Ash vs OSTerm
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.
OSTerm
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An SSH terminal for people who carry their servers with them. No ads. No in-app purchases. No account to create, and nothing collected about you. โ Built for tablets On a wide screen, the profile list and the terminal sit side by side. On a phone it folds down to one screen at a time. Connect a Bluetooth keyboard and the on-screen keyboard gets out of the way. When you do need it, it never covers the terminal โ the terminal shrinks to make room instead, so no output is ever hidden. โ No limits Unlimited connection profiles. Unlimited open tabs. Nothing locked behind a paywall. โ CJK input Type Korean, Japanese, and Chinese in the terminal. The keyboard opens in the language you set the app to (when that keyboard is enabled on your device), and a language toggle is provided for physical keyboards. โ Sessions survive a quick switch Switch to another app for a moment and come back โ your session is still there. iOS pauses apps in the background, so if the server drops a long-idle connection, reconnect from the same tab in one tap. โ Everything you would expect - SFTP file manager: upload, download, rename, delete - Command snippets: save what you type often, run it in one tap - Profile backup: export and import as a password-protected file - Bundled coding fonts: D2Coding (fixed-width Hangul), JetBrains Mono - Colour schemes and adjustable text size โ Authentication Password, private keys (PEM/OpenSSH), and keyboard-interactive. Import key files from your device and they are stored safely. On first connection the host key fingerprint is shown for you to verify, and you are warned if a stored key ever changes. It is never accepted silently. โ How your data is stored Connection details never leave your device. The whole database is encrypted and its key is held in the iOS Keychain. Passwords and key passphrases get a second layer of encryption on top. Nothing is sent to the developer. This app has no server. โ Languages English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Spanish, Arabic Open-source licence notices are available in the app's settings.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: OSTerm at daily against Ash's every 3 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ash ships an update every 3 months, OSTerm daily. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ash | OSTerm |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Daily โ better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Artem Sharifullin | dongmin song |
In-app purchases
Ash
No in-app purchases
OSTerm
No in-app purchases









