ShellPilot vs Reachbeam
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
ShellPilot
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Connect to any server from your iPhone or iPad, and keep the commands you run often ready to reuse. ShellPilot is a full SSH terminal built for developers, sysadmins, and anyone who manages a server, a VPS, or a Raspberry Pi on the go. SAVED SNIPPETS Keep the commands you run often ā restarts, log checks, deploy steps ā and run them in a tap on any saved server, instead of retyping them every time you connect. FULL TERMINAL A real terminal emulator with xterm-compatible rendering, not a cut-down text box. Works with tmux, vim, and anything else you run over SSH. SSH KEYS Generate or import Ed25519 and RSA keys. Keys stay on your device ā nothing is uploaded anywhere. SFTP FILE BROWSER Browse remote files next to your local storage over SFTP. Upload, download, rename and delete without leaving the app. MULTIPLE SERVERS Save connections for every server you manage. Switch between a VPS, a Raspberry Pi, or a Docker host in a tap. RECENT SESSIONS Jump back into a server you connected to recently, without hunting through a list. WORKS WELL FOR ⢠Developers deploying and checking on servers ⢠Sysadmins managing a VPS or home server ⢠Raspberry Pi and homelab owners ⢠Anyone who needs a real terminal without a laptop ABOUT THIS APP Your connections, keys and snippets stay on your device. No account, no cloud sync of credentials. PURCHASES ⢠ShellPilot Pro ā one-time purchase ⢠Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase ⢠One-time purchase ā no subscription and no renewals Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://cosmovex.web.app/apps/shellpilot/privacy-policy
Reachbeam
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Reachbeam puts your computers within reach. Most remote-desktop apps just shrink a mouse-and-keyboard screen onto glass. Reachbeam is built for touch from the ground up ā a purpose-built gesture engine turns natural taps, drags, and pinches into precise remote control. Reach any machine ⢠RDP ā control a Windows PC's full desktop, with Network Level Authentication (NLA) ⢠VNC / RFB ā connect to TigerVNC, x11vnc, RealVNC, UltraVNC, and more ⢠macOS Screen Sharing ā connects to any Mac out of the box (Apple Remote Desktop auth) ⢠SSH terminal ā a real shell with the native keyboard, password or private-key login, TOFU host-key verification, and local port-forwarding ⢠VNC-over-SSH ā route a VNC session through an SSH host in one tap Touch that feels right ⢠Three input modes: Trackpad (relative cursor), Touchscreen (tap where you touch), Stylus ⢠Pinch-to-zoom anchored to your fingers, two-finger pan, edge auto-pan ⢠Scroll anywhere with iOS-style flick momentum ⢠Quick-actions menu from the screen edge: Copy, Paste, Esc, Tab, Ctrl+Alt+Del, and more ⢠Tap = click, long-press = right-click ā no fumbling A keyboard that actually works ⢠Your native iOS keyboard, plus a special-keys bar: Esc, Tab, Ctrl/Alt/Cmd/AltGr, arrows, F1āF12, Home/End/PgUp/PgDn, one-tap Ctrl+Alt+Del and Alt+Tab ⢠Real X11 keysyms ā the modifiers and function keys other clients get wrong Live Text on the remote screen (Pro) ⢠Copy any text on the remote screen ā error dialogs, images, locked pages ⢠Tap a link, number, or address to open it; translate the screen in place ⢠"Type on PC" sends text back where clipboard sync is blocked ā all on-device Draw on your PC (Pro) ⢠iPad and Apple Pencil become a pressure-sensitive drawing tablet over RDP ā nothing to install on the PC ⢠Photoshop & Krita shortcut keys, two-finger undo, three-finger redo, Pencil double-tap eraser Apple Pencil ⢠Hover support for true remote mouse-hover ā tooltips and menus without clicking ⢠Squeeze to open the edge quick-actions menu (Pro) ⢠Auto-switches to stylus mode the moment you touch with a Pencil Built for real use ⢠Saved connections with folders, per-connection quality and input settings ⢠Credentials stored in the device Keychain/Keystore, optional Face ID / Touch ID unlock ⢠Auto-reconnect, clipboard sync, adaptive quality ⢠LAN device discovery ā scans your network and fills the connection form in one tap Reachbeam Pro ⢠Open several remote machines at once and switch between live tabs ā sessions stay connected in the background ⢠Jump between individual monitors on the remote machine in one tap ⢠Custom keyboard shortcuts and macros ā define your own key combos and text snippets, fired from the quick-actions menu ⢠Apple Pencil Pro squeeze ā edge quick-actions menu (Pro only) $4.99/month or $49.99/year ā cancel any time. No accounts. No tracking. Your credentials stay on your device. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft, Apple, or RealVNC. RDP, Windows, VNC, and Screen Sharing are trademarks of their respective owners. Reachbeam Pro is an auto-renewable subscription that renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage or cancel any time in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://dividedbits.com/apps/reachbeam/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Reachbeam at every 2 days against ShellPilot's every 4 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. ShellPilot sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Reachbeam sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
ShellPilot ships an update every 4 months, Reachbeam every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ShellPilot | Reachbeam |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 days ā better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod ā better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 ā better | 16.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 73 MB | 29 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sahana A S | Selim Saygi |
In-app purchases
ShellPilot
- ShellPilot Pro$4.99
Reachbeam
- Reachbeam Pro (Monthly)$4.991 Month
- Reachbeam Pro (Yearly)$49.991 Year









