Comparison

Helmarr vs Shellbee

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

Head to head
About

Helmarr

Manage all your self-hosted services from a single, native iOS interface. Seamlessly integrate and control applications like Sonarr, Radarr, and Unraid with advanced features and customization.

Highlights
  • Unified experience for multiple services
  • Smart multi-network connectivity
  • Deep customization options
  • Home screen widgets
  • Unraid control
  • Push notifications
  • SSH & SFTP access
  • Download management
Features
Read full description

Helmarr provides a unified, native iOS interface for your self-hosted services. Stop relying on responsive web UIs and manage your entire stack in an app where your services actually work hand-in-hand. Currently supported: Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, Bazarr, Unraid, SSH (+SFTP), Tautulli, Jellystat, Overseerr, Jellyseerr, Seerr, qBt, SABnzbd, NZBGet, Wizarr, Prowlarr, Transmission, Deluge. Key Features: - A Truly Unified Experience: Your stack shouldn't feel like separate silos. Helmarr brings Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, Seerr, and Tautulli together. Browse your library, approve requests, and view active streams in one seamless interface. - Smart Connectivity: Full multi-network support allows you to define primary and fallback hosts. Helmarr automatically switches between your LAN IP and WAN/DNS address depending on where you are. - Make It Your Own: Deep customization options let you tweak the app to your liking. Change accent colors, rearrange your tab bar, and set custom headers to match your personal aesthetic. - Home Screen Widgets: Keep an eye on your download queue, upcoming releases, or server stats at a glance without even opening the app. - Unraid Control: Real-time monitoring of Shares, Parity status, Disks, and Warnings. Start/Stop Docker containers and VMs instantly. - Push Notifications: Stay in the loop with configurable alerts for grabs, successful imports, and critical health checks. - Terminal & Vitals: Full SSH & SFTP access with live resource monitoring (CPU/RAM/Net). Manage processes and containers via command line. - Download Management: Remote control for SABnzbd and NZBGet. Pause, resume, reorder queues, and set speed limits on the fly. - Release Browser: Don't just rely on automation—search, filter, and manually grab specific releases with ease. - Onboarding: Generate and manage user invites via Wizarr. Website: https://helmarr.com/ Terms of Service: https://helmarr.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://helmarr.com/privacy

About

Shellbee

Features
Read full description

Shellbee is a native iPhone companion for Zigbee2MQTT. It connects directly to your bridge over WebSocket and gives you an Apple-native interface for monitoring, controlling, and configuring your Zigbee network. REQUIRES A ZIGBEE2MQTT SERVER Shellbee is a client app. You need a running Zigbee2MQTT instance and an access token. Local and remote deployments are both supported. FEATURES - Real-time connection to your bridge over ws:// or wss:// - Bonjour discovery for local .local hosts - Live device state for lights, switches, covers, fans, locks, climate devices, and sensors - Native controls generated from Zigbee2MQTT exposes - Group and scene management - Permit join, pairing flow, and device onboarding - Bridge settings for MQTT, serial, network, OTA, logging, availability, Home Assistant, and more - Secure token storage in Keychain BUILT FOR iOS Shellbee is SwiftUI from top to bottom, using the latest Observation APIs and ActivityKit. It's designed to feel fast and native, not like a wrapped web view. OPEN SOURCE Shellbee is licensed under AGPL v3. Source available on GitHub.

Screenshots

Helmarr4 screens
Shellbee3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shellbee at none against Helmarr's 19. Shellbee also leads on iOS requirement (17.5 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Helmarr sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Shellbee asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Helmarr ships an update weekly, Shellbee every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Helmarr versus Shellbee: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHelmarrShellbee
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (172 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews75.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings172 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.017.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size170 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFlorian ErnstKenneth Berg

In-app purchases

19 purchases

Helmarr

Subscriptions3
  • Helmarr Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Ultra Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Helmarr Pro Yearly Subscription$17.991 Year
One-time16
  • Bazarr$3.99
  • Deluge$4.99
  • Plex$4.99
Show 13 more
  • Transmission$4.99
  • NZBGet$4.99
  • Lidarr$4.99
  • Unraid$4.99
  • SABnzbd$4.99
  • Tautulli$4.99
  • Sonarr$4.99
  • Radarr$4.99
  • Seerr$4.99
  • qBt$4.99
  • Prowlarr$4.99
  • Helmarr Pro - Lifetime$29.99
  • Lifetime Pro$34.99
None

Shellbee

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Helmarr free?
Helmarr is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shellbee free?
Shellbee is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Helmarr or Shellbee have ads?
Neither Helmarr nor Shellbee shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Helmarr or Shellbee?
Helmarr ships an update weekly, and Shellbee every 5 days. Most recently, Helmarr was updated on September 30, 2026 and Shellbee on September 26, 2026.

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