Ash vs ZestSSH
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Ash
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Native SSH client for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Open a shell, push files over SFTP, forward a port, monitor a server. Terminal โ multiple sessions, configurable shell, fonts, theme. Hold-and-drag cursor scrub, two-finger paste, pinch zoom. โT / โW / โ1-9 on iPad and Mac. SFTP โ browse, upload, download, edit text files inline. Save with sudo when needed. Drag-and-drop from Files or Finder. Server Dashboard โ live CPU, RAM, disk, latency. OS, kernel, uptime. Port Forwarding โ local (-L) and remote (-R) tunnels, multiple per host. SSH Keys โ generate Ed25519 or RSA on-device. Import from Files or clipboard. Stored in iOS Keychain. Face ID / Touch ID lock. Connections survive the lock screen. Keepalive defeats NAT timeouts. Auto-reconnect on Wi-Fi / cellular handoff. No telemetry. No analytics. No ads. Host configs sync only via your private iCloud, opt-in.
ZestSSH
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A welcome on first launch: sign in, create an account, or continue without one, which keeps everything on your iPhone or iPad. Join a team without an account yet: Join a team lets you sign in or create an account right there and keeps your invite code. The team's Members page shows who is waiting for you at the top, with Review. Sign in is at the top of More when you are not signed in. Make or join a team on a new account without setting up sync first, and enter team seat codes under Redeem a code.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ash at none against ZestSSH's 3. ZestSSH's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. ZestSSH sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Ash asks for nothing beyond the download.
Ash ships an update every 3 months, ZestSSH every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ash | ZestSSH |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 days โ better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No โ better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 95 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Artem Sharifullin | Arlie Nordlund |
In-app purchases
Ash
No in-app purchases
ZestSSH
- Premium$9.99
- Cloud Sync$24.99
- ZestSSH Bundle$29.99









