Comparison

Termius vs Shelly

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

Head to head
About

Termius

This app provides a modern SSH client and terminal for seamless remote access across devices. It offers a desktop-grade terminal experience with advanced features like multi-tab support, custom themes, and saved commands. Securely manage connections and credentials with cloud sync and hardware key authentication.

Highlights
  • SSH, Mosh, Telnet, Port Forwarding, SFTP support
  • Virtual keyboard with special keys
  • Multi-tab interface and split-view
  • Cloud vault for encrypted credentials
  • Customizable themes and fonts
  • Saved commands and shell scripts
  • Hardware FIDO2 key authentication
Features
Read full description

Termius is an SSH client and terminal, as it should be. Connect with one tap from any mobile and desktop device—no re-entering IP addresses, ports, and passwords. With a free Termius Starter plan, you can: · Connect from your mobile and desktop device with SSH, Mosh, Telnet, Port Forwarding, and SFTP. · Get a desktop-grade terminal experience with a virtual keyboard covering all the special keys required, or connect your Bluetooth keyboard. · Use gestures or shake the device while in the terminal to emulate stroking of Tab, arrows, PgUp/Down, Home, and End, etc. · Work in several sessions simultaneously with a multi-tab interface and split-view support. · Authenticate using hardware FIDO2 keys. · Set custom environment variables. · Customize your terminal themes and fonts for each connection. · Save your favorite and frequently used commands and shell scripts to execute them with a tap instead of typing. · Quickly access the unified history of your terminal commands. · Get the support of ECDSA and ed25519 keys and a chacha20-poly1305 cipher. · Ad-free. With the Termius Pro plan, you can also: · Access your connection settings and credentials from any device, anytime, with an encrypted cloud vault. · No limitations on the number of devices to sync. · Run your saved commands on multiple sessions or servers, or instantly get them autocompleted in the terminal. · Connect through Proxy and jump servers. · Integrate with AWS and DigitalOcean. · Protect your credentials with Touch ID or Face ID and your account with two-factor authentication. · Keep your keys on your machine with SSH agent forwarding. Termius reinvents the command line experience. We strive to make remote access for admins and engineers a more productive and enjoyable experience. Termius Pro Subscription is available through auto-renewable annual or monthly subscriptions (prices vary by region). It attaches to the Termius account to enable access to backup, sync, and all Pro benefits on multiple devices across all platforms supported by Termius. A subscription may be used both for personal and business purposes. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription will renew automatically. Cancellation of a future subscription may be made up to 24 hours before the end of the trial period. The actual subscription may not be manually canceled before its termination date. Subscriptions may be managed, ​including disabling auto-renewal, in the Account Settings after purchase. Please review our privacy policy https://termius.com/privacy_policy.html and terms of use https://termius.com/terms_of_use.html.

About

Shelly

A powerful and user-friendly SSH client for mobile devices. It offers robust terminal emulation, gesture controls, and customizable keyboard shortcuts for efficient remote server management. Supports key-based authentication and iCloud sync.

Highlights
  • Hardware accelerated text rendering
  • Robust terminal emulation
  • Gesture control for navigation
  • Customizable keyboard toolbar
  • Key file authentication
  • iCloud sync support
  • Terminal color themes
Features
Read full description

SSH client designed for usability and performance. RELIABLE AND FAST • Hardware accelerated text rendering. • Robust terminal emulation based on the PuTTY engine. • Works great with programs such as 'screen' and 'irssi'. CONTROL WITH GESTURES • Default gestures optimized for irssi. Just swipe to switch channels or to scroll up and down. • Fully customizable. Any keypress or action can be attached to any gesture. EASY CONNECTING • Save user credentials and configure a remote command such as ‘screen -rd’ to connect with one tap. • 3D touch support. Connect directly from the iOS home screen. CUSTOMIZABLE KEYBOARD • Easily bind custom actions to buttons on the keyboard toolbar. • Works with custom iOS keyboards such as SwiftKey. OPEN LINKS AND SELECT TEXT • Familiar iOS text selection experience. Long-press on text to show the selection controls. • Copy and paste text. • Select a URL to easily open it in the web browser. OTHER FEATURES • iCloud sync support. • Terminal color themes. Choose your favorite from the several themes included or make your own. • Key file authentication support. Import an existing private key, or create a new key and export the public key. • Host key verification and management. • Agent forwarding (OpenSSH servers only). • Keep connections alive while the app is in the background. • Connection history with optional realtime location data. • Plenty of other configuration options. Please note that some features require a paid upgrade. You can try all features for free for a limited time.

Screenshots

Termius4 screens
Shelly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Termius at 19K against Shelly's 273. Termius also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and chart position (#3 vs #192). Shelly's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, 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. Termius sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $15.00 per month and Shelly 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

Termius holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Termius has 19K ratings behind it against 273, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Termius's written reviews are positive against 76% of Shelly's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Termius ships an update fortnightly, Shelly every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Termius versus Shelly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTermiusShelly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (19K ratings) — better4.4 (273 ratings)
Positive reviews81.3% of reviews — better76.2% of reviews
Number of ratings19K — better273
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#3 — better#192
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size226 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTermius CorporationTouch Foo

Customer experience

Termius

All ratings19,160 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral1.8%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews2,459 reviews
Positive81.3%
Neutral4.4%
Negative14.4%

Shelly

All ratings273 ratings
Positive83.5%
Neutral4.4%
Negative12.1%
Written reviews353 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral8.8%
Negative15.0%

User reviews

Termius

From 19K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth and fast
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 🔒 Secure with SSH/SFTP support
  • 💡 Useful features like port forwarding
  • 👍 Customizable keyboard and themes

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🔋 Drains battery quickly
  • 🤔 Aggressive upselling of premium features

Shelly

From 273 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Lightweight and fast
  • 👍 Customizable keyboard and gestures
  • 🔒 Supports SSH key authentication
  • 💡 Useful shortcuts and toolbar
  • 👍 Reliable background connections

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional connection drops when switching apps
  • 🐛 Toolbar issues with hardware keyboard
  • 🐛 Garbled display with some terminal programs
  • 🐛 Lack of support for newer SSH key formats
  • 🐛 Inconsistent behavior with password managers

Bugs and requests

Termius

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Syncing issues causing data loss
  • Keyboard and cursor issues on iPad
  • Freezing and unresponsiveness after background use

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for ProxyCommand
  • Improve keyboard handling and arrow key functionality
  • Implement iCloud sync instead of proprietary cloud
  • Provide a one-time purchase option for individual users

Shelly

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Saved profiles get overwritten unexpectedly
  • Toolbar persists even with auto-hide enabled
  • Cursor movement issues with hardware keyboard
  • Inability to copy/paste with Magic Keyboard

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for port forwarding
  • Implement Mosh protocol support
  • Allow customization of default font
  • Provide option for multiple app instances
  • Add ability to remap hardware keyboard keys

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Termius

Subscriptions4
  • Termius Pro Monthly3 Days trial$15.001 Month
  • Termius Pro Monthly$15.001 Month
  • Termius Pro Annual14 Days trial$119.001 Year
Show 1 more
  • Termius Pro Annual$119.001 Year
1 purchases

Shelly

One-time1
  • Upgrade To Pro$3.99

Questions

Is Termius free?
Termius is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shelly free?
Shelly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Termius or Shelly?
Termius is rated higher. Termius averages 4.7 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while Shelly averages 4.4 from 273 ratings.
Do Termius or Shelly have ads?
Neither Termius nor Shelly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Termius or Shelly?
Termius ships an update fortnightly, and Shelly every 2 months. Most recently, Termius was updated on September 24, 2026 and Shelly on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Termius or Shelly?
Termius currently peaks at #3 in the App Store charts, and Shelly at #192. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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