Comparison

Blink Shell, Build & Code vs SSHive

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

Head to head
About

Blink Shell, Build & Code

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
Read full description

Do Blink! Transform your iOS device into a pro-grade terminal. Blink is the first professional, desktop-grade terminal for iOS that leverages the support of Mosh and SSH. Thus, we can guarantee stable connections, crazy-fast speeds, and full configurations. It can and should be your all-day-long tool.  **Start your 14-day free trial now!** But, Blink is much more. Now with Blink Code and Blink Build**, your entire development workflow fits in your pocket. What the Blink community is saying: “In some ways, I prefer my iPad / Blink / Digital Ocean setup to coding on my Mac“ - TheVerge "I have tried a number of terminals on iOS and this is really The One." - Twit.tv “Connections still come up when I get back to a client project after a weekend off.“ - The Sweet Setup “The way to use VS Code on the iPad” - programminglife.io What our users love the most from Blink Shell: - Mosh connections that even survive a device reboot. - Most complete SSH implementation on iOS. - Code command for VS Code integration. - Blazingly fast terminal and SFTP transfers. - Includes Pragmata Pro with ligatures. Blink Shell has a fully loaded SSH toolset: - SSH with PKI support: DSA, RSA, ECDSA & ED25519 keys. - Support for Secure Enclave Keys and Certificates. - Port forwarding with local, remote & dynamic tunnel support. - SOCKS5 proxy for a private VPN. - Agent Forwarding. - Complete SSH Config file support. - ControlMaster and pooled connections. - Files.app integration for SFTP remote hosts. - SFTP with copy-on-change. Blink has been the leading developer tool in the AppStore for +5 years, so there is a lot more: - External Display support. - Legendary Hardware Keyboard support, even remap shortcuts and keyboard codes. - Local & iCloud Blink Shell folders for Files.app access across devices. - Host sync over iCloud. - Link-files from other applications and work with them in Blink. - Cool themes and fonts, and install your own! - Smart Keys on SW Keyboard to navigate with touch. - FaceCam command to create tutorials and streams. - Bell notifications. - Supports multiple windows and multiple tabs. - Network & UNIX CLI tools, check our docs for more information. Blink Code integrates with VS Code: - Code on local projects, or seamlessly on remote machines. - Fully-loaded code editor. - A coding experience fitted to your device, that connects to VS Code for web, GitHub Codespaces, GitPod or your own VS Code server. Blink Build (Requires a $7.99/month subscription) Creates remote runtimes that can be accessed on all your devices. You can use Build in your day-to-day workflows whether you need to do development, DevOps or just play around with new tooling. Participate in our community, and don’t forget to leave us your feedback and your feature(s) requests. Enjoy! http://blink.sh http://twitter.com/blinkshell http://GitHub.com/blinksh Terms of Use: https://blink.sh/blink-gpl Privacy Policy: https://blink.sh/pp * Blink Code is not affiliated nor endorsed by Microsoft. ** Blink Build requires a separate subscription to make use of our Virtual Machines.

About

SSHive

This app provides comprehensive remote access to servers and desktops, supporting SSH, SFTP, RDP, VNC, and VPN. Manage files, open terminals, and control remote machines securely from your iPhone or iPad.

Highlights
  • SSH terminal access
  • SFTP file management
  • RDP and VNC remote desktop
  • Built-in VPN
  • Secure credential management
  • iCloud sync
  • Face ID/Touch ID protection
Features
Read full description

SSHive is the all-in-one remote access client for iPhone and iPad — SSH, SFTP, RDP, VNC and a built-in VPN in one fast, private, native app. Manage your servers, open a full terminal, transfer files, and control remote Windows, macOS and Linux desktops from anywhere. SUPPORTED PROTOCOLS • SSH — full terminal (SwiftTerm), key & password auth • SFTP — browse, upload, download and manage files • RDP — Remote Desktop to Windows PCs and servers • VNC — screen sharing for macOS and Linux • OpenVPN — open a secure tunnel before you connect KEY FEATURES • Touch-optimized mouse & keyboard for RDP and VNC • SSH key generation, import and management • Port forwarding / SSH tunnels • Command snippets and history • Shared credentials reused across profiles • Folders to organize your connections • Face ID / Touch ID protection for every secret • iCloud sync of profiles and keys across your devices • Import / export your connections (.sshive) • Native SwiftUI design for iPhone and iPad, light & dark NETWORK TOOLS • Ping — test host reachability • DNS Lookup — resolve domain names • Traceroute — trace the network path • Whois — domain registration info • MX Lookup — a domain's mail servers • Blacklist Check (DNSBL) — see if an IP is blacklisted • Network interfaces — local IP, netmask and active interfaces PRIVACY FIRST Your passwords and keys live in the iOS Keychain, protected by Face ID / Touch ID. Nothing goes through our servers — connections run straight from your device to yours. FREE & PRO Use SSHive for free with core SSH access. Upgrade to Pro to unlock RDP, VNC, VPN, unlimited sessions and profiles, tunnels, broadcast, shared accounts and more. Whether you are a developer, sysadmin or DevOps engineer, SSHive puts your whole infrastructure in your pocket.

Screenshots

Blink Shell, Build & Code4 screens
SSHive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SSHive at 100% against Blink Shell, Build & Code's 37%. SSHive also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.1). Blink Shell, Build & Code's advantage is ratings volume (418 vs 1) and chart position (#12 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Blink Shell, Build & Code sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and SSHive sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SSHive holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blink Shell, Build & Code has 418 ratings behind it against 1, 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 100% of SSHive's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Blink Shell, Build & Code versus SSHive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlink Shell, Build & CodeSSHive
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (418 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews36.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings418 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#12 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size211 MB23 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperBlink Shell, IncNetMeSafe

Customer experience

Blink Shell, Build & Code

All ratings418 ratings
Positive51.7%
Neutral2.6%
Negative45.7%
Written reviews345 reviews
Positive36.8%
Neutral2.3%
Negative60.9%

SSHive

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Blink Shell, Build & Code

Subscriptions4
  • Build Basic - 50 credits/month1 Month trial$7.991 Month
  • Blink+Build Basic7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Blink Plus$19.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Blink+14 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Blink Shell ClassicFree
1 purchases

SSHive

One-time1
  • SSHive Pro$8.99

Questions

Is Blink Shell, Build & Code free?
Blink Shell, Build & Code is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SSHive free?
SSHive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Blink Shell, Build & Code or SSHive?
SSHive is rated higher. Blink Shell, Build & Code averages 3.1 out of 5 from 418 ratings, while SSHive averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Blink Shell, Build & Code or SSHive have ads?
Neither Blink Shell, Build & Code nor SSHive shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Blink Shell, Build & Code or SSHive?
Blink Shell, Build & Code ships an update every 3 weeks, and SSHive every 3 weeks. Most recently, Blink Shell, Build & Code was updated on October 13, 2026 and SSHive on September 30, 2026.

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