# rootshell vs SSHHIP

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: rootshell at none against SSHHIP's 1. SSHHIP's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly) and review sentiment (100% vs 91%). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SSHHIP sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. rootshell asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for rootshell against 4.9 for SSHHIP. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 53 and 18 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of rootshell's written reviews are positive against 100% of SSHHIP's.

rootshell ships an update fortnightly, SSHHIP every 4 days. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | rootshell | SSHHIP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (53 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rootshell-local-terminal-ssh/id6755794662/reviews) | **[4.9 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sshhip-modern-ssh-client/id6785186457/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **53** | 18 |
| Positive reviews | 91.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #168 | **#48** |
| Size | 376 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Rootshell LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1829197011) | [Kun Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/943785843) |

## What reviewers say

### rootshell

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rootshell-local-terminal-ssh/id6755794662)

**Currently charting:** #168 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

This app provides a powerful, desktop-class terminal emulator with GPU acceleration and native support for SSH, Mosh, and tssh. It offers features like system-wide VPN over SSH, native Git integration, and AI assistance for hands-free command execution and web searches.

**Highlights:** GPU-accelerated terminal, Native SSH and Mosh support, System-wide VPN over SSH, Native Git client, AI voice and text agents, Cloud and Kubernetes integration, Hardware security key support

**In-app purchases:** none


### SSHHIP

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sshhip-modern-ssh-client/id6785186457)

**Currently charting:** #48 Top Grossing · Developer Tools (US App Store)

A focused terminal client for developers to connect to their remote machines and resume existing tmux or herdr sessions. It offers secure authentication, a CommandDial for quick commands, and image transfer capabilities, all with a local-first design.

**Highlights:** Connect to remote hosts via SSH, Attach to existing tmux/herdr sessions, CommandDial for saved commands and keys, Image transfer to host over SFTP, Secure authentication options, Local-first design with iCloud sync option

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SSHHIP Lifetime Unlock | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is rootshell free?

rootshell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SSHHIP free?

SSHHIP is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, rootshell or SSHHIP?

SSHHIP is rated higher. rootshell averages 4.9 out of 5 from 53 ratings, while SSHHIP averages 4.9 from 18 ratings.

### Do rootshell or SSHHIP have ads?

Neither rootshell nor SSHHIP shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, rootshell or SSHHIP?

rootshell ships an update fortnightly, and SSHHIP every 4 days. Most recently, rootshell was updated on November 5, 2026 and SSHHIP on November 5, 2026.

### Which is more popular, rootshell or SSHHIP?

rootshell currently peaks at #168 in the App Store charts, and SSHHIP at #48. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*