Comparison

YAML Tools vs Shell Keyboard

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

Head to head
About

YAML Tools

A comprehensive YAML utility for developers on iOS. Visualize, format, convert, and generate code from YAML files. Includes validation and a dedicated syntax keyboard for efficient editing.

Highlights
  • Interactive Tree and Table View for YAML visualization
  • Convert YAML to JSON, XML, CSV, and more
  • Generate type-safe model classes for multiple languages
  • Real-time JSON Schema generation and validation
  • Dedicated YAML syntax keyboard overlay
  • Format and minify YAML structures
Features
Read full description

The ultimate YAML toolkit for developers. Visualize, validate, convert, and generate code - all in one powerful, beautifully designed iOS app. YAML Tools is the professional-grade YAML utility built for developers who demand speed, precision, and versatility. Whether you're editing Kubernetes configs, debugging CI/CD pipelines, or generating type-safe model classes, YAML Tools handles it all natively on iPhone and iPad. Visualize & Explore Dive into your YAML with an interactive Tree View and path-based querying. Use the Table View to inspect sequences like a spreadsheet. Rainbow column highlighting makes CSV/TSV output instantly readable. Format & Transform Prettify nested structures with smart indentation or strip whitespace with the Minify engine. Convert YAML to JSON, XML, CSV, TSV, TOML, HTML, Markdown, Base64, and more instantly. Generate Production-Ready Code Export type-safe model classes for Dart, Swift, Kotlin, Java, Python, TypeScript, and C# with intelligent property singularization and pluralization. Stop writing boilerplate, YAML Tools writes it for you. Validate with Confidence Auto-generate JSON Schema from any YAML document, then validate payloads against it in real time. Catch structural errors before they reach production. Built for iOS A dedicated YAML syntax keyboard overlay, native Document Picker integration, and background processing keep the experience fast and fluid, even on large configuration files.

About

Shell Keyboard

Features
Read full description

Shell Keyboard adds the keys a terminal actually needs — the ones iOS's default keyboard leaves out. Working over SSH or in a local shell needs Ctrl, Esc, Tab, arrow keys, and function keys, none of which exist on the standard iOS keyboard. Shell Keyboard is a custom keyboard built specifically for terminal apps like Blink, Termius, Prompt, a-Shell and iSH — it sends the exact ASCII control codes and ANSI/VT escape sequences your terminal expects, the same bytes a physical keyboard would send. WHAT'S INCLUDED • A dedicated terminal layer: Ctrl, Alt, Esc, Tab, arrow keys, Home/End/PgUp/PgDn, and the punctuation a shell prompt uses constantly • Ctrl and Alt as proper modifiers — latch one for a single keypress, or double-tap to lock it on, like a hardware keyboard • A full function-key layer: tap fn and the top row becomes F1 through F12, while every other row stays exactly where it was • Arrow keys that match the app you're in — Normal for shells, Application for vim, tmux, less and htop, or Move the Cursor for ordinary text fields • Return or Enter: long-press the Return key to switch between a carriage return and a line feed • A plain QWERTY layer and a complete symbols layer, for ordinary text — hostnames, paths, commit messages — without leaving the keyboard • A searchable reference inside the app, listing every key alongside the exact escape sequence and hex bytes it sends • Every key emits the exact byte sequence a real terminal expects BUILT FOR PRIVACY Shell Keyboard never asks for Full Access. It cannot reach the network. It never reads, stores, or transmits anything you type — every key it sends is decided from the key you tapped, and nothing else. No analytics, no crash reporting, no account. GOOD TO KNOW In a terminal or editor running inside a web browser — code-server, Jupyter and the like — the keys that send a multi-character escape sequence don't get through: the arrow keys, F1 through F12, Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, Shift+Tab and Alt combinations. Everything that sends a single byte works there normally, including every Ctrl combination, Esc, Tab, Return and ordinary typing. Web pages listen for key press events and iOS only lets a keyboard extension insert text, so this is an iOS limitation that applies to every third-party keyboard, not something an app can work around. WHO IT'S FOR Anyone who SSHes from an iPhone or iPad — sysadmins, developers, and anyone tired of missing Ctrl+C.

Screenshots

YAML Tools4 screens
Shell Keyboard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Shell Keyboard at every 2 weeks against YAML Tools's monthly. Shell Keyboard also leads on chart position (#3 vs #13). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

YAML Tools costs $0.99 and Shell Keyboard $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

YAML Tools ships an update monthly, Shell Keyboard every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
YAML Tools versus Shell Keyboard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterYAML ToolsShell Keyboard
Price$0.99$0.99
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#13#3 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMohammed AadhilNguyen Nguyen

In-app purchases

None

YAML Tools

No in-app purchases

None

Shell Keyboard

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is YAML Tools free?
YAML Tools costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shell Keyboard free?
Shell Keyboard costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do YAML Tools or Shell Keyboard have ads?
Neither YAML Tools nor Shell Keyboard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, YAML Tools or Shell Keyboard?
YAML Tools ships an update monthly, and Shell Keyboard every 2 weeks. Most recently, YAML Tools was updated on October 6, 2026 and Shell Keyboard on October 14, 2026.
Which is more popular, YAML Tools or Shell Keyboard?
YAML Tools currently peaks at #13 in the App Store charts, and Shell Keyboard at #3. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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