Hey Terminal vs Terminalko
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hey Terminal
A fast, keyboard-first SSH terminal application designed for iPad. It offers a distraction-free environment for real terminal workflows, supporting tools like vim, tmux, and top.
- Fast SSH terminal
- Keyboard-first workflow
- Distraction-free experience
- Supports vim, tmux, top
- Built for real terminal workflows
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Your work machine, from your iPad. Your work computer can stay at home or in the office. Connect to it over SSH with Hey Terminal, open Codex or Claude Code there, and continue working on your project from your iPad. A keyboard-first terminal for iPad Use a physical keyboard to enter prompts and run commands. Review your project with your remote CLI, edit files with vim, or work in tmux when those tools are available on your computer. Keep different connections in separate tabs. Create a tab with Command-T, close it with Command-W, and switch with Command-1 through Command-9. Quick remote work on iPhone When your computer isn't with you, connect for a short command, check a project file, or send a follow-up request to your remote CLI. SSH and a local terminal Connect with an SSH command or a configured host alias. Authenticate with a password or SSH key. Use the local terminal for basic file commands and SSH key generation. Before you connect You need a computer or server with SSH enabled that you can reach from your device. Remote tools run on that machine, not inside Hey Terminal. Install and configure the tools you want to use there, with any required accounts. Your remote machine must be powered on and accessible. No app account or subscription required.
Terminalko
Connect to remote servers like VPS, Raspberry Pi, or Linux boxes directly from your iPhone or iPad. This app provides a real terminal experience with advanced features for managing connections and executing commands securely.
- Connect to VPS, Raspberry Pi, Linux
- xterm-256color PTY with ANSI colors
- Password or key authentication
- Jump hosts support
- Command snippets
- Auto-reconnect for dropped sessions
- Multiple parallel sessions
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Terminalko is a fast, focused SSH terminal for iPhone and iPad. Connect to your VPS, Raspberry Pi or any Linux box, run a real shell, get work done without a laptop. Add a server and you are at a prompt in a minute. [ A real terminal ] A true xterm-256color PTY with ANSI colors, scrollback and a keyboard aware layout. htop, vim and tmux behave exactly like they should. [ SSH, Mosh and Telnet ] SSH with password or key auth, jump hosts through a bastion in one hop. Mosh survives Wi-Fi to cellular switches, IP changes and long sleeps. Your prompt is still there hours later. Telnet for legacy gear: switches, routers, the odd BBS. [ Edit files over SFTP ] Open the config, fix the wrong line, save it back in place. Sizes, permissions and dates on every row. Upload, download, rename, delete, new folder. [ SSH keys, Secure Enclave included ] Generate an Ed25519 key on device and copy its authorized_keys line, ready to deploy. Paste an existing OpenSSH key. Or make one in the Secure Enclave, where the private half cannot leave the chip. A different key per server. Secrets live in the iOS Keychain. [ Dropped connections reconnect ] Connection Keeper retries a dropped session with a visible overlay and a cancel button. Lock the phone, tmux keeps working server side, the session re-attaches when you return. [ Themes and fonts ] Fifteen built in themes, plus an editor for your own: all 16 ANSI slots, text, background, cursor and selection, live preview. Twenty monospace faces bundled, nothing to download. [ Maximum Privacy and Security ] No tracking, no ads, no spying. Face ID, Touch ID, Optic ID or your passcode, with a grace period you choose, and masks it in the app switcher. No analytics, no ads, no accounts, no telemetry. The app talks to your servers and to nothing else. [ Our mission ] Make the best terminal and SFTP app there is. Every version came from someone saying what was missing. If something is missing for you, say so. [ Requirements ] iOS or iPadOS 17 or later. Built for developers, sysadmins and homelab tinkerers. Check a server from the couch, SSH into a Pi from bed, restart a service from the train. Terms of Use: https://terminalko.com/terms/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Hey Terminal at Free against Terminalko's $4.99. Terminalko's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 days). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Hey Terminal is free to download; Terminalko costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Hey Terminal against 5.0 for Terminalko. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.
Hey Terminal ships an update every 6 days, Terminalko every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hey Terminal | Terminalko |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | +9 | 4+ |
| Developer | JONGMIN CHOI | BEGRIP |
Customer experience
Hey Terminal
Terminalko
In-app purchases
Hey Terminal
No in-app purchases
Terminalko
No in-app purchases








