glinet vs Shellbee
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
glinet
Manage your GL.iNet router remotely, from basic setup and security to advanced mesh networking and VPN configuration. Monitor your network's performance in real-time and control router functions like WiFi, firmware updates, and LED lights.
- Basic router setup and password changes
- Mesh network creation and management
- OpenVPN and WireGuard VPN configuration
- Real-time router performance monitoring
- WiFi control, firmware updates, LED management
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Setup GL.iNet routers with version 3.201 and above. The GL.iNet Mobile app gives you convenient access to your router’s features anywhere and anytime: Basic Setup: Setup and change the password of your devices. Discover the real-time traffic in both mesh & guest network. Block unwanted users that share your WiFi network. Mesh Network: Build up your home mesh network. Step-by-step guidelines for setting up sub-nodes within your house. VPN Setup: Easily configure selected OpenVPN and WireGuard VPN for your private home network. Live Router Status: Real-time performance checklist of your devices, including memory storage and CPU load data. Easily pause WiFi, update firmware, turn off LED lights on the router, and more! Compatible GL.iNet Devices (Model No.): GL-B2200 / Velica GL-AR750S / Slate GL-MT1300 / Beryl GL-MT300N-V2 / Mango GL-AR150 / White GL-AR300M / Shadow GL-AR750 / Creta GL-E750 / Mudi GL-MiFi GL-USB150 / Microuter GL-X300B / Collie GL-X750 / Spitz GL-XE300 / Puli GL-MV1000W / Brume-W microuter-N300 GL-AX1800/Flint GL-SF1200 GL-SFT1200/Opal GL-AXT1800/Slate AX GL-A1300/Slate Plus GL-MT3000/Beryl AX GL-MT2500/Brume 2 GL-X3000/Spitz AX GL-XE3000/Puli AX GL-MT6000/Flint 2 GL-B3000/Marble GL-BE3600/Slate 7 GL-BE9300/Flint 3 GL-BE6500/Flint 3e GL-MT3600BE/Beryl 7 GL-MT5000/Brume 3 GL-E5800/Mudi 7 GL-BE10000/Slate 7 Pro GL-BE14000/Flint 4 GL-MG1300/Mango 2
Shellbee
Control and configure your Zigbee devices directly from your mobile device. Monitor network health, manage device settings, and update firmware with a native, cloud-free experience. Requires a running Zigbee2MQTT server.
- Real-time network map
- Device control and configuration
- Firmware updates with Live Activities
- Multi-bridge support
- Customizable Home screen
- Offline device documentation
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Your Zigbee network, in your pocket and on your iPad. Shellbee is a native app for Zigbee2MQTT. It connects straight to your bridge and gives you a fast, Apple-native way to watch, control and configure every device, with no cloud in between. REQUIRES A ZIGBEE2MQTT SERVER Shellbee is a client app. You need your own running Zigbee2MQTT instance and an access token. Local and remote setups both work. SEE EVERYTHING AT A GLANCE • A Home screen built from cards you choose and order: Bridge Health, Network, Link Quality, Batteries, Vendors and Activity. • Needs attention shows offline devices, low batteries and weak signal before you go looking. • A live Network Map of your whole mesh, with scan progress, filters and quick look (iPad). • An Activity Center that shows what your devices are doing as it happens. CONTROL AND CONFIGURE • Controls are generated from each device's Zigbee2MQTT exposes: lights, switches, covers, fans, locks, climate and sensors. • Every setting is grouped the same way on every device, using Zigbee2MQTT's own names. • Groups and scenes: browse, edit members, rename, drag devices in. • Favorites, filters and one search across devices, groups and the device library. • Bridge settings for MQTT, serial, network, OTA, logging, availability, Home Assistant and more. PAIR AND UPDATE WITH CONFIDENCE • Permit join and a step-by-step pairing guide with live progress. • Firmware updates with progress in Live Activities on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. • Offline device documentation for how to pair and what each device can do. MORE THAN ONE BRIDGE Connect several bridges at once and see them side by side. Each has its own colour and initial, and single-bridge users see nothing extra. MADE FOR IPHONE AND IPAD • Full iPad workspace with a sidebar, details side by side and extra windows. • Six colour themes: Standard, Honey, Meadow, Harbor, Lavender and Ember. • Real-time WebSocket connection over ws:// or wss://, with Bonjour discovery for .local hosts. • Built in SwiftUI with Live Activities, so it feels fast and native, not like a wrapped web page. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Talks only to the bridge you choose. No ads, no tracking, no analytics and no developer server. • Access tokens are stored in the iOS Keychain. • Crash reporting is optional and off by default. Nothing is sent unless you say so, and reports never include your bridge address, token or device names. OPEN SOURCE Shellbee is licensed under AGPL v3, with the source on GitHub.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Shellbee at 5.0 against glinet's 3.5. Shellbee also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 weeks). glinet's advantage is ratings volume (23 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Shellbee holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: glinet has 23 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
glinet ships an update every 5 weeks, Shellbee every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | glinet | Shellbee |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (23 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 28.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 23 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 119 MB | 70 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | GL Technologies (HK) Limited | Kenneth Berg |
Customer experience
glinet
Shellbee
Bugs and requests
glinet
Reported bugs
52 issues- 429 errors during VPN setup
- GUI is buggy
- Cannot sign back in after sign out
- App behaves as if setting up for the first time after sign out
- No instructions provided
Show 47 moreShow fewer
- App won't find router
- Router dropping WiFi connection
- App thinks initial config is still needed after web UI setup
- Difficult to find DHCP settings
- App never worked
- VPN menu does not appear when app is set to Chinese
- App collects user data and reports to China
- Poor error codes, doesn't indicate why it fails
- App says not connected to network while connected
- Router keeps disconnecting from home network
- No way to reset router and reach admin page
- Cannot see router
- App eventually stopped working
- White screen when opening app
- Limited administrative access, no main dashboard
- Couldn't set up router
- App won't go past 'Power up the router' page in Sub Router Mode
- App doesn't ask for manual IP or allow entry
- Cannot figure out how to access 'network storage'
- App is very limited
- No option to go back to main dashboard
- Couldn't set up AXT 1800 router
- App missing important travel feature (captive portals)
- App is missing most of the Admin console features
- Cellular settings show a white screen on Mudi devices
- Last update made app useless for iOS
- Cannot log in with PIA VPN
- Connection error when logging in with PIA VPN
- HTTPS error when trying to surfshark
- Unknown error during firmware upgrade
- 44 key error when uploading Wireguard configuration
- Cannot sign into North VPN due to character limit
- Settings link in AdGuard plug-ins doesn't work on iPhone
- Toggle switches don't obey 'On/Off Labels' preference
- Old app allowed local device management, new one doesn't
- New app useless for traveling router
- App can never connect to or find devices
- App doesn't show tethering activity
- App demands location access
- Cannot add preconfigured router, must blank it
- Forced upgrade bricks router
- Router refuses encrypted connections after forced upgrade
- App has trust issues with password syncing
- Not designed for iPad, no landscape orientation
- App doesn't find router within seconds, needs manual IP option
- App doesn't list VPN servers
- App doesn't work with older firmware
Requested features
14 requests- Add USB print server function
- More versatile functionalities (repeater, astrowarp)
- Automate captive portal workflow for travel
- Import MAC address for captive portals
- Include all web admin console features in the app
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Make network storage feature more obvious
- iPad app support
- Manual IP definition for connection
- Widget for home screen showing network/VPN status
- Red dot indicator for firmware updates
- Web link to LuCI interface
- More screenshots in App Store
- Support for landscape orientation on iPad
- Option to store manually defined IPs
Shellbee
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
glinet
No in-app purchases
Shellbee
No in-app purchases









