idevtool vs Clive
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
idevtool
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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.
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
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
Both are free to download. Clive sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. idevtool asks for nothing beyond the download.
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.
| Parameter | idevtool | Clive |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yuval Hanoch Hirschenbeen Sadde | Philip Orange |
In-app purchases
idevtool
No in-app purchases
Clive
- Clive Pro$14.99









