Comparison

Hew Playground vs QuickTerminal

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

Head to head
About

Hew Playground

Features
Read full description

Write, run and learn Hew on your iPhone or iPad. Hew is a programming language built around actors that communicate by sending messages. Edit code with syntax highlighting, live errors and warnings, compiler-powered completions, type information and quick access to symbols. Run code on your device, or choose Remote to use the Hew server with an internet connection. Explore 13 interactive lessons, 13 examples and 19 quick reference cards. Learn the basics, then try actors, closures, async/await and state machines. Load runnable snippets straight into the editor and open the Hew documentation in the app. Save and organise your programs, import and export .hew files, and share code or a hew.run link. Stop running programs, protect unsaved changes and save your work when the app goes into the background. On iPad, resize the side-by-side editor and output panes. Hew Playground supports Dynamic Type, VoiceOver labels and hardware keyboards, and is available in 11 languages. Requires iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 or later. Learn more at https://hew.sh

About

QuickTerminal

Features
Read full description

QuickTerminal is a professional terminal emulator and SSH client designed for iOS and macOS. It combines local shell access, remote SSH sessions, SFTP file browsing, and AI-powered command assistance in one workspace. TERMINAL: - Full xterm-256color terminal emulation - Local shell support (bash, zsh, fish, sh, ksh) - Multiple concurrent sessions with tabs - Horizontal and vertical terminal splitting - Customizable fonts: Fira Code, JetBrains Mono, Source Code Pro, Cascadia Code - Adjustable font size (8–32px) and cursor styles (block, underline, bar) - Scrollback buffer up to 50,000 lines SSH & SFTP: - SSH remote sessions with saved host profiles - Key-based and password authentication - SSH jump host / bastion support - SFTP file browser for remote directories - Connection pooling and session reuse - Secure credential storage AI ASSISTANT (Pro): - Claude and Gemini AI integration - Natural language command suggestions and explanations - Command safety analysis before execution - Context-aware help with working directory and git status COMMAND TOOLS: - Command snippets: save, categorize, search, and import/export as JSON - Command history with search, favorites, and directory tracking (500 entries) - Command palette for unified search across actions and snippets SECURITY POLICIES: - Command approval modes: None, Risky Only, Always - Risky command detection (rm -rf, mkfs, dd, shutdown, etc.) - Directory-based sandboxing with allowed paths - Configurable safety levels WORKSPACE: - Dockable floating panels - Integrated file browser - Resizable sidebar with icon-only mode - Grid and tabbed layout modes CUSTOMIZATION: - 20+ theme colors with dark/light mode - Customizable keyboard shortcuts - Responsive layout for mobile, tablet, and desktop ADVANCED CONNECTIVITY: - Mosh (Mobile Shell) for resilient connections over flaky networks - Port forwarding with local and remote SSH tunnels - GCP IAP tunneling for Google Cloud SSH access QuickTerminal Pro unlocks: - Unlimited AI agent execution - Ad-free experience - Advanced security policies - Priority support Terms of Use: https://kakitiro.com/quickapps/quickterminal/terms/

Screenshots

Hew Playground4 screens
QuickTerminal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hew Playground at none against QuickTerminal's 2. Hew Playground also leads on ads (none vs shown). QuickTerminal's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price and update cadence 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

Both are free to download. QuickTerminal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year. Hew Playground asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hew Playground ships an update every 3 months, QuickTerminal every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 2 level
Hew Playground versus QuickTerminal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHew PlaygroundQuickTerminal
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStephen OlesenKAZUHIRO KAKIMOTO

In-app purchases

None

Hew Playground

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

QuickTerminal

Subscriptions1
  • Pro - Annual$1.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro - Lifetime$6.99

Questions

Is Hew Playground free?
Hew Playground is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is QuickTerminal free?
QuickTerminal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hew Playground or QuickTerminal have ads?
QuickTerminal shows ads; Hew Playground does not.
Which is updated more often, Hew Playground or QuickTerminal?
Hew Playground ships an update every 3 months, and QuickTerminal every 6 weeks. Most recently, Hew Playground was updated on October 31, 2026 and QuickTerminal on October 15, 2026.

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