Comparison

SimplePi for Raspberry Pi vs Chameleon Ultra GUI

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

Head to head
About

SimplePi for Raspberry Pi

Manage your Raspberry Pi from your iPhone or iPad. Monitor system activity with graphs, run custom commands, and access a terminal shell. Includes widgets, file browsing, and support for multiple Pis.

Highlights
  • Monitor CPU, Memory, Temperature, Disk Usage
  • Run custom commands with one tap
  • Full terminal shell access
  • Home screen widgets for monitoring and control
  • File browser with export options
  • Manage multiple Raspberry Pi devices
  • Public key authentication
Features
Read full description

SimplePi is the Swiss army knife utility app for monitoring, controlling, and managing your Raspberry Pi using your iPhone and iPad. MONITOR ACTIVITY See what is going on with your Raspberry Pi. CPU, Memory, Temperature, Disk Usage, and Clock activity are shown in beautiful and easily understandable graphs. CONTROL Run commands on your Pi with a single tap. Want to have your own commands? No problem. SimplePi lets you add as many commands as you wish. Additionally, you can manage your commands in groups. TERMINAL SHELL Access your Pi from a shell terminal with colored output and hardware keyboard support. The on-screen keyboard comes with fast access to commonly used special keys like ctrl and arrow keys. WIDGETS Monitor your Pi and run commands right from the Home Screen with various widgets. VIEW COMMAND RESULTS View and export command results and logs automatically. The results history allows you to view the results of previous commands. DETAILED STATS Detailed Stats for CPU and Memory give you an insight on which processes are running, how much memory is active, and much more. FILE BROWSER Browse Files and Folders in a file browser-like experience. View and export files of various formats. MANAGE MULTIPLE PI SimplePi can manage multiple Raspberry Pi. Configure each Raspberry Pi and connect to them simultaneously. KEY AUTHENTICATION Public Key authentication gives you the flexibility to authenticate in your preferred way. Key files can be imported via iTunes or from other apps. ICLOUD SYNC Sync Commands, Hosts, Keys over iCloud APP LOCK Lock the app using FaceID, TouchID, or a custom passcode HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Run commands directly from your Home Screen on iOS 14 Siri Shortcuts Integrate commands into automated worflows using the Shortcuts app (requires iOS14 or later) NOTE: SSH needs to be enabled on your Raspberry Pi for SimplePi to work correctly. SimplePi has been tested with the latest releases of * Raspberry Pi OS (formerly Raspbian) * Raspbmc * OpenElec * Xbian * Pidora * Arch Linux SimplePi works on all Raspberry Pi models. NOTE (only for Xbian users): Automatic start of xbian-config needs to be disabled. You can do this when connecting via SSH and selecting Config > Settings > Xbian Config > NO. There are many different configurations out there. If you encounter problems with one of the distributions above or want to have your distribution support, please contact us.

About

Chameleon Ultra GUI

Manage your Chameleon Ultra/Lite device with this application. It allows for firmware upgrades, slot management, and reading/writing cards. Explore additional functionalities for enhanced device control.

Highlights
  • Firmware upgrade via DFU
  • Slot management
  • Read and write cards
  • Device control
Features
Read full description

Control your Chameleon Ultra/Lite device from iOS Core features: - Upgrade Chameleon firmware via DFU - Manage slots - Read and write cards (Chameleon Ultra only) - Many more!

Screenshots

SimplePi for Raspberry Pi4 screens
Chameleon Ultra GUI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Chameleon Ultra GUI at 86% against SimplePi for Raspberry Pi's 26%. Chameleon Ultra GUI also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.9) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). SimplePi for Raspberry Pi's advantage is ratings volume (125 vs 24). 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. SimplePi for Raspberry Pi sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. Chameleon Ultra GUI asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chameleon Ultra GUI holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SimplePi for Raspberry Pi has 125 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 26% of SimplePi for Raspberry Pi's written reviews are positive against 86% of Chameleon Ultra GUI's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SimplePi for Raspberry Pi ships an update every 8 days, Chameleon Ultra GUI every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
SimplePi for Raspberry Pi versus Chameleon Ultra GUI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimplePi for Raspberry PiChameleon Ultra GUI
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (125 ratings)4.8 (24 ratings) — better
Positive reviews25.7% of reviews85.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings125 — better24
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBenedikt HirmerAnton Savelev

Customer experience

SimplePi for Raspberry Pi

All ratings125 ratings
Positive71.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative26.4%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive25.7%
Neutral2.9%
Negative71.4%

Chameleon Ultra GUI

All ratings23 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral8.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral14.3%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

SimplePi for Raspberry Pi

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • App refuses to connect after closing
  • Opening app redirects to paywall
  • Temporary fix for connection issues: remove host, force close, re-add
  • App crashes several times
  • Fails 50% of the time to display GPU, CPU, and temp settings
Show 8 more
  • Screen disappears when trying to navigate raspi-config
  • Cannot view output of continuously running commands
  • Continuously running commands abort when phone screen locks
  • App rejects credentials that other apps accept
  • Monitoring features do not work
  • App shows one-week free trial but requires subscription immediately
  • App doesn't stay connected, screens close and pop around
  • App rejects identical credentials that other PI apps accept

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow commands to keep running when phone screen locks
  • Ability to view results log for commands
  • Option to remove added commands
  • Improve navigation for raspi-config
  • Store SSH private keys securely using iOS Keychain

Chameleon Ultra GUI

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SimplePi for Raspberry Pi

Subscriptions1
  • Full Access (12 months)7 Days trial$4.991 Year
None

Chameleon Ultra GUI

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SimplePi for Raspberry Pi free?
SimplePi for Raspberry Pi is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chameleon Ultra GUI free?
Chameleon Ultra GUI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SimplePi for Raspberry Pi or Chameleon Ultra GUI?
Chameleon Ultra GUI is rated higher. SimplePi for Raspberry Pi averages 3.9 out of 5 from 125 ratings, while Chameleon Ultra GUI averages 4.8 from 24 ratings.
Do SimplePi for Raspberry Pi or Chameleon Ultra GUI have ads?
Neither SimplePi for Raspberry Pi nor Chameleon Ultra GUI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SimplePi for Raspberry Pi or Chameleon Ultra GUI?
SimplePi for Raspberry Pi ships an update every 8 days, and Chameleon Ultra GUI every 2 days. Most recently, SimplePi for Raspberry Pi was updated on October 29, 2026 and Chameleon Ultra GUI on October 27, 2026.

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