Comparison

Blink Shell, Build & Code vs Dev Keyboard

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

Dev Keyboard

A terminal-styled keyboard designed for programmers, offering quick access to essential symbols and a PC-style layout. It supports multiple programming languages and prioritizes user privacy by not requiring full access.

Highlights
  • PC-style modifier row
  • One-tap developer symbols
  • Long-press for extra symbols
  • Multiple language packs
  • Terminal aesthetic
  • Privacy-first design
Features
Read full description

Dev Keyboard is a terminal-styled coding keyboard that puts the symbols you actually type one tap away. A PC-style layout (Esc, Ctrl, Shift, Alt, Cmd, Tab, Caps) sits above quick rows of developer symbols and brackets. FEATURES - PC-style modifier row and key layout - One-tap brackets and symbols: {} [] () => ; / \ | and more - Long-press letters for extra developer symbols - Language packs: JavaScript / TypeScript, Python, Java, C / C++, Kotlin - Terminal aesthetic: monospace, dark, distraction-free - Privacy-first: no Full Access required, nothing leaves your device Type code faster in any app - notes, chat, editors, terminals.

Screenshots

Blink Shell, Build & Code4 screens
Dev Keyboard1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Blink Shell, Build & Code at 3.1 against Dev Keyboard's 1.0. Blink Shell, Build & Code also leads on ratings volume (418 vs 1) and chart position (#8 vs unranked). Dev Keyboard's advantage is review sentiment (67% vs 37%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). 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 Dev Keyboard 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

Blink Shell, Build & Code holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 1.0. 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 complicate that: 37% of Blink Shell, Build & Code's written reviews are positive against 67% of Dev Keyboard's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Blink Shell, Build & Code ships an update every 3 weeks, Dev Keyboard every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Blink Shell, Build & Code versus Dev Keyboard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlink Shell, Build & CodeDev Keyboard
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (418 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews36.8% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings418 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#8 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size211 MB11 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperBlink Shell, IncAnshika Maurya

Customer experience

Blink Shell, Build & Code

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

Dev Keyboard

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

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

Dev Keyboard

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99

Questions

Is Blink Shell, Build & Code free?
Blink Shell, Build & Code is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dev Keyboard free?
Dev Keyboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Blink Shell, Build & Code or Dev Keyboard?
Blink Shell, Build & Code is rated higher. Blink Shell, Build & Code averages 3.1 out of 5 from 418 ratings, while Dev Keyboard averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Blink Shell, Build & Code or Dev Keyboard have ads?
Neither Blink Shell, Build & Code nor Dev Keyboard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Blink Shell, Build & Code or Dev Keyboard?
Blink Shell, Build & Code ships an update every 3 weeks, and Dev Keyboard every 5 weeks. Most recently, Blink Shell, Build & Code was updated on October 10, 2026 and Dev Keyboard on October 8, 2026.

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