH Tunnel costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Conduit free?
Conduit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SSH Tunnel or Conduit have ads?
Neither SSH Tunnel nor Conduit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SSH Tunnel or Conduit?
SSH Tunnel ships an update every 6 weeks, and Conduit every 8 days. Most recently, SSH Tunnel was updated on November 6, 2026 and Conduit on October 31, 2026.

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