# Blink Shell, Build & Code vs Rootly

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Rootly at 88% against Blink Shell, Build & Code's 37%. Rootly also leads on rating (3.6 vs 3.1) and in-app purchases (none vs 5). Blink Shell, Build & Code's advantage is ratings volume (418 vs 18) and chart position (#11 vs #88). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Blink Shell, Build & Code sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Rootly asks for nothing beyond the download.

Rootly holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blink Shell, Build & Code has 418 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 37% of Blink Shell, Build & Code's written reviews are positive against 88% of Rootly's.

Blink Shell, Build & Code ships an update every 3 weeks, Rootly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Blink Shell, Build & Code | Rootly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (418 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blink-shell-build-and-code/id1594898306/reviews) | **[3.6 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rootly/id6478240412/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **418** | 18 |
| Positive reviews | 36.9% of reviews | **88.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#11** | #88 |
| Size | 211 MB | 133 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Blink Shell, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1526795995) | [Rootly Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1732314630) |

## What reviewers say

### Blink Shell, Build & Code

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blink-shell-build-and-code/id1594898306)

**Currently charting:** #11 Top Grossing · Developer Tools, #75 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

Transform your iOS device into a powerful terminal for coding and development. Leverage Mosh and SSH for stable, fast connections. Integrate with VS Code and manage your entire development workflow from your pocket.

**Highlights:** Mosh and SSH connections, VS Code integration (Blink Code), Remote runtime creation (Blink Build), Full SSH toolset, Hardware keyboard support, External display support, SFTP transfers

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Build Basic - 50 credits/month | $7.99 | per month |
| Blink+Build Basic | $9.99 | per month |
| Blink Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| Blink+ | $19.99 | per year |
| Blink Shell Classic | Free | one-time |


### Rootly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rootly/id6478240412)

**Currently charting:** #88 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

This platform leverages AI to automate on-call and incident management, enabling faster incident resolution and enhanced system resilience. It acts as an SRE assistant, automating root cause analysis and identifying patterns for ongoing improvements.

**Highlights:** AI-native incident management, Automated root cause analysis, On-call operations streamlining, System resilience improvement, Pattern identification for continuous improvement

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 👍 Intuitive design
- 👍 Better than PagerDuty/Opsgenie
- 👍 Streamlined workflow
- 👍 Practical features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Confusing Tinder-style swiping
- 🐛 No ability to undo swipes
- 🐛 Easy to accidentally accept
- 🐛 Slow and frustrating to use
- 🐛 UI needs tons of work

**Reported bugs**

- Tinder-style swiping for coverage requests
- SSO token not passed back to iPad app
- App is slow and frustrating

**Requested features**

- Ability to undo coverage requests


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Blink Shell, Build & Code free?

Blink Shell, Build & Code is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Rootly free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Blink Shell, Build & Code or Rootly?

Rootly is rated higher. Blink Shell, Build & Code averages 3.1 out of 5 from 418 ratings, while Rootly averages 3.6 from 18 ratings.

### Do Blink Shell, Build & Code or Rootly have ads?

Neither Blink Shell, Build & Code nor Rootly shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Blink Shell, Build & Code or Rootly?

Blink Shell, Build & Code ships an update every 3 weeks, and Rootly fortnightly. Most recently, Blink Shell, Build & Code was updated on September 24, 2026 and Rootly on September 21, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Blink Shell, Build & Code or Rootly?

Blink Shell, Build & Code currently peaks at #11 in the App Store charts, and Rootly at #88. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*