# ShellPilot vs Tessera

The clearest difference is update cadence: Tessera at every 4 days against ShellPilot's every 6 months. ShellPilot's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ShellPilot sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Tessera sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ShellPilot ships an update every 6 months, Tessera every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ShellPilot | Tessera |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tessera-ssh-terminal/id6779869388/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 72 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sahana A S](https://appshunter.io/developer/1800491118) | [Bambouville Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/6779869390) |

## What reviewers say

### ShellPilot

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shellpilot-ssh-and-snippets/id6760654941)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ShellPilot Pro | $4.99 | one-time |


### Tessera

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tessera-ssh-terminal/id6779869388)

A fast, keyboard-first SSH, Mosh, and tmux terminal for iOS devices. It offers seamless session handoff between devices, robust tmux integration, and secure, private connections directly to your servers without any tracking.

**Highlights:** Keyboard-first SSH, Mosh, and tmux terminal, Seamless session handoff between devices, First-class tmux integration with auto-attach, Mosh for persistent connections across network changes, Hardware keyboard support with shortcuts and key legend, Configurable swipe pad for quick access, Remote file panel with native iOS sharing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Saved Hosts | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ShellPilot free?

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

### Is Tessera free?

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

### Do ShellPilot or Tessera have ads?

Neither ShellPilot nor Tessera shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ShellPilot or Tessera?

ShellPilot ships an update every 6 months, and Tessera every 4 days. Most recently, ShellPilot was updated on October 13, 2026 and Tessera on October 5, 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.*