Comparison

idevtool vs Clive

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

Head to head
About

idevtool

Features
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This tool allows developers to open and debug iOS environment through an emulated SSH port. Just run it and view the output connection details in the main console.

About

Clive

Features
Read full description

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

idevtool1 screens
Clive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: idevtool at none against Clive's 1. idevtool also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 4 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Clive sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. idevtool asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

idevtool ships an update every 4 days, Clive every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
idevtool versus Clive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteridevtoolClive
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYuval Hanoch Hirschenbeen SaddePhilip Orange

In-app purchases

None

idevtool

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Clive

One-time1
  • Clive Pro$14.99

Questions

Is idevtool free?
idevtool is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Clive free?
Clive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do idevtool or Clive have ads?
Neither idevtool nor Clive shows ads.
Which is updated more often, idevtool or Clive?
idevtool ships an update every 4 days, and Clive every 4 weeks. Most recently, idevtool was updated on October 28, 2026 and Clive on October 24, 2026.

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