Comparison

ZestSSH vs NetSleuth

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

Head to head
About

ZestSSH

Features
Read full description

ZestSSH is a modern SSH client built for people who actually manage servers. No subscription, no feature gates on the basics — just a fast, secure terminal that works everywhere. THE MODERN SSH CLIENT ZestSSH is the modern alternative to aging SSH clients — cross-platform, actively maintained, and with features others never had. SFTP BUILT IN — FREE Browse your remote filesystem, upload and download files, drag and drop transfers. No paywall. No subscription. Free for everyone. FULL SSH TERMINAL xterm 4.0.0 with full ANSI/256-color support. Ed25519, RSA, ECDSA key generation built in. Password and key auth. Import from ~/.ssh/config directly. TRY IT WITHOUT A SERVER Built-in demo terminal with a simulated shell. 30+ commands including neofetch, ls, ping, and more. Try ZestSSH before you connect anything. SNIPPETS Save commands and run them in one tap. Dynamic variables auto-fetch your Docker containers, PM2 processes, systemd services, and more from the server at runtime. PORT FORWARDING Local, remote, and dynamic SOCKS5 forwarding. Pre-configure per connection and auto-activate on connect. SERVER MONITORING Built-in health monitoring with CPU, RAM, disk, uptime, and latency. Prometheus integration for homelab setups. No extra agent required for basic monitoring. SECURITY FIRST SQLCipher encrypted database. Keys stored in iOS Keychain. Biometric unlock with Argon2id PIN fallback. Host key verification. Dangerous command protection — warns before rm, dd, mkfs, and similar commands. TERMINAL CUSTOMIZATION 13 built-in themes including Dracula, Nord, Tokyo Night, Gruvbox, Synthwave, and more. 6 monospace fonts including JetBrains Mono and Fira Code. Custom theme builder. Cursor styles, scrollback, font size — all configurable. MOBILE OPTIMIZED Touch gestures for Ctrl+C, paste, zoom, and session switching. Home screen widgets. App shortcuts. Hardware keyboard support. Keep screen awake per session. PRICING — LIFETIME, NO SUBSCRIPTIONS...EVER!! Free — 2 sessions, SFTP, port forwarding, all protocols, biometric lock, demo terminal Pro ($9.99 once) — unlimited sessions, all themes, shortcuts, advanced layouts, widgets and more Cloud Sync ($24.99 once) — E2E encrypted sync across all devices. Your data is encrypted on your device before it ever leaves — we literally cannot read it. Full details at zestssh.com/security Bundle ($29.99 once) — Pro + Cloud Sync, saves $5

About

NetSleuth

This toolkit offers professional-grade network diagnostic tools for understanding your internet connection. It includes speed tests, ping, traceroute, DNS lookups, and more to analyze network performance and security.

Highlights
  • Speed Test with Bufferbloat Grade
  • Real-time Ping with Graph
  • Traceroute with Reverse DNS
  • Multiple DNS Record Lookups
  • DNS Propagation Checker
  • DNS over HTTPS (DoH) Test
  • Port Scanner
  • WHOIS Domain Lookup
  • SSL Certificate Inspector
  • Detailed WiFi and IP Information
Features
Read full description

NetSleuth is a powerful network diagnostic toolkit for iPhone and iPad. Whether you're a developer, IT professional, or just someone who wants to understand what's happening on their network, NetSleuth gives you professional-grade tools in one clean, fast app. * Speed Test Measures your connection the way it should be measured. Tests download, upload, latency, jitter, loaded latency, and packet loss — then gives you a Bufferbloat Grade (A–F) showing how your connection performs under real load. Powered by Cloudflare. * Ping Ping any host with a single burst or continuous mode. Watch latency in real time on a live scrolling graph with color-coded results and timeout detection. * Traceroute Trace the full path to any host with live reverse DNS lookups showing real router and infrastructure hostnames at every hop. * DNS Lookup Query A, AAAA, MX, TXT, CNAME, and NS records for any domain. * DNS Propagation Check if your domain has propagated across 10 major DNS servers worldwide including Google, Cloudflare, Quad9, and AdGuard. * DNS over HTTPS (DoH) Test whether your device is using encrypted DNS. Checks 6 major DoH providers and estimates your protection level. * Port Checker Scan common ports on any host to see what's open or closed. * WHOIS Look up domain registration and ownership details instantly. * SSL Inspector Inspect SSL/TLS certificates — view issuer, validity dates, and days until expiry. * WiFi Info See your local IP, external IP, subnet, gateway, and DNS. Enable location permission to reveal signal strength in dBm, SSID, BSSID, and channel with 2.4/5 GHz detection. * IP Info Geolocate any IP address with a map view, ISP, timezone, region, and coordinates. No ads. No account required. No data collected.

Screenshots

ZestSSH4 screens
NetSleuth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NetSleuth at none against ZestSSH's 3. On price, update cadence, ads 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

Both are free to download. ZestSSH sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. NetSleuth asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ZestSSH ships an update every 5 days, NetSleuth every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
ZestSSH versus NetSleuth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZestSSHNetSleuth
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size83 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArlie NordlundJoe Wilson

In-app purchases

3 purchases

ZestSSH

One-time3
  • Premium$9.99
  • Cloud Sync$24.99
  • ZestSSH Bundle$29.99
None

NetSleuth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ZestSSH free?
ZestSSH is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NetSleuth free?
NetSleuth is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ZestSSH or NetSleuth have ads?
Neither ZestSSH nor NetSleuth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ZestSSH or NetSleuth?
ZestSSH ships an update every 5 days, and NetSleuth every 3 days. Most recently, ZestSSH was updated on September 30, 2026 and NetSleuth on October 7, 2026.

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