# Portable Dev vs Caret

Portable Dev and Caret both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Caret's written reviews are positive against 50% of Portable Dev's. Caret also leads on chart position (#192 vs unranked) and ratings volume (6 vs 1). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Portable Dev sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $34.99 per month and Caret sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Portable Dev against 5.0 for Caret. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Caret has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Portable Dev's written reviews are positive against 100% of Caret's.

Portable Dev ships an update every 2 days, Caret every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Portable Dev | Caret |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/portable-dev/id6758861546/reviews) | [5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/caret-ssh-server-manager/id6775111587/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **6** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 3 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | **#192** |
| Size | 58 MB | 71 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Volter AI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1854210263) | [成杰 于](https://appshunter.io/developer/1697576648) |

## What reviewers say

### Portable Dev

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/portable-dev/id6758861546)

This app provides a full software development environment on your phone, connecting to your computer for code execution. It integrates AI for coding assistance, GitHub, and testing, allowing you to build and manage projects from anywhere.

**Highlights:** Remote code execution on your computer, AI-powered coding assistance, GitHub repository management, Live localhost servers, Automated Playwright testing, AI-generated assets

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Portable Pro Monthly | $34.99 | per month |


### Caret

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/caret-ssh-server-manager/id6775111587)

**Currently charting:** #192 Top Grossing · Developer Tools (US App Store)

A native server console for developers and sysadmins to connect to Linux boxes via SSH. Manage AI coding agents, monitor server performance, and interact with Docker containers. Features include a full terminal, SFTP file manager, and an optional AI assistant.

**Highlights:** Full SSH terminal with VT/xterm engine, Live server monitoring dashboard (CPU, memory, disk), Docker container management and deployment, SFTP file manager with text file editing, AI coding agent management, Snippets and quick command execution, Secure credential management with Keychain/Keystore

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Premium (Yearly) | $9.99 | per year |
| Premium (Lifetime) | $14.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Portable Dev free?

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

### Is Caret free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Portable Dev or Caret?

Portable Dev and Caret are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 6 ratings respectively.

### Do Portable Dev or Caret have ads?

Neither Portable Dev nor Caret shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Portable Dev or Caret?

Portable Dev ships an update every 2 days, and Caret every 3 days. Most recently, Portable Dev was updated on September 21, 2026 and Caret on September 19, 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.*