Helmarr vs Shellbee
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Unified experience for multiple services
- Smart multi-network connectivity
- Deep customization options
- Home screen widgets
- Unraid control
- Push notifications
- SSH & SFTP access
- Download management
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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
Shellbee
Control and configure your Zigbee devices directly from your mobile device. Monitor network health, manage device settings, and update firmware with a native, cloud-free experience. Requires a running Zigbee2MQTT server.
- Real-time network map
- Device control and configuration
- Firmware updates with Live Activities
- Multi-bridge support
- Customizable Home screen
- Offline device documentation
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Your Zigbee network, in your pocket and on your iPad. Shellbee is a native app for Zigbee2MQTT. It connects straight to your bridge and gives you a fast, Apple-native way to watch, control and configure every device, with no cloud in between. REQUIRES A ZIGBEE2MQTT SERVER Shellbee is a client app. You need your own running Zigbee2MQTT instance and an access token. Local and remote setups both work. SEE EVERYTHING AT A GLANCE • A Home screen built from cards you choose and order: Bridge Health, Network, Link Quality, Batteries, Vendors and Activity. • Needs attention shows offline devices, low batteries and weak signal before you go looking. • A live Network Map of your whole mesh, with scan progress, filters and quick look (iPad). • An Activity Center that shows what your devices are doing as it happens. CONTROL AND CONFIGURE • Controls are generated from each device's Zigbee2MQTT exposes: lights, switches, covers, fans, locks, climate and sensors. • Every setting is grouped the same way on every device, using Zigbee2MQTT's own names. • Groups and scenes: browse, edit members, rename, drag devices in. • Favorites, filters and one search across devices, groups and the device library. • Bridge settings for MQTT, serial, network, OTA, logging, availability, Home Assistant and more. PAIR AND UPDATE WITH CONFIDENCE • Permit join and a step-by-step pairing guide with live progress. • Firmware updates with progress in Live Activities on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. • Offline device documentation for how to pair and what each device can do. MORE THAN ONE BRIDGE Connect several bridges at once and see them side by side. Each has its own colour and initial, and single-bridge users see nothing extra. MADE FOR IPHONE AND IPAD • Full iPad workspace with a sidebar, details side by side and extra windows. • Six colour themes: Standard, Honey, Meadow, Harbor, Lavender and Ember. • Real-time WebSocket connection over ws:// or wss://, with Bonjour discovery for .local hosts. • Built in SwiftUI with Live Activities, so it feels fast and native, not like a wrapped web page. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Talks only to the bridge you choose. No ads, no tracking, no analytics and no developer server. • Access tokens are stored in the iOS Keychain. • Crash reporting is optional and off by default. Nothing is sent unless you say so, and reports never include your bridge address, token or device names. OPEN SOURCE Shellbee is licensed under AGPL v3, with the source on GitHub.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shellbee at none against Helmarr's 19. Shellbee also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). Helmarr's advantage is ratings volume (193 vs 1). 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. Helmarr sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Shellbee asks for nothing beyond the download.
Shellbee holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Helmarr has 193 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Helmarr ships an update weekly, Shellbee every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Helmarr | Shellbee |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (193 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 193 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.5 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 170 MB | 70 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Florian Ernst | Kenneth Berg |
Customer experience
Helmarr
Shellbee
In-app purchases
Helmarr
- Helmarr Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
- Ultra Monthly$4.991 Month
- Helmarr Pro Yearly Subscription$17.991 Year
- Bazarr$3.99
- Deluge$4.99
- Plex$4.99
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- 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
Shellbee
No in-app purchases









