Comparison

Core Shell vs Mobile SSH Terminal

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

Head to head
About

Core Shell

This app provides a powerful terminal emulator and SSH client for efficient host management. It offers robust features like OpenSSH compatibility, automatic reconnection, and customizable themes. Premium features include unlimited connections and cross-device profile syncing.

Highlights
  • Full-featured terminal emulator
  • OpenSSH compatible
  • Keychain integration
  • Advanced options editor
  • Automatic reconnection
  • Theming and color schemes
  • Unlimited connections (premium)
Read full description

A full featured terminal with built-in OpenSSH support, it’s focused on managing and login to hosts efficiently. Don't waste your time; be productive. ## Features Full-featured Terminal • Compatible with Terminal.app, iTerm and xterm. • Supports ANSI 16 and 256 color palettes, as well as 24bit true color. • Passed cases of *vttest* – a strict VT100/VT220/VT420 terminal functionality test suite. OpenSSH Compatible • Everything in OpenSSH, certificates, proxy jump, etc. Keychain Integration • Tightly integrated with Keychain, don't have to enter passwords or passphrases repeatedly. • It's totally optionally, you can opt-in or opt-out at any time. Advanced Options Editor • A handy way to tune per-host advanced options. • For every ssh directives, there is a contextual help provides immediate information, no more googling. Automatic Reconnect • Always tries to restore your connections after network failure or waking up from background. Theming • Eight built-in color schemes: Basic, Dracula, Grass, Homebrew, Man Page, Novel, Ocean, Red Sands • Our color optimization ensure that colorful text always clearly visible. Premium Features (free for a limited time) • Unlimited number of connections • Sync profiles between all of your Mac computers and iOS devices • Prioritized customer support ------- We'd love to answer your questions or just hear what you think about Core Shell. Our Community: https://community.codinn.com/c/core-shell Use the community to request support or report bug. Discuss and explore Core Shell’s future with us by joining the community.

About

Mobile SSH Terminal

Securely connect to remote Linux and Unix servers from your iOS device. Offers robust security features like military-grade encryption and secure credential storage, along with powerful terminal emulation for managing servers on the go.

Highlights
  • Secure SSH connections with military-grade encryption
  • Password and SSH key authentication support
  • Generate and manage SSH keys
  • Full-featured terminal emulator
  • Save and manage multiple connection profiles
  • Session logging and command tracking
  • Dark mode support
Read full description

Mobile Terminal is a full SSH client for iPhone and iPad. Connect to your Linux and Unix servers, run commands in a real terminal, and manage the keys you connect with — all in one app. A REAL TERMINAL - xterm-compatible terminal emulator with full ANSI colour support - Scrollback, so nothing is lost when output flies past - Ctrl, Esc, Tab and arrow keys on a dedicated key row — vim, htop, tmux and nano work properly - One-tap quick commands: ls -la, pwd, cd .., top, df -h - Adjustable font size and font family, light and dark terminal themes - Pair a Bluetooth or USB keyboard — the on-screen keys step aside REMOTE FILES OVER SFTP - Browse the remote filesystem with sizes, dates and permissions - Upload and download files, and share them straight from the app - Create, rename, delete and change permissions without a command - Edit config files in place with the built-in text editor YOUR SERVERS, ONE TAP AWAY - Save connection profiles with name, host, port and username - Password or SSH key authentication, chosen per connection - Test a connection before you save it - Reconnect to any saved server in a single tap SSH KEY MANAGEMENT BUILT IN - Generate RSA key pairs (2048-bit or 4096-bit) on the device - Import an existing private key from a file, or paste it in - View SHA256 fingerprints and copy public keys to install on a server - Private keys go into the iOS Keychain — never plain text, never our servers SECURITY - Your keys and passwords stay on your device - Optional Face ID or Touch ID lock before the app opens - We never see, transmit or store your server credentials - Standard SSH protocol, straight to your server, no relay in between COMMAND HISTORY - Every command is recorded, grouped by connection - Search your history to find the command you ran last month - Export or share a session's history as a text file 21 LANGUAGES English, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Turkish, Russian, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. WHO IT IS FOR System administrators, backend and DevOps engineers, students learning Linux, self-hosters running a home lab, and anyone who has ever needed to restart a service while away from a desk. PREMIUM Mobile Terminal is a subscription app, with monthly, yearly and lifetime plans. A subscription unlocks unlimited connections, unlimited keys and unlimited terminal sessions. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless it is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel a subscription in your Apple ID account settings after purchase. REQUIREMENTS iOS 15.6 or later, and network access to the servers you connect to — port 22 or a custom port. SUPPORT Questions, bugs or feature requests: info@binaryscript.com Privacy Policy and Terms of Service are linked on the App Store product page. Mobile Terminal is built by BinaryScript.

Screenshots

Core Shell4 screens
Mobile SSH Terminal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Core Shell at 4.0 against Mobile SSH Terminal's 1.0. Core Shell also leads on review sentiment (38% vs 0%) and ads (none vs shown). Mobile SSH Terminal's advantage is chart position (#114 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Core Shell sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Mobile SSH Terminal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Core Shell holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Core Shell's written reviews are positive against 0% of Mobile SSH Terminal's.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Core Shell versus Mobile SSH Terminal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCore ShellMobile SSH Terminal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (2 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews38.1% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequency—Every 10 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank—#114 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCodinn TechnologiesBinaryscript Private Limited

Customer experience

Core Shell

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive38.1%
Neutral11.9%
Negative50.0%

Mobile SSH Terminal

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Core Shell

One-time2
  • Premium (1-Year)3 variants$14.99
  • Premium (4-Year)$44.99
3 purchases

Mobile SSH Terminal

Subscriptions2
  • Mobile Terminal Monthly Premium3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Mobile Terminal Yearly Premium3 Days trial$44.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$79.99

Questions

Is Core Shell free?
Core Shell is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mobile SSH Terminal free?
Mobile SSH Terminal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Core Shell or Mobile SSH Terminal?
Core Shell is rated higher. Core Shell averages 4.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Mobile SSH Terminal averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Core Shell or Mobile SSH Terminal have ads?
Mobile SSH Terminal shows ads; Core Shell does not.

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