# PiHelper vs TCI Bitacora

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TCI Bitacora at none against PiHelper's 1. TCI Bitacora also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months). PiHelper's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 11.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PiHelper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. TCI Bitacora asks for nothing beyond the download.

PiHelper ships an update every 5 months, TCI Bitacora fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 2, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PiHelper | TCI Bitacora |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (247 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pihelper/id1369930932/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **247** | — |
| Positive reviews | 64.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 24 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 11.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [茜 沙](https://appshunter.io/developer/1336462534) | [Armando Montellano](https://appshunter.io/developer/1455567990) |

## What reviewers say

### PiHelper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pihelper/id1369930932)

Easily connect to and manage your Raspberry Pi or Linux machine remotely. Monitor system resources, control GPIO pins, and access an SSH terminal. Browse and manage files with SFTP and perform server actions like rebooting.

**Highlights:** Real-time system monitoring (CPU, memory, disk, temp), Interactive GPIO control, Full SSH terminal experience, SFTP file browser with upload/download, Remote reboot and halt server, Custom command execution

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Convenient remote management
- 📊 Useful monitoring features
- 🔑 SSH and SFTP access
- 🚀 Clean and intuitive UI
- 💰 Reasonable pricing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer OS versions
- 🔒 Unreliable authentication methods
- 🖥️ Terminal interface limitations
- 🔄 Abandoned by developers
- ⚠️ Potential security concerns

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to connect to Raspberry Pis
- Clipboard data being accessed
- Terminal crashes and text wrapping issues
- Inaccurate CPU and GPU usage reporting
- Incompatibility with newer SSH ciphers

**Requested features**

- Support for Raspberry Pi 5
- Temperature monitoring in Fahrenheit
- Ability to clear RSA keys
- Network and disk usage monitoring
- Offline notification alerts


### TCI Bitacora

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tci-bitacora/id1464209780)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PiHelper free?

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

### Is TCI Bitacora free?

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

### Do PiHelper or TCI Bitacora have ads?

Neither PiHelper nor TCI Bitacora shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PiHelper or TCI Bitacora?

PiHelper ships an update every 5 months, and TCI Bitacora fortnightly. Most recently, PiHelper was updated on September 2, 2026 and TCI Bitacora on September 16, 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.*