# ServerCat vs Shell Drop

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shell Drop at none against ServerCat's 3. Shell Drop also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 77%). ServerCat's advantage is ratings volume (1K vs 3) and chart position (#39 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ServerCat sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per year. Shell Drop asks for nothing beyond the download.

Shell Drop holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ServerCat has 1K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of ServerCat's written reviews are positive against 100% of Shell Drop's.

ServerCat ships an update every 6 days, Shell Drop every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ServerCat | Shell Drop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/servercat-ssh-terminal/id1501532023/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shell-drop-ai-agent-terminal/id6760954570/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 77.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#39** | — |
| Size | 45 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Early Moon, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1119881923) | [Daniel Bilsborough](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885492758) |

## What reviewers say

### ServerCat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/servercat-ssh-terminal/id1501532023)

**Currently charting:** #39 Top Grossing · Developer Tools (US App Store)

Monitor your Linux servers and Docker containers directly from your mobile device. View detailed resource usage, network traffic, and container stats. Offers an SSH terminal for remote management and automation capabilities.

**Highlights:** Server status monitoring, CPU, GPU, Memory usage, Network traffic and speed, Docker container stats, SSH Shell Terminal, Container management

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Annual Subscription | $5.99 | per year |
| Premium Upgrade Discount | $5.99 | one-time |
| ServerCat Lifetime Premium | $18.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fantastic app
- 🚀 Convenient and powerful
- 👍 Intuitive and feature-rich
- 👍 Excellent for monitoring Linux servers
- 👍 Beautiful and well-designed UI

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Unstable on iPhone 13
- 🐛 Scrolling and copy-paste issues
- 🐛 Incompatible with some platforms (FreeBSD, Windows)
- 🔋 High CPU usage when connected to servers

**Reported bugs**

- Connection issues and failed logins
- Server status not refreshing properly
- Crashes when switching between screens or using certain features
- Incompatibility with certain server configurations (e.g., Debian/Ubuntu only for some features)

**Requested features**

- Add support for SFTP
- Implement Celsius temperature display
- Add home screen widgets for server status
- Improve syncing of servers and SSH keys across devices
- Enhance Docker/container management features


### Shell Drop

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shell-drop-ai-agent-terminal/id6760954570)

This app provides a native terminal experience for iOS and iPadOS, designed for running AI agents via SSH. It allows seamless integration with AI models by enabling image and file uploads directly into sessions, with customizable upload limits. Features include tmux awareness, secure SSH key authentication, and on-device voice input for commands.

**Highlights:** AI agent integration, Image and file uploads, Tmux session management, SSH key authentication, On-device voice input, Customizable keyboard toolbar

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ServerCat free?

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

### Is Shell Drop free?

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

### Which has better reviews, ServerCat or Shell Drop?

Shell Drop is rated higher. ServerCat averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Shell Drop averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do ServerCat or Shell Drop have ads?

Neither ServerCat nor Shell Drop shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ServerCat or Shell Drop?

ServerCat ships an update every 6 days, and Shell Drop every 9 days. Most recently, ServerCat was updated on October 15, 2026 and Shell Drop on October 14, 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.*