# XHelper vs Secure Terminal

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: XHelper at none against Secure Terminal's 1. XHelper also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 86%). Secure Terminal's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 16 months) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 27.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Secure Terminal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. XHelper asks for nothing beyond the download.

XHelper ships an update every 16 months, Secure Terminal every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | XHelper | Secure Terminal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.5 (62 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secure-terminal/id1463284695/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **62** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 85.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 16 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 6 MB | 195 MB |
| Requires iOS | 27.0 | **16.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Vea Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/578466740) | [Filippo Maguolo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1154554717) |

## What reviewers say

### XHelper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xhelper-developer-toolkit/id1329601633)

A straightforward utility for developers to perform common cryptographic and encoding tasks. It allows hashing strings with SHA256, converting between epoch and Unix timestamps, and encoding/decoding with base64.

**Highlights:** SHA256 string hashing, Epoch and Unix timestamp conversion, Base64 encoding, Base64 decoding

**In-app purchases:** none


### Secure Terminal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secure-terminal/id1463284695)

This application provides secure remote access to servers via SSH and Telnet. It supports various authentication methods, terminal emulations, and file transfer protocols. Advanced features like SFTP and port forwarding are available through an in-app purchase.

**Highlights:** SSH & Telnet connection, Password & key authentication, SFTP file transfer, xterm-256color emulation, Key generation, Port forwarding, Customizable terminal

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PRO FEATURE | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 💰 Great value, one-time purchase
- 🆓 Free version is very capable
- 🚀 Fast and stable performance
- 💻 Works across multiple Apple devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 UI/UX could be better
- ❓ Lack of clear documentation
- 🐌 Some features are slow
- 🚫 Cannot log in without password
- 🖱️ UI elements not always intuitive

**Reported bugs**

- SFTP cannot be opened when using a proxy server to connect to SSH
- Backspace clears the entire line, hiding the current working directory
- App crashes during docker compose pull with ZSH and ohmyzsh
- FaceID authenticates only once per app execution
- File transfer adds single quotes to the beginning and end of filenames

**Requested features**

- Allow adding more than one connection in free version
- Improve UI/UX for better intuitiveness
- Provide clear documentation for Port Forwarding
- Add ability to format/prettify command snippets in clipboard/saved commands
- Keep theme full dark and add plain simple b&w icon


## Frequently asked questions

### Is XHelper free?

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

### Is Secure Terminal free?

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

### Do XHelper or Secure Terminal have ads?

Neither XHelper nor Secure Terminal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, XHelper or Secure Terminal?

XHelper ships an update every 16 months, and Secure Terminal every 3 weeks. Most recently, XHelper was updated on October 18, 2026 and Secure Terminal on October 19, 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.*