Blink Shell, Build & Code vs Datark
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 professional-grade terminal with robust SSH and Mosh support for stable, high-speed connections. Extend your development workflow with integrated code editing and remote runtime creation.
- Pro-grade terminal for iOS
- Mosh and SSH support
- VS Code integration (Blink Code)
- Remote runtime creation (Blink Build)
- SFTP transfers
- Hardware keyboard support
- External display support
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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.
Datark
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Datark brings database browsing, SQL editing and SSH sessions to iPhone and iPad. Work with your own databases and servers from a native app. Connect to PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB and SQLite, and browse MongoDB and Redis data. Available queries and editing tools vary by engine. MongoDB uses supported database commands rather than a JavaScript shell. Redis streaming and blocking commands are not supported. DuckDB is available in the Mac app only. - Save database and SSH profiles, with optional read-only mode. - Browse tables, columns, indexes and relationships, and view ER diagrams. - Sort, filter and page through rows; edit SQL data, set values to NULL and add rows. - Write SQL with history, saved queries, transactions and EXPLAIN. - Export CSV, JSON, SQL, Markdown, HTML and XML; import CSV and TSV into SQL databases. - Open SSH shells and tunnel database connections through SSH, with host-key checks. - Ask optional AI assistance about queries and schemas. Use a downloaded on-device model on compatible hardware, your own server, or a supported cloud AI service where available. AI features are unavailable in the China mainland App Store. Datark is free, with no Datark account, subscriptions or in-app purchases. The included SQLite sample works without an external account. Database, SSH and AI services are configured by you; external providers may require their own account and charges. Credentials are stored in the Apple Keychain. Cloud AI requires your permission before sharing, and generated queries do not run automatically. Datark has no tracking or analytics. Available in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Simplified Chinese and Russian.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Datark at none against Blink Shell, Build & Code's 5. Datark also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks). Blink Shell, Build & Code's advantage is chart position (#9 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support 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. Datark asks for nothing beyond the download.
Blink Shell, Build & Code ships an update every 3 weeks, Datark every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Blink Shell, Build & Code | Datark |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (426 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 36.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 426 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | #9 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 211 MB | 58 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Blink Shell, Inc | Ilya Baravoi |
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
Datark
No in-app purchases
Questions
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Which is updated more often, Blink Shell, Build & Code or Datark?
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