# Secure Terminal vs Visual File Editor

The clearest difference is ads: Secure Terminal at none against Visual File Editor's shown. Secure Terminal also leads on chart position (#140 vs unranked). Visual File Editor's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.6). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Secure Terminal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Visual File Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Secure Terminal against 4.5 for Visual File Editor. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 62 and 25 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Secure Terminal's written reviews are positive against 83% of Visual File Editor's.

Secure Terminal ships an update every 3 weeks, Visual File Editor every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Secure Terminal | Visual File Editor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (62 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secure-terminal/id1463284695/reviews) | [4.5 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/visual-file-editor/id1534296097/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **62** | 25 |
| Positive reviews | **85.9% of reviews** | 83.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#140** | — |
| Size | 195 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Filippo Maguolo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1154554717) | [Tevon Wallace](https://appshunter.io/developer/1427833594) |

## What reviewers say

### Secure Terminal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secure-terminal/id1463284695)

**Currently charting:** #140 Top Grossing · Developer Tools (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** SSH & Telnet connection, Password & key authentication, SFTP file transfer, xterm-256color emulation, Key generation, Port forwarding, Customizable terminal

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PRO FEATURE | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 💰 Great value, one-time purchase
- 🆓 Free version is very capable
- 🚀 Fast and stable performance
- 💻 Works across multiple Apple devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 UI/UX could be better
- ❓ Lack of clear documentation
- 🐌 Some features are slow
- 🚫 Cannot log in without password
- 🖱️ UI elements not always intuitive

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Visual File Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/visual-file-editor/id1534296097)

Edit various file types, including source code and PDFs, with advanced search and import/export capabilities. Optimized for iPadOS with keyboard support to enhance productivity.

**Highlights:** Source code editing, PDF viewing and editing, Advanced search by name, type, date, Import/export via Share Sheet, Create new files, iPadOS optimization, Keyboard shortcuts

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Secure Terminal free?

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

### Is Visual File Editor free?

Visual File Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Secure Terminal or Visual File Editor?

Secure Terminal and Visual File Editor are both rated 4.5 out of 5 on the App Store, from 62 and 25 ratings respectively.

### Do Secure Terminal or Visual File Editor have ads?

Visual File Editor shows ads; Secure Terminal does not.

### Which is updated more often, Secure Terminal or Visual File Editor?

Secure Terminal ships an update every 3 weeks, and Visual File Editor every 4 weeks. Most recently, Secure Terminal was updated on October 12, 2026 and Visual File Editor on October 8, 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.*