Comparison

Source Code Reader vs Shell Keyboard

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

Head to head
About

Source Code Reader

Easily view website source code directly on your iPhone or iPad. Access this functionality within the app or through a built-in Safari extension. Features include dark mode, adjustable font sizes, and text search.

Highlights
  • View source code in-app
  • Safari extension for direct viewing
  • Dark mode support
  • Adjustable font sizes
  • Text search functionality
  • Multiple window support
Features
Read full description

With the Source Code Reader app it's easy to view the source code of a site directly on your iPhone or iPad. You can do this in the app or directly in Safari with the built-in Safari extension. The app supports dark mode, adjustable font sizes, text search and multiple windows - all available in the Safari extension as well.

About

Shell Keyboard

This custom keyboard provides essential keys like Ctrl, Esc, and arrow keys that are missing from the standard iOS keyboard. It's designed for terminal applications, sending precise control codes and escape sequences for seamless command-line interaction on iOS and iPadOS devices.

Highlights
  • Dedicated terminal layer with Ctrl, Esc, Tab, arrow keys
  • Ctrl and Alt as proper modifiers with lock functionality
  • Full function-key layer (F1-F12)
  • Configurable arrow key behavior for different apps
  • Multiple keyboard layouts for iPad (60% and 75%)
  • Seven customizable themes (light and dark)
  • Privacy-focused, no Full Access required
Features
Read full description

Shell Keyboard adds the keys a terminal actually needs — the ones iOS's default keyboard leaves out. Working over SSH or in a local shell needs Ctrl, Esc, Tab, arrow keys, and function keys, none of which exist on the standard iOS keyboard. Shell Keyboard is a custom keyboard built specifically for terminal apps like Blink, Termius, Prompt, a-Shell and iSH — it sends the exact ASCII control codes and ANSI/VT escape sequences your terminal expects, the same bytes a physical keyboard would send. NEW ON IPAD: A REAL KEYBOARD Choose a 60% or 75% layout, the compact keyboards terminal users already type on. The 75% layout puts Esc, F1–F12, a number row, Caps Lock, Home, End, Page Up, Page Down and inverted-T arrow keys on one screen, and Shift types the symbol printed on each key, just like a physical keyboard. The 60% layout keeps the function keys, navigation and arrows one fn press away. iPad opens in the 75% layout; the original ShellKey layout is one tap away in Settings. WHAT'S INCLUDED • A dedicated terminal layer: Ctrl, Alt, Esc, Tab, arrow keys, Home/End/PgUp/PgDn, and the punctuation a shell prompt uses constantly • Ctrl and Alt as proper modifiers — latch one for a single keypress, or double-tap to lock it on, like a hardware keyboard • A full function-key layer: tap fn and the top row becomes F1 through F12, while every other row stays exactly where it was • Arrow keys that match the app you're in — Normal for shells, Application for vim, tmux, less and htop, or Move the Cursor for ordinary text fields • Return or Enter: long-press the Return key to switch between a carriage return and a line feed • A plain QWERTY layer and a complete symbols layer, for ordinary text — hostnames, paths, commit messages — without leaving the keyboard • Seven themes — Shell, Ember, Glacier, Dusk, Moss, Void (pure black) and High Contrast — each in light and dark, and an Appearance option to keep the keyboard light or dark everywhere • On iPad, 60% and 75% layouts (75% by default), described above • A searchable reference inside the app, listing every key alongside the exact escape sequence and hex bytes it sends • Every key emits the exact byte sequence a real terminal expects SETTINGS LIVE IN THE KEYBOARD Touch and hold the key with the small gear (or tap the gear key on the iPad's 60% and 75% layouts) for Haptic feedback, Theme, Appearance and, on iPad, Layout. They live in the keyboard itself because, without Full Access, iOS keeps a keyboard and its app apart, and Shell Keyboard never asks for Full Access. BUILT FOR PRIVACY Shell Keyboard never asks for Full Access. It cannot reach the network. It never reads, stores, or transmits anything you type — every key it sends is decided from the key you tapped, and nothing else. No analytics, no crash reporting, no account. GOOD TO KNOW In a terminal or editor running inside a web browser — code-server, Jupyter and the like — the keys that send a multi-character escape sequence don't get through: the arrow keys, F1 through F12, Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, Shift+Tab and Alt combinations. Everything that sends a single byte works there normally, including every Ctrl combination, Esc, Tab, Return and ordinary typing. Web pages listen for key press events and iOS only lets a keyboard extension insert text, so this is an iOS limitation that applies to every third-party keyboard, not something an app can work around. WHO IT'S FOR Anyone who SSHes from an iPhone or iPad — sysadmins, developers, and anyone tired of missing Ctrl+C.

Screenshots

Source Code Reader4 screens
Shell Keyboard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Shell Keyboard at fortnightly against Source Code Reader's every 5 months. Shell Keyboard also leads on chart position (#4 vs #73) and price ($0.99 vs $1.99). Source Code Reader's advantage is ratings volume (7 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Source Code Reader costs $1.99 and Shell Keyboard $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Source Code Reader against 5.0 for Shell Keyboard. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Source Code Reader has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Source Code Reader ships an update every 5 months, Shell Keyboard fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Source Code Reader versus Shell Keyboard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSource Code ReaderShell Keyboard
Price$1.99$0.99 — better
Rating4.9 (7 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#73#4 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander EichhornNguyen Nguyen

In-app purchases

None

Source Code Reader

No in-app purchases

None

Shell Keyboard

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Source Code Reader free?
Source Code Reader costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shell Keyboard free?
Shell Keyboard costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Source Code Reader or Shell Keyboard?
Shell Keyboard is rated higher. Source Code Reader averages 4.9 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Shell Keyboard averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Source Code Reader or Shell Keyboard have ads?
Neither Source Code Reader nor Shell Keyboard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Source Code Reader or Shell Keyboard?
Source Code Reader ships an update every 5 months, and Shell Keyboard fortnightly. Most recently, Source Code Reader was updated on October 29, 2026 and Shell Keyboard on October 29, 2026.
Which is more popular, Source Code Reader or Shell Keyboard?
Source Code Reader currently peaks at #73 in the App Store charts, and Shell Keyboard at #4. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons