App Designer vs Helmrig Shell
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
App Designer
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Turn your iPhone, iPad or Mac into a powerful Swift development environment. App Designer lets you write, run, preview, organize, and debug Swift code directly on your device β completely offline and without Xcode. Build SwiftUI, UIKit, and RealityKit projects with live code execution, a built-in canvas preview, professional editing tools, Xcode project import/export, and an integrated AI assistant that can work offline or with your own online provider. Write Swift Anywhere Run Swift code instantly and see real-time output while you build. Preview SwiftUI and UIKit interfaces side by side with your code and bring your ideas to life directly on your device. Professional Code Editor Enjoy syntax highlighting with 89 color themes, smart autocomplete for Swift, SwiftUI, and UIKit, adjustable font size, line wrap, bracket matching, and automatic bracket insertion. Built-in Debugging Tools Set breakpoints, step through your code, highlight the current execution line, and view inline errors and warnings directly in the editor. SwiftUI, UIKit & RealityKit Create modern SwiftUI interfaces with VStack, HStack, NavigationStack, @State, gestures, animations, and more. Build UIKit views with buttons, labels, Auto Layout, and Core Animation. Explore 3D content with RealityKit, including RealityView, MeshResource, and Entity loading. Xcode Project Import & Export Import existing Xcode projects, continue working on the go, and export them back to Xcode when you're ready to keep building on your Mac. Project & Asset Management Manage your growing app gallery with folders, multiple pages, sorting options, Spotlight-style search, and an βOnly Activeβ filter. Browse resources with a built-in file explorer, import images and files, add custom app icons, personalize your gallery with wallpapers, and duplicate, rename, or delete projects with ease. Learn by Example Start quickly with built-in example projects covering SwiftUI animations, UIKit layouts, file handling, image manipulation, and more. 100% Offline No internet connection required. App Designer gives you the tools to build real Swift apps right from your pocket. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Helmrig Shell
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The terminal from your desk, now on iPhone and iPad. Helmrig Shell is a native terminal β btop, tmux, vim, true color, ligatures, full escape-sequence support, rendered natively. Not a web view, not a cut-down mobile shell. A real desktop terminal that feels like the one you already use. Your sessions run on your own Mac or server. The iPad or iPhone is just the window β so they never drop. Lock the screen, lose signal, switch to another app, come back hours later: every tab, every running process, your full scrollback, exactly where you left it. No reconnect dance, no lost output. Drop a file onto the terminal and it uploads to your machine, with the full path dropped straight into your command line. Hand a screenshot to a CLI tool, attach a file to a running command β it just works, as if the file were already there. Built on libghostty for the rendering you'd expect from a desktop terminal. Hardware keyboard shortcuts, split panes, tabs that name themselves after what's running. Designed for iPad first, not ported from somewhere else. Works anywhere over an end-to-end encrypted connection β at your desk, on the couch, or across the world. Not limited to your local network. Helmrig Shell requires a subscription to use. A free trial is available, after which continued access requires Helmrig Shell Pro at $8.99/month. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. WHAT IT IS A window into your own machine. Your shell, your tools, your environment β running where they always have, now reachable from your iPad. WHAT IT NEEDS A Mac or Linux machine you control, running the Helmrig server. Setup takes one command. PRIVACY No third-party SDKs. No analytics. No crash reporting. Helmrig Shell servers never see terminal output. Full policy at helmrig.app/shell-privacy.html CONTACT hi@helmrig.app Support Link: https://helmrig.app/support Privacy Policy: https://helmrig.app/shell-privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://helmrig.app/shell-terms.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Helmrig Shell at Free against App Designer's $2.99. Helmrig Shell also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3). App Designer's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Helmrig Shell is free to download; App Designer costs $2.99 up front. App Designer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Helmrig Shell asks for nothing beyond the download.
App Designer ships an update weekly, Helmrig Shell every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | App Designer | Helmrig Shell |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free β better |
| Update frequency | Weekly β better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No β better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac β better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 β better | 26.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Norbert Grieger | Nikita Kislitsin |
In-app purchases
App Designer
- Pro Monthly3 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Pro Yearly3 Days trial$24.991 Year
- Pro Lifetime$49.99
Helmrig Shell
No in-app purchases









