Comparison

Shadow Vault vs ZenTerm

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

Head to head
About

Shadow Vault

Securely store your private notes, photos, videos, and contacts in one place. Organize your hidden data with a powerful tagging system and access it easily with biometric authentication. Sync your information across devices for seamless management.

Highlights
  • Biometric lock (Touch ID/Face ID)
  • iCloud sync
  • Markdown support for notes
  • Delete original media after import
  • Omni toolbar for editing
  • Tagging system for organization
Features
Read full description

Store your notes, photos and videos, contacts all in one app! With a powerful tagging system to help you organize and navigate all your hidden data. You will need to enable lock screen after installing app in order to use the feature. Features: - Lock Screen with support for Touch ID and Face ID - iCloud sync so you can use across your iPhone and iPad - Markdown support for notes - Support to delete original photos and videos after import to [App Name] - Omni toolbar with consistent UX to help you edit at any tabs.

About

ZenTerm

Features
Read full description

ZenTerm is a self-hosted terminal client for iPhone and iPad, designed to run AI coding agents on a server you own โ€” no cloud, no middleman, no account. It connects your device directly to your own machine (a Mac at home, a single-board computer, or a Linux VPS), letting you browse, edit, and run commands from anywhere. FEATURES โ€ข Full Terminal โ€” A real xterm.js-based shell with tmux multi-window tabs โ€ข Multiple Sessions โ€” Run several AI coding agents in parallel and switch between them โ€ข iPad Workspace โ€” Landscape support, sidebar navigation, and split panes for side-by-side work โ€ข Guided Setup โ€” Start the Gateway, pair by QR code, and configure remote access step by step โ€ข Rate Limit Tracking โ€” Monitor your AI agent usage at a glance from Settings โ€ข File Browser โ€” Browse, upload, and download files on your server โ€ข Dark & Light Themes โ€” A calm Zen Garden visual design HOW IT WORKS Run the open-source ZenTerm Gateway on a computer you own (any Mac, Linux machine, single-board computer, or VPS). Your iPhone or iPad communicates directly with the Gateway over WebSocket. Nothing routes through our servers โ€” your data stays with you. WHO IT'S FOR โ€ข Check on your server from anywhere โ€ข Operate AI coding agents from your iPhone or iPad โ€ข Prefer a self-hosted, open-source solution over a SaaS terminal PRIVACY No account required. No ads. No analytics. No tracking. All data stays on your device and on your server. Gateway source code on GitHub: https://github.com/phni3j9a/zenterm

Screenshots

Shadow Vault4 screens
ZenTerm4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ZenTerm at none against Shadow Vault's 1. ZenTerm also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 weeks). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Shadow Vault sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ZenTerm asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shadow Vault ships an update every 5 weeks, ZenTerm every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 5 level
Shadow Vault versus ZenTerm: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadow VaultZenTerm
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews0.0% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 9 days โ€” better
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesโ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS16.015.1 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size13 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTung VuYuki Nakano

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Shadow Vault

One-time1
  • Remove Advertisement$7.99
None

ZenTerm

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shadow Vault free?
Shadow Vault is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ZenTerm free?
ZenTerm is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Shadow Vault or ZenTerm have ads?
Shadow Vault shows ads; ZenTerm does not.
Which is updated more often, Shadow Vault or ZenTerm?
Shadow Vault ships an update every 5 weeks, and ZenTerm every 9 days. Most recently, Shadow Vault was updated on October 15, 2026 and ZenTerm on October 5, 2026.

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