# Prompt 3 vs ShellCast

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ShellCast at none against Prompt 3's 2. ShellCast also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 weeks). Prompt 3's advantage is chart position (#25 vs unranked) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Prompt 3 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. ShellCast asks for nothing beyond the download.

Prompt 3 ships an update every 6 weeks, ShellCast every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Prompt 3 | ShellCast |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (349 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/prompt-3/id1594420480/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **349** | — |
| Positive reviews | 22.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | **#25** | — |
| Size | 43 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Panic, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/403388568) | [Neurox Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1830044980) |

## What reviewers say

### Prompt 3

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/prompt-3/id1594420480)

**Currently charting:** #25 Top Grossing · Developer Tools, #128 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

A fully-native terminal emulator for Apple devices, offering robust connectivity for SSH, Mosh, and more. It features fast emulation, customizable clips, secure authentication, and cross-device syncing for a seamless experience.

**Highlights:** Native terminal emulator, SSH, Mosh, Eternal Terminal, Telnet support, Panic Sync for cross-device server syncing, Superfast emulation with GPU acceleration, Customizable clips for commands, FaceID/TouchID authentication, Jump Hosts and Agent Forwarding

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Prompt 3 iOS + Mac (Annual) | $9.99 | per year |
| Prompt 3 One Time | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and powerful
- 🔒 Secure with Secure Enclave support
- 👍 Great admin tool
- 👍 Continues to improve over time
- 👍 Fantastic terminal emulator on iPad

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 🚫 Subscription required for full functionality
- 💰 Extremely expensive, especially for existing users
- 🤔 Lacks features compared to competitors

**Reported bugs**

- Server list randomly disappears with Panic Sync
- Crashes when connected to external monitor
- Black screen issues with custom font configurations
- Sync issues causing data loss
- Vertical display sync issues

**Requested features**

- Shortcuts support on macOS
- Ability to click and select within commands
- Local shell option
- Run clips on server connection
- Export/backup clips


### ShellCast

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shellcast/id6749333268)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Prompt 3 free?

Prompt 3 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ShellCast free?

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

### Do Prompt 3 or ShellCast have ads?

Neither Prompt 3 nor ShellCast shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Prompt 3 or ShellCast?

Prompt 3 ships an update every 6 weeks, and ShellCast every 10 days. Most recently, Prompt 3 was updated on September 27, 2026 and ShellCast on September 11, 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.*