Comparison

ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal vs Kex

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

Head to head
About

ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal

A professional SSH and Mosh terminal application offering robust features like xterm compatibility, secure authentication via keys and certificates, and smart port forwarding. It includes a code snippet library for batch execution and background connection monitoring.

Highlights
  • Full-featured SSH terminal
  • xterm compatibility
  • tmux support
  • Secure authentication (keys, certs)
  • Smart port forwarding
  • Code snippet library
  • Background connection monitoring
Features
Read full description

ShadowTerm is a full-featured SSH and Mosh terminal for iPhone and iPad. Keep tmux and herdr alive across networks, with a desktop-quality terminal and keyboards built for the job. KEY FEATURES Connections that survive - SSH with passwords and keys. Secure Enclave keys sign with Face ID and never leave the device - Jump hosts (Connect Via), one hop. Mosh does not run through a jump - Mosh survives network drops, backgrounding, and sleep - Local and remote port forwarding. SSH agent forwarding (SSH only), confirmed each use - Auto-connect and geofence auto-connect. Background monitoring, notifications, and Live Activities - Handoff a saved host to another Apple device - Picture in Picture. Stopping it does not disconnect Terminal - 256-color support - tmux, GNU screen, and herdr, detected automatically - Mouse mode: tap to left-click, long-press to right-click, scroll to navigate. Mouse off: long-press or double-tap to paste - Tap a path to open that file. A wrapped link opens as one URL - Multi-window on iPad: Terminal, Files, Monitor, Markdown, or Text Editor - App themes include Sci-Fi, Glass, Midnight, Matrix, and more. Glass chrome is transparent. The terminal stays solid - Terminal colors include Dracula, Nord, Gruvbox, Solarized, Monokai, and others - Pinch-to-zoom. Disconnect All from Control Center Keyboards - 15 layouts: Tmux, Herdr, Screen, Files, OpenCode, Productivity, DevOps, Git, Kubernetes, Python, Node.js, macOS, Database, Security, Terminal Classic - Editable keys, snippets, and sticky modifiers. Auto-switch per process. Mic voice entry Files - SFTP with multi-select and bulk copy, move, and delete. Paste a screenshot or file to upload it - Dual-pane copy between hosts, and Files app access (Premium) - Editor with syntax highlighting. Markdown preview, including Mermaid. Startup snippets per host AI, on your keys - OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Grok, Ollama, OpenRouter, or any OpenAI-compatible server - Blocks fork bombs, rm -rf /, and similar patterns on the device - Inline assistant in the editor Hermes, T3, and agents - Hermes for your own hermes-webui: sessions, chat, Tasks, Kanban, and skills. Console layout, voice listen, and read-aloud. Scheduled tasks notify you when you are away - T3 for a self-hosted T3 Code server: chat, plan, implement, a branch picker, and photo attachments - AI Agents for herdr and tmux. A pane is a full terminal. Claude Code, questions, and Hermes actions share one approval card. Face ID can be required to approve - Your own ntfy server. Many channels. Link a host to a channel - Approve or deny Claude Code from the phone, including always-allow and accept-edits. Session templates for repeatable workflows - MCP server (Premium): open sessions, run commands, read output, and check hosts. Risky commands stay approval-gated, with per-host always-allow. Siri and Shortcuts. Agents can edit your keyboards over MCP Monitor - CPU, memory, network, filesystem, disk I/O, and Nvidia GPU when present - Ping, port scan, DNS, TLS probe, Wake-on-LAN, Bonjour, and SSH preflight Also - Snippets with variables, including secrets. Widgets for hosts and AI Agents: Lock Screen, StandBy, CarPlay, and Control Center - Searchable Settings. Universal clipboard sync. Demo Privacy Mode scrambles the terminal while you record. Face ID to turn it off - iCloud sync for machines, identities, snippets, port forwards, keyboards, and settings. Credentials in the Keychain - Your API keys, or fully local with Ollama. No telemetry, no analytics, no data collection ShadowTerm is built by a developer who lives in tmux on iPad. If mobile SSH apps disconnect, lose your prompt, or feel cramped, this one will feel different. mosh ;) Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://shadowterm.app/privacy

About

Kex

This app provides a full xterm-256color terminal emulator for iOS, allowing users to connect to servers via SSH, Mosh, and Telnet. It includes SFTP file management, multiple session support, and a specialized keyboard for efficient remote server access and administration.

Highlights
  • Full xterm-256color terminal emulation
  • SSH, Mosh, and Telnet protocol support
  • Built-in SFTP file manager
  • Multiple simultaneous terminal sessions
  • Purpose-built terminal keyboard accessory
  • Extensive customization options (themes, fonts, cursor)
  • Hardware keyboard support with shortcuts
Features
Read full description

A desktop-grade SSH terminal emulator built for iOS. Kex is not a simplified command runner — it's a full xterm-256color terminal that runs vim, htop, nano, and everything you expect from a real terminal. Leave your laptop behind. Restart a crashed service from the beach. Check your CI pipeline at the airport. SSH into production from a café. Monitor your AI coding agent from the couch. With Kex, your entire server infrastructure fits in your pocket. WHO IS KEX FOR? · DevOps engineers who need to respond to incidents anytime, anywhere · Developers running AI coding agents like Claude Code, Codex, or Aider on remote servers · System administrators managing fleets of Linux servers · Cloud engineers working with AWS, GCP, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, and more · Homelab enthusiasts monitoring Raspberry Pi clusters and self-hosted services · Students learning Linux and server administration · Anyone who has ever thought "I wish I had a terminal right now" REAL TERMINAL EMULATION Full xterm-256color support with CSI, ESC, OSC, and SGR sequences. Alternate screen buffer for full-screen apps like vim, nano, top, and htop. 256-color and TrueColor rendering. SSH, MOSH & TELNET Connect to any server with SSH. Authenticate with password or SSH keys (Ed25519 and RSA). Mosh support keeps your session alive through Wi-Fi switches, cellular handoffs, and unstable hotel networks. Telnet for legacy systems and network equipment. All protocols, one app. BUILT-IN SFTP FILE MANAGER Browse, upload, download, and manage files on your remote servers. Create folders, rename, delete — all from an intuitive file browser. Pull a log file, push a config change, or grab a backup. No need for a separate SFTP app. MULTIPLE SESSIONS Run multiple terminal sessions simultaneously. Switch between them with a tap or with keyboard shortcuts. Each session maintains its own independent state — monitor production on one tab, debug staging on another. Manage all your servers from one place. TERMINAL KEYBOARD DONE RIGHT A purpose-built keyboard accessory bar with ESC, Ctrl, Alt, Tab, arrow keys, and F1–F12. Auto-repeat on directional keys. Modifier key toggles. Every key a terminal user needs — designed for real work, not bolted on as an afterthought. CUSTOMIZE EVERYTHING 10+ built-in terminal themes including Dracula, Nord, Solarized, Monokai, Gruvbox, Tokyo Night, One Dark, GitHub Dark, and more. Choose your monospace font and size. Pick your cursor style — block, underline, or beam with optional blink. Make it yours. iPAD POWER USER Full hardware keyboard support with Cmd+N, Cmd+W, Cmd+T, and Cmd+1–9 shortcuts. Switch sessions, open new connections, and navigate — all without touching the screen. Pair with a keyboard and your iPad becomes a proper workstation. SECURITY FIRST SSH keys and credentials stored in the iOS Keychain — encrypted on your device, never in the cloud. Ed25519 and RSA key support. Host key verification with SHA-256 fingerprints. Organize keys into groups, see which connections use each key. All connections encrypted end-to-end. STAY CONNECTED Configurable keep-alive to prevent session drops. Detailed connection logs for troubleshooting. Save and organize your servers into groups with one-tap access. Host key memory so you connect with confidence every time. Kex is built for people who take their work seriously — but don't want to carry a laptop everywhere. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal1 screens
Kex4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Kex at 100% against ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal's 63%. Kex also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 days). ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases 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. ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Kex sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal ships an update every 4 days, Kex every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal versus Kex: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadowTerm ssh & mosh TerminalKex
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (17 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews62.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings17 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size134 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCarlos SavcicAli Mert TUFEKCI

Customer experience

ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal

All ratings17 ratings
Positive76.5%
Neutral11.8%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative25.0%

Kex

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal

Subscriptions2
  • ShadowTerm Premium Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • ShadowTerm Premium Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$19.99
3 purchases

Kex

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Plan$4.997 Days
  • Monthly Plan$9.991 Month
  • Yearly Plan$29.991 Year

Questions

Is ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal free?
ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kex free?
Kex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal or Kex have ads?
Kex shows ads; ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal does not.
Which is updated more often, ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal or Kex?
ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal ships an update every 4 days, and Kex every 2 days. Most recently, ShadowTerm ssh & mosh Terminal was updated on October 28, 2026 and Kex on October 17, 2026.

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