Secure Terminal vs Refined GitHub
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Secure Terminal
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.
- SSH & Telnet connection
- Password & key authentication
- SFTP file transfer
- xterm-256color emulation
- Key generation
- Port forwarding
- Customizable terminal
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SSH Terminal to access multiple SSH server, with full support of "xterm-256color" emulation. Base Features: • SSH connection with password or key authentication: DSA, RSA, ECDSA, Ed25519 (OpenSSH format & Putty PPK) • SSH Agent • Key generation (RSA, ECDSA, Ed25519) • Support for FIDO key (iPhone NFC only) • Secure Enclave Key • Support for Mosh, Sixel, iTerm2 image, ZModem and Trzsz protocols • Connection params are safely stored on Keychain • Connection history & localization • Connection through SSH proxy • Connection with Telnet protocol • External keyboard support • Terminal colors customization • Multiple font size • Image background • User font choice (fixed width only) • Pointer/Mouse support PRO Features (require in-app purchase): • Upload/Download files through SFTP • Port forwarding • Local text editor • Store unlimited connections • Files plugin support • Shortcuts support • Commands snippet • Hosts Status Dashboard • SFTP Commander • XWindow (iPad only)
Refined GitHub
Enhance your GitHub experience with this Safari extension. It streamlines the interface and introduces over 200 features, including improved link detection, visible whitespace, and one-click tools for common tasks. Gain deeper insights into code, pull requests, and repository history.
- Linkifies issue/PR references and URLs
- Makes whitespace characters visible
- Reduces tab size to 4 spaces
- One-click merge conflict fixers
- Reaction avatars for comments
- View source of Markdown files
- Build/CI status icon next to repo name
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Refined GitHub is a Safari extension that simplifies the GitHub.com interface and adds useful features. ■ Highlights - Linkifies issue/PR references and URLs in code. - Makes whitespace characters visible. - Reduces tabs’ size to 4 spaces instead of 8. - Adds one-click merge conflict fixers. - Adds reaction avatars showing who reacted to a comment. - Adds a button to revert all the changes to a file in a PR. - Adds a build/CI status icon next to the repo’s name. - Adds a button to view the source of Markdown files. - Shows PRs that touch the current file. - Highlights the most useful comment in conversations. - Shows the first Git tag a merged PR was included in. - Adds a link to an automatic changelog for each tag/release. - Adds possible related pages and alternatives on 404 pages. - Displays the age of the repository in the sidebar. And so much more! 200+ features. See the developer website for a full list of features. The GITHUB and REFINED GITHUB trademarks are owned by GitHub, Inc. and used under license.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Refined GitHub at none against Secure Terminal's 1. Secure Terminal's advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 73%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Secure Terminal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Refined GitHub asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Secure Terminal against 4.6 for Refined GitHub. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 63 and 88 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Secure Terminal's written reviews are positive against 73% of Refined GitHub's.
Secure Terminal ships an update every 3 weeks, Refined GitHub every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | Secure Terminal | Refined GitHub |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (63 ratings) | 4.6 (88 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.9% of reviews — better | 72.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 63 | 88 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 196 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Filippo Maguolo | Sindre Sorhus |
Customer experience
Secure Terminal
Refined GitHub
Bugs and requests
Secure Terminal
Reported bugs
14 issues- 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
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- Password input is case-insensitive, causing login failures
- Background mode loses connections within ~30 seconds
- Slide-up toolbar covers the bottom line of text when using an external keyboard
- Pro features not working after app was offloaded/reloaded
- App crashes frequently
- Cannot log in to remote servers without a password
- External keyboard shortcuts sometimes stop working
- Background color change not working
- Cannot insert copied password into Linux terminal
Requested features
19 requests- 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
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- Make password input case-sensitive
- Fix FaceID authentication to be more robust
- Allow login to servers without passwords
- Add option to place connection shortcuts on the main screen
- Support background mode for persistent connections
- Improve handling of symbolic links
- Add Agent SSH functionality
- Allow storage of multiple named keys
- Make app protected by FaceID/TouchID on launch
- Access iOS password manager for SSH keys
- Remove bottom keyboard bar
- Improve handling of external keyboard shortcuts
- Add a way to cancel connections more clearly
- Make the main screen less blank and improve 'connect' button placement for single-handed use
Refined GitHub
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Secure Terminal
- PRO FEATURE$4.99
Refined GitHub
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Secure Terminal free?
Is Refined GitHub free?
Which has better reviews, Secure Terminal or Refined GitHub?
Do Secure Terminal or Refined GitHub have ads?
Which is updated more often, Secure Terminal or Refined GitHub?
Other comparisons
