# iSH Shell vs Userscripts

The clearest difference is rating: iSH Shell at 4.7 against Userscripts's 4.3. iSH Shell also leads on ratings volume (1.2K vs 181) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

iSH Shell holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iSH Shell has 1.2K ratings behind it against 181, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of iSH Shell's written reviews are positive against 78% of Userscripts's.

iSH Shell ships an update every 3 weeks, Userscripts monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | iSH Shell | Userscripts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ish-shell/id1436902243/reviews)** | [4.3 (181 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/userscripts/id1463298887/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.2K** | 181 |
| Positive reviews | **80.2% of reviews** | 78.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#17** | #22 |
| Size | 6 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Theodore Dubois](https://appshunter.io/developer/1432356577) | [Justin Wasack](https://appshunter.io/developer/1463298886) |

## What reviewers say

### iSH Shell

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ish-shell/id1436902243)

**Currently charting:** #17 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

Experience a Linux-like command-line environment directly on your iOS device. This application allows you to perform common Linux operations such as editing, moving, and manipulating files using familiar commands.

**Highlights:** Linux-like shell environment, File editing with sed and cat, File manipulation, Command-line operations, Pocket Linux experience

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent Linux environment
- 👍 Great for SSH and network utilities
- 💡 Allows running Linux apps on iOS
- 🔒 Secure and sandboxed
- 👍 Customizable and flexible

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔋 Battery intensive
- ⚠️ Limited functionality compared to full Linux
- ⚠️ Outdated packages and dependencies

**Reported bugs**

- Cursor focus issues
- Incompatibility with certain commands and packages
- Mounting issues with iOS file system

**Requested features**

- Add support for more Linux distributions
- Improve performance and stability
- Implement GUI support
- Add shortcuts and automation features


### Userscripts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/userscripts/id1463298887)

**Currently charting:** #22 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

This open-source Safari extension allows you to run custom JavaScript and CSS code on any website. Enhance your browsing experience with personalized styling, automatic redirects, and ad-blocking.

**Highlights:** Run custom JavaScript, Inject custom CSS, Automatic page redirection, Website page manipulation, Custom ad-blocking, Open source, No user tracking

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Works well to inject CSS on iPad in Safari
- 👍 Best thing since sliced bread
- 💡 Allows you to do thousands of things that were previously desktop only
- 🔒 Very stable and works flawlessly with Safari
- 👍 Excellent Safari extension

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Satisfactory to an extent, stops working sometimes
- 🐛 Broke until reinstall
- 🐛 Slowed my Safari down to a crawl
- 🐛 Unpredictable when it applies scripts, but still useful
- 🐛 It's been way too unpredictable for a while now

**Reported bugs**

- Failed to load user data
- Saying there's an error when trying to download something
- Won't work, keeps saying there's an issue and retry
- Disappeared from Safari preferences and won't return after troubleshooting

**Requested features**

- Add support for Safari Tech Preview
- Allow editing of userscripts from the browser extension popup
- Allow creation of a new script from the Safari Extension for the current site
- Allow specifying the order in which scripts should be loaded
- Add support for running scripts in normal mode, private mode or both


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iSH Shell free?

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

### Is Userscripts free?

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

### Which has better reviews, iSH Shell or Userscripts?

iSH Shell is rated higher. iSH Shell averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Userscripts averages 4.3 from 181 ratings.

### Do iSH Shell or Userscripts have ads?

Neither iSH Shell nor Userscripts shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iSH Shell or Userscripts?

iSH Shell ships an update every 3 weeks, and Userscripts monthly. Most recently, iSH Shell was updated on September 23, 2026 and Userscripts on September 22, 2026.

### Which is more popular, iSH Shell or Userscripts?

iSH Shell currently peaks at #17 in the App Store charts, and Userscripts at #22. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*