Core Shell vs shellin
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Full-featured terminal emulator
- OpenSSH compatible
- Keychain integration
- Advanced options editor
- Automatic reconnection
- Theming and color schemes
- Unlimited connections (premium)
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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.
shellin
Access and control your Mac terminal from your iPhone or iPad. Monitor AI coding agents, run commands, and stay connected to your workflow remotely via an encrypted peer-to-peer connection.
- View Mac terminal live on iPhone/iPad
- Monitor AI coding agents remotely
- Real-time interaction with keyboard input
- Connect without SSH setup
- End-to-end encrypted peer-to-peer session
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shellin lets you view and interact with your Mac terminal from iPhone or iPad. Run the shellin CLI on your Mac, open the iOS app, and your terminal appears live over an encrypted peer-to-peer connection. Whether you are running Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, or a long command in Terminal, shellin helps you stay connected when you step away from your desk. Check progress, approve actions, and send commands right from your phone or tablet. An active shellin subscription is required to connect to your Mac from the iOS app. Why shellin • View your Mac terminal live from iPhone or iPad • Monitor AI coding agents while you are away • Interact in real time with keyboard input and terminal output • Connect without SSH setup, port forwarding, or firewall changes • End-to-end encrypted peer-to-peer session How it works 1. Install the shellin app on iPhone or iPad 2. Choose and activate a shellin subscription in the app 3. Install the shellin CLI on your Mac 4. Sign in with a one-time key 5. Run shellin in the terminal you want to access 6. Open the app and connect to your live session shellin is built for people who want lightweight remote access to an existing Mac terminal session, especially when monitoring AI-assisted workflows on the go. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula Privacy Policy: https://shellin.dev/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: shellin at 5.0 against Core Shell's 4.0. Core Shell's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Core Shell sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and shellin sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
shellin holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.
| Parameter | Core Shell | shellin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 38.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | — | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 49 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Codinn Technologies | Joonhyung Cho |
Customer experience
Core Shell
shellin
In-app purchases
Core Shell
- Premium (1-Year)3 variants$14.99
- Premium (4-Year)$44.99
shellin
- Shellin Lite7 Days trial$0.997 Days
- Shellin Pro$8.991 Month









