Comparison

ShellBean vs Foredeck

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ShellBean

A powerful SSH and SFTP client with integrated monitoring and scripting automation for efficient Linux server management. Offers advanced terminal features, file editing, and secure data synchronization.

Highlights
  • AI-enhanced SSH/SFTP client
  • Server monitoring tools
  • Scripting automation
  • Built-in text editor
  • Multi-level jump server login
  • SFTP file management
  • iCloud data synchronization
Features
Read full description

ShellBean is a professional, modern, full-featured SSH SFTP client that integrates monitoring and scripting automation tools over SSH to help you quickly and easily manage your Linux servers without installing any third-party applications. ShellBean offers the following free features: - Move the cursor quickly with single-tap and long-press drag gestures in terminal - Supports multi-level jump servers login - Built-in text editor, easy to edit files - Multiple SSH terminal color schemes and fonts settings - SFTP within Files App (read-only) (iOS 16 and above) - Support for iOS/iPadOS/macOS systems - iPad split-screen support - Support iOS 17 Widget, Monitor Server at Home Screen - Face ID unlock App - SSH Terminal - Zmodem rz sz file transfer - SSH keys management - Port forwarding, support for local, remote and dynamic three modes - Server, code snippets and Port forwardings can be managed in groups - Securely synchronize data between all your devices via iCloud (using only your private iCloud space) - View the process list, sort by PID, COMMAND, CPU, MEM - View server usage per CPU core - Support displaying CPU temperature - Memory usage - Network traffic and rates, as well as traffic status for each interface - Disk Partition Occupancy and Read/Write Rates - Monitor the status of NVIDIA graphics cards - Select servers to run Snippets in batches - Manage Snippets and run them on servers within touchs - SFTP file management within Files App (iOS 16 and above) Unlocking the Premium version you will get the following features: - Dynamic port forwarding - Monitor disk inode data - Quickly execute snippets in the terminal - Terminal split screen and broadcast input - Terminal logging to file Data security: All data is only stored locally on your device and in your private iCloud space, we will not upload any of your server, key, script data. Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy https://shellbean.app/privacy

About

Foredeck

Features
Read full description

Foredeck is the first touch-native Kubernetes console for iPhone and iPad. Add a cluster from its kubeconfig and you get the view you would have on a laptop: what is running, what is wrong, and the actions your credential is allowed to take. The Deck A cluster opens as a map. Namespaces are hexagons packed edge to edge, each application a ring split by the health of its replicas, each pod a ring split by its containers. Tap to fly into a namespace, an application, a pod, a container; the panel beside it shows usage against requests and limits, recent events, and how traffic reaches the thing you are looking at — Ingress, Gateway, HTTPRoute or VirtualService, through the Service and its endpoints, down to the pods. The same map can be grouped by node instead of by namespace. The Overview Every resource type the cluster serves, as lists: workloads, network, configuration, storage, RBAC, cluster resources, and your own custom resources. A CRD gets the same lists, details, YAML and health treatment as a Pod, because health is read from the conditions every controller publishes. Watch live Foredeck lists once and then watches, applying changes as the API server sends them. Logs stream and follow, from one container or from every replica of a workload at once, with the previous instance readable after a crash. Detailed statuese CrashLoopBackOff, ImagePullBackOff, Init:0/2, Pending because nothing can schedule it — the container-level reason, not just "Running". Work with the cluster - touch native Scale, restart, roll out, cordon, evict, delete, edit YAML with syntax highlighting and search, tune requests and limits with sliders, deploy from a template. Each one appears only after the cluster confirms your credential may do it, and any cluster can be marked read-only. Convenient best practices at your fingertips One pass over a namespace checks the things that cause incidents: missing probes, absent resource requests, a single replica behind a Service, images pinned to latest, Pod Security Admission left unset — and sets the enforce, audit and warn levels for you, with the consequences spelled out before anything is applied. New yet so familiar Go to (Command-K on a keyboard) finds a namespace, an application, a pod, a resource type or an object by name, and understands the shorthands your fingers already know: ns, deploy, sts, svc, ing, cj. Storing locally Cluster addresses and preferences live in the app's own storage; tokens, passwords and client certificate keys live in the iOS Keychain, marked to stay on the device. Foredeck talks only to the clusters you add. Demo cluster Built in No cluster to hand? One runs on the device, with a few things going wrong in it, so you can see the whole app before connecting anything. Note on kubeconfig Credentials must be self-contained. A kubeconfig written by "aws eks update-kubeconfig" or by gcloud carries a command to fetch a token rather than a token, and iOS cannot run one; client certificates and bearer tokens work everywhere. Foredeck says so at import and shows the commands that produce a usable credential for EKS, GKE, AKS, DigitalOcean, Yandex Cloud and hand-built clusters. The cluster also has to be reachable from the phone — connect your VPN first. FOREDECK PRO $2.99 a month, $19.99 a year, or $39.99 once. Launch offer: the first year for $3.99, then $19.99 a year. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends; manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://kozlovskyaid.github.io/foredeck-site/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://kozlovskyaid.github.io/foredeck-site/privacy.html Kubernetes is a registered trademark of The Linux Foundation. Foredeck is an independent client, not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by The Linux Foundation or the Kubernetes project.

Screenshots

ShellBean4 screens
Foredeck4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Foredeck at none against ShellBean's 5. Foredeck also leads on update cadence (daily vs weekly). ShellBean's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (16 vs 18.0). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ShellBean sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Foredeck asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShellBean ships an update weekly, Foredeck daily. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ShellBean versus Foredeck: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShellBeanForedeck
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (15 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews86.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings15 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size172 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer北京如电科技有限公司Andrei Kozlovskii

In-app purchases

5 purchases

ShellBean

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Subscription$2.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription7 Days trial$7.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime$19.99
  • Lifetime$24.99
None

Foredeck

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ShellBean free?
ShellBean is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Foredeck free?
Foredeck is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ShellBean or Foredeck have ads?
Neither ShellBean nor Foredeck shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ShellBean or Foredeck?
ShellBean ships an update weekly, and Foredeck daily. Most recently, ShellBean was updated on November 3, 2026 and Foredeck on October 26, 2026.

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