Exec Terminal vs Clive
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Exec Terminal
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Exec Terminal is a terminal workspace for iPhone and iPad, built for developers, operators, and anyone who needs secure command-line access on the go. TERMINAL FEATURES — FREE • Connect to your servers with SSH or Mosh • Run a local shell on your device • Save connections and command snippets • Restore terminal sessions and work across multiple servers • Protect access with Face ID or Touch ID • Keep SSH credentials in the iOS Keychain Terminal features remain free and do not require an account or subscription. AI THAT FITS YOUR WORKFLOW Use local AI with supported Apple Intelligence devices, an on-device model, or your own Ollama endpoint. Local AI options do not use Exec Cloud and do not require an Exec Terminal Pro subscription. For cloud assistance, choose Exec Cloud: • Sign in with Apple without sharing your name or email with Exec Terminal • Start with a limited free allowance • Ask for concise command-line help • Optionally include a bounded, redacted portion of terminal context • Use Agent mode to work through multi-step terminal tasks with local tool execution and dangerous-command confirmation EXEC TERMINAL PRO Exec Terminal Pro is an auto-renewable monthly or annual subscription that raises the fair-use limits for Exec Cloud AI and Agent features. Current prices and subscription periods are shown in the App before purchase. Pro is optional; SSH, Mosh, the local terminal, and local AI remain available without it. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can restore purchases or open Manage Subscription from the App. PRIVACY BY DESIGN Terminal context sharing is off by default. Exec Cloud prompts and responses are processed in real time and are not stored in the gateway database. The App does not use advertising or cross-app tracking. Privacy Policy: https://execterminal.com/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://execterminal.com/terms/ Support: https://execterminal.com/support/
Clive
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Clive is an SSH and Mosh terminal for iPhone and iPad that keeps your place on the server. Phones are hostile to terminals. You switch apps to copy a code, the screen locks, you walk out of Wi‑Fi, and the connection is gone with your output and the job you were watching. Clive keeps the session on the server and brings you straight back to it. WHY SESSIONS THAT SURVIVE CHANGE EVERYTHING • Walk away. Start a coding agent, a build or a training run, pocket the phone, and check on it from the train. • Nothing is lost. Mosh rides out locks, app switches and network changes without reconnecting. tmux keeps your shell and scrollback alive on the server, so even a session you closed days ago is still there. • Pick up where you left off. Clive lists the sessions it left on each server. Tap one to resume it, or end the ones you are done with. • No tricks. No keep-alive hacks and no battery drain. The right protocols, used properly, with automatic reconnect when the network returns. MADE FOR AGENTIC CODING • Claude Code, Codex and any other terminal agent run as they do on your desktop, in full colour. • A keyboard built for the terminal: Esc, Tab, Ctrl, arrows and a joystick-style key bar, plus full hardware-keyboard support. • Several connections at once, even to the same server. A REAL TERMINAL • xterm-256color with true colour, so TUIs, games and editors look as they should. • Ten themes, or let Clive match its own chrome to the colours of the program on screen. (Themes and custom fonts are Clive Pro) • Adjustable scrollback and two-finger scrolling that reaches the program itself. YOUR FILES, RIGHT THERE • A built-in SFTP browser with a code editor, syntax highlighting and Markdown rendering. (Clive Pro) • Rename, create folders, delete, or jump straight to a path. Save-conflict warnings keep your draft when the remote file has changed. • Type "open" and a path at any prompt and the file opens in Clive. YOUR KEYS, PROTECTED • Verify each new server's fingerprint; a changed host key blocks the connection until you replace the trust yourself. • Generate Ed25519 keys on the device or import your own. Private keys and passwords stay in the Keychain, behind Face ID if you choose. • Optional iCloud sync shares hosts and eligible secrets through your own iCloud Keychain. Secure Enclave keys never leave their device. CALM BY DESIGN • No account, no ads, no tracking. Your traffic goes only to the servers you add. • One app for iPhone and iPad, with a side-by-side layout on wide screens. CLIVE PRO Clive Pro is a one-time purchase that adds themes, custom fonts, the SFTP browser and the file viewer and editor, after a seven-day full-access trial. Everything else is free: the terminal, SSH, Mosh, tmux, hosts, keys and iCloud sync. No subscription. Pull out your phone. Your session is right where you left it.
Screenshots
Verdict
Exec Terminal and Clive are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Exec Terminal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Clive sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | Exec Terminal | Clive |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | — | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ilia Khabadaev | Philip Orange |
In-app purchases
Exec Terminal
- Exec Terminal Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
- Exec Terminal Pro Annual$69.991 Year
Clive
- Clive Pro$14.99









