# rootshell vs Hermes Conduit

The clearest difference is review sentiment: rootshell at 90% against Hermes Conduit's 59%. rootshell also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Hermes Conduit's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and chart position (#23 vs #172). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

rootshell holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 47 and 30 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of rootshell's written reviews are positive against 59% of Hermes Conduit's.

rootshell ships an update fortnightly, Hermes Conduit weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | rootshell | Hermes Conduit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (47 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rootshell-local-terminal-ssh/id6755794662/reviews)** | [4.5 (30 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hermes-conduit/id6790977764/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **47** | 30 |
| Positive reviews | **90.0% of reviews** | 58.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #172 | **#23** |
| Size | 379 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Rootshell LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1829197011) | [Long Cheung Ho](https://appshunter.io/developer/6771576494) |

## What reviewers say

### rootshell

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

**Currently charting:** #172 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


### Hermes Conduit

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hermes-conduit/id6790977764)

**Currently charting:** #23 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

This mobile client allows you to connect to a Hermes agent gateway from your iPhone. It provides a touch-first interface for conversations, monitoring, and controlling agent workflows away from your desktop. Supports rich text, file attachments, and detailed session management.

**Highlights:** Continue desktop sessions, Stream responses in real-time, Rich text and code rendering, File and image attachments, Session control and monitoring, Profile and skill management, Gateway log monitoring

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is rootshell free?

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

### Is Hermes Conduit free?

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

### Which has better reviews, rootshell or Hermes Conduit?

rootshell is rated higher. rootshell averages 4.8 out of 5 from 47 ratings, while Hermes Conduit averages 4.5 from 30 ratings.

### Do rootshell or Hermes Conduit have ads?

Neither rootshell nor Hermes Conduit shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, rootshell or Hermes Conduit?

rootshell ships an update fortnightly, and Hermes Conduit weekly. Most recently, rootshell was updated on October 21, 2026 and Hermes Conduit on October 20, 2026.

### Which is more popular, rootshell or Hermes Conduit?

rootshell currently peaks at #172 in the App Store charts, and Hermes Conduit at #23. 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.*