# rootshell vs Ergo

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: rootshell at none against Ergo's 2. rootshell also leads on chart position (#159 vs unranked). Ergo's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ergo sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. rootshell asks for nothing beyond the download.

rootshell ships an update fortnightly, Ergo every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | rootshell | Ergo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (45 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rootshell-local-terminal-ssh/id6755794662/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **45** | — |
| Positive reviews | 94.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | **#159** | — |
| Size | 364 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Rootshell LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1829197011) | [Joe's Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/316671852) |

## What reviewers say

### rootshell

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

**Currently charting:** #159 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


### Ergo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ergo-kubernetes/id6797084941)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ergo Pro (Monthly) | $8.99 | per month |
| Ergo Pro (Annual) | $89.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is rootshell free?

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

### Is Ergo free?

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

### Do rootshell or Ergo have ads?

Neither rootshell nor Ergo shows ads.

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

rootshell ships an update fortnightly, and Ergo every 3 days. Most recently, rootshell was updated on October 17, 2026 and Ergo on September 25, 2026.

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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.*