GitHub vs GateShell
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GitHub
Manage your code projects, review changes, and collaborate with your team on the go. This app allows you to stay updated with notifications, respond to issues, and browse files and code from anywhere.
- Browse notifications
- Read, react, and reply to Issues and Pull Requests
- Review and merge Pull Requests
- Organize Issues with labels and assignees
- Browse files and code
- Discover trending repositories
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There’s a lot you can do on GitHub that doesn’t require a complex development environment – like sharing feedback on a design discussion, or reviewing a few lines of code. GitHub for iOS lets you move work forward wherever you are. Stay in touch with your team, triage issues, and even merge, right from the app. We’re making these tasks easy for you to perform, no matter where you work, with a beautifully native experience. You can use GitHub for iOS to: • Browse your latest notifications • Read, react, and reply to Issues and Pull Requests • Review and merge Pull Requests • Organize Issues with labels, assignees, projects, and more • Browse your files and code • Discover new and trending repositories ——— Terms of Service: https://docs.github.com/en/github/site-policy/github-terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://docs.github.com/en/github/site-policy/github-privacy-statement
GateShell
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GateShell is an SSH, Mosh, and SFTP client, and a full server command center. Your servers, your keys, your device, nothing in between. No backend, no relays, no tracking. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Zero backend. GateShell runs entirely on-device. There's no server to breach because there is no server. • Credentials live in the hardware-encrypted Apple Keychain, or on Secure Enclave keys that never leave your device, not even as an export. • No analytics, no telemetry. We don't know who you are or what you connect to. CONNECT, AND STAY CONNECTED • Native Mosh, with encrypted UDP and predictive local echo. Change networks, close the lid, come back hours later: your session is still there. • Jump hosts reach private servers through a bastion, with per-hop auth and host-key checks. • Import your ~/.ssh/config, or bulk-import servers from CSV. • SSH, Mosh, and Telnet, with automatic SSH fallback when UDP is blocked. SECURE CONNECTIONS • Verified host keys, pinned per server, with a warning the instant one changes. • Generate ed25519, P-256, RSA, or Secure Enclave hardware-backed keys, or import a PuTTY .ppk, including Argon2-encrypted ones. • Security Assistant scans for missing updates, exposed listeners, weak SSH policy, firewall gaps, and expiring certificates. Every finding shows its evidence, and guided fixes run allow-listed commands only after you approve them. • Face ID / Touch ID lock keeps your servers safe even if your device isn't. A REAL TERMINAL • Full XTerm-256 color terminal with fullscreen, scrollback search, and a customizable toolbar. • Two- and four-pane terminals with optional input broadcast. • 32 themes, bundled Nerd Fonts, custom font import, and named keyboard layouts. • Command snippets with ${VAR} prompts, run across many hosts at once. MANAGE THE WHOLE SERVER • 20+ built-in dashboards: Docker, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, Nginx, Caddy, Traefik, Firewall, Cron, PM2, WireGuard, Fail2Ban and more. Each one shows the status and acts on it. • Fleet broadcasts one command to every server at once. • Live health monitoring with restart, logs, and failure alerts. • Install the optional open-source agent on your own server for metric history and push alerts when a service drops, a disk fills, or a cron job fails. It runs on your box, not ours. FILES & CODE • Upload and download over SFTP with progress tracking and background retry. • Show your servers in the Files app, and open remote files like local ones. • Built-in editor with syntax highlighting and find/replace for 13+ languages. • Git on the go: status, stage, commit, and review diffs. • App Preview opens your dev server right in the app, tunneled over your existing SSH connection. BRING YOUR OWN CODING AGENT • Start, resume, and interrupt Claude Code, Codex, or Gemini CLI in any project on your server, straight from the terminal. • It runs under your account, with your CLI. GateShell never proxies it and never sees your provider keys. AI THAT STAYS ON THE DEVICE • Describe what you want in plain English, and GateShell composes the command on-device via Apple Intelligence. • Long output gets an instant, structured summary with error and warning counts. • A multi-step agent proposes a plan and runs it, with your approval on every step. • Automatic secret redaction and a risk warning before dangerous commands run. AT A GLANCE • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets for quick connect, server health, and your last session, plus a Live Activity that tracks the connection you're on. SYNC EVERYWHERE • iCloud syncs your servers, snippets, and known hosts across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, end-to-end encrypted. Free to start. Pro unlocks unlimited servers, SFTP, Mosh, port forwarding, the full dashboard suite, and more. On-device AI features require a device that supports Apple Intelligence. Terms of Use: https://gateshell.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://gateshell.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: GitHub at weekly against GateShell's every 2 months. GitHub also leads on chart position (#2 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. GitHub sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and GateShell sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
GitHub ships an update weekly, GateShell every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GitHub | GateShell |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (37K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 63.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 37K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | #2 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 175 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | GitHub | HEFTY INNOVATIONS |
Bugs and requests
GitHub
Reported bugs
5 issues- Login issues and inability to switch accounts
- Inconsistent behavior when navigating between app and website
- Notifications not always loading correctly
- Inability to view all files in large pull requests
- Crashes when trying to perform certain actions
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for multiple accounts
- Improve search and filtering capabilities
- Implement code editing and file management
- Integrate GitHub Actions and Insights
- Allow viewing and managing GitHub projects
GateShell
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
GitHub
- GitHub Pro$3.991 Month
- Copilot Pro$10.001 Month
- Copilot Pro+$39.991 Month
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- Copilot Max$99.001 Month
GateShell
- GateShell Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
- GateShell Pro Yearly$9.991 Year









