Comparison

Blink Shell, Build & Code vs Tmux Term

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

Tmux Term

Features
Read full description

Tmux Term turns your iPhone into a real terminal. SSH into your servers, attach to tmux sessions that never die, and run AI coding agents — from the train, the couch, or anywhere your laptop isn't. Built for developers who don't stop working when they leave the desk. — SECURE BY DESIGN — Password and private-key auth (ed25519, RSA). Host keys are pinned on first connect to stop man-in-the-middle attacks. Every credential lives in the iOS Keychain and never leaves your device. No accounts on our servers, no telemetry on your sessions. — TMUX THAT SURVIVES ANYTHING — Attach to long-running sessions, switch windows, and scroll back through history. Drop a connection in a tunnel? Tmux Term reconnects and reattaches the moment you're back — your work is exactly where you left it. — AI CLI, ONE TAP AWAY — Launch Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode, or Nmap instantly and resume sessions where you stopped. The remote agents you already use, now driven from your phone. — SEND SCREENSHOTS STRAIGHT TO CLAUDE — Upload images over SFTP directly into your Claude Code conversation. No clipboard tricks, no base64 paste — just pick a photo and go. — A KEYBOARD THAT ACTUALLY WORKS ON MOBILE — Ctrl, Esc, Tab, arrows, function keys, the tmux prefix, one-tap password injection, and custom snippets — all sitting right above the iOS keyboard, where your thumbs can reach them. — GESTURES MADE FOR A PHONE — Two-finger scroll through terminal history. Side buttons for tmux copy-mode. Toggle mouse mode with a single tap. This isn't a desktop client squeezed onto a screen — it's designed for the device in your hand. — ONE PRICE, FOREVER — Try everything free for 7 days. Then unlock it all with a single purchase. No subscriptions, no upsells, no ads. Future updates included. Tmux Term is a purpose-built SSH and tmux client. You'll need a server you own or have permission to access.

Screenshots

Blink Shell, Build & Code4 screens
Tmux Term4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tmux Term at none against Blink Shell, Build & Code's 5. Tmux Term also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks). Blink Shell, Build & Code's advantage is chart position (#17 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

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. Tmux Term asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Blink Shell, Build & Code ships an update every 3 weeks, Tmux Term every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Blink Shell, Build & Code versus Tmux Term: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlink Shell, Build & CodeTmux Term
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (418 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews36.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings418 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#17 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size211 MB12 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperBlink Shell, IncErdinc Curebal

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
None

Tmux Term

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Blink Shell, Build & Code free?
Blink Shell, Build & Code is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tmux Term free?
Tmux Term is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Blink Shell, Build & Code or Tmux Term have ads?
Neither Blink Shell, Build & Code nor Tmux Term shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Blink Shell, Build & Code or Tmux Term?
Blink Shell, Build & Code ships an update every 3 weeks, and Tmux Term every 2 days. Most recently, Blink Shell, Build & Code was updated on September 29, 2026 and Tmux Term on September 20, 2026.

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