Blink Shell, Build & Code vs DashVox
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
DashVox
This app enables engineers to perform development tasks using voice commands, even when away from their keyboard. It supports remote coding sessions, bug triage, and code reviews, providing spoken summaries of completed tasks. It offers integration with various devices and infrastructure options for flexible use.
- Voice-controlled AI coding sessions
- Remote bug report triage
- Code repository review
- Draft release notes
- Hands-free operation on commute
- CarPlay and Apple Watch integration
- Self-hosted backend option
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DashVox is a voice-first AI engineering assistant for when your hands aren't on a keyboard. Commute, walk, bike, run, or just step out for coffee — DashVox lets you orchestrate real engineering work by voice. Kick off coding sessions on your dev machine, triage bug reports, review repos, draft release notes, or catch up on what happened while you were offline. The work runs remotely; DashVox keeps you in the loop and hands you a clean spoken summary when each task lands. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Spin up AI coding sessions on any SSH-reachable machine by voice. Your preferred coding agent handles the actual work on the remote end. • Keep the conversation going while sessions run in the background. Queue follow-ups, pivot to other topics, or just listen — DashVox surfaces each completion automatically when it's ready. • Run multiple sessions in parallel. The app batches completions cleanly so several finishing at once doesn't overwhelm you. • Ask general questions with built-in web search for current information. • Drop into raw shell mode when you need an unwrapped terminal command. • Every spoken reply is shaped for audio: plain prose, no emojis, no markdown noise, no JSON read aloud. MEET YOU WHERE YOU ARE • CarPlay: full chat and session experience on your vehicle's display — hands on the wheel, eyes on the road. • Apple Watch: spoken updates and quick status checks from your wrist. Take a call, take a walk, take a run — your background agents keep working. • iPhone + AirPods: voice input and audio-first output for errands, transit, the grocery line, or anywhere you'd rather listen than look. BRING YOUR OWN INFRASTRUCTURE • DashVox Cloud works out of the box. Prefer self-hosted? Point the app at your own backend and run the whole stack on your hardware. • SSH directly to your dev box over Tailscale, VPN, or the public internet. Direct-client mode skips the backend entirely for the lowest possible latency. • Bring your own agent: Claude Code, Claude Cowork, Codex, or any custom CLI. Agent profiles let you tune flags, session flags, and working directories per machine. • Password or private-key SSH auth, stored in the iOS keychain. WHY IT'S DIFFERENT • Non-blocking by design. Start a task, get the session id back instantly, and keep talking. When the remote agent finishes — minutes or hours later — DashVox tells you. • Burst-safe. Three sessions landing in five seconds? You get one clean summary, not three interruptions. • Audio-first. No visual noise. No JSON. No markdown tables read letter-by-letter. Every response is written for ears. PRIVACY AND CONTROL • Self-hosted is a first-class mode, not an afterthought. Run your own backend, keep conversations and sessions on your hardware. • SSH credentials stored in the iOS keychain, never synced to any cloud we control. • No ads. No tracking. No training on your prompts. WHO IT'S FOR • Software engineers who spend time away from a keyboard • Commuters, walkers, runners, cyclists, and anyone who'd rather listen to work happen than stare at a screen • Founders and tech leads who want continuity between the office and everywhere else
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: DashVox at 4.0 against Blink Shell, Build & Code's 3.1. DashVox also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and review sentiment (67% vs 37%). Blink Shell, Build & Code's advantage is ratings volume (418 vs 3) and chart position (#13 vs unranked). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Blink Shell, Build & Code sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. DashVox asks for nothing beyond the download.
DashVox holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blink Shell, Build & Code has 418 ratings behind it against 3, 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 67% of DashVox's.
Blink Shell, Build & Code ships an update every 3 weeks, DashVox weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Blink Shell, Build & Code | DashVox |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (418 ratings) | 4.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 36.8% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 418 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #13 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 211 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Blink Shell, Inc | JACK ZANTE HAYS |
Customer experience
Blink Shell, Build & Code
DashVox
In-app purchases
Blink Shell, Build & Code
- Build Basic - 50 credits/month1 Month trial$7.991 Month
- Blink+Build Basic7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Blink Plus$19.991 Year
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- Blink+14 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Blink Shell ClassicFree
DashVox
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Blink Shell, Build & Code free?
Is DashVox free?
Which has better reviews, Blink Shell, Build & Code or DashVox?
Do Blink Shell, Build & Code or DashVox have ads?
Which is updated more often, Blink Shell, Build & Code or DashVox?
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