Comparison

Kex vs SSH Client & Terminal

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

Head to head
About

Kex

This app provides a full xterm-256color terminal emulator for iOS, allowing users to connect to servers via SSH, Mosh, and Telnet. It includes SFTP file management, multiple session support, and a specialized keyboard for efficient remote server access and administration.

Highlights
  • Full xterm-256color terminal emulation
  • SSH, Mosh, and Telnet protocol support
  • Built-in SFTP file manager
  • Multiple simultaneous terminal sessions
  • Purpose-built terminal keyboard accessory
  • Extensive customization options (themes, fonts, cursor)
  • Hardware keyboard support with shortcuts
Features
Read full description

A desktop-grade SSH terminal emulator built for iOS. Kex is not a simplified command runner — it's a full xterm-256color terminal that runs vim, htop, nano, and everything you expect from a real terminal. Leave your laptop behind. Restart a crashed service from the beach. Check your CI pipeline at the airport. SSH into production from a café. Monitor your AI coding agent from the couch. With Kex, your entire server infrastructure fits in your pocket. WHO IS KEX FOR? · DevOps engineers who need to respond to incidents anytime, anywhere · Developers running AI coding agents like Claude Code, Codex, or Aider on remote servers · System administrators managing fleets of Linux servers · Cloud engineers working with AWS, GCP, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, and more · Homelab enthusiasts monitoring Raspberry Pi clusters and self-hosted services · Students learning Linux and server administration · Anyone who has ever thought "I wish I had a terminal right now" REAL TERMINAL EMULATION Full xterm-256color support with CSI, ESC, OSC, and SGR sequences. Alternate screen buffer for full-screen apps like vim, nano, top, and htop. 256-color and TrueColor rendering. SSH, MOSH & TELNET Connect to any server with SSH. Authenticate with password or SSH keys (Ed25519 and RSA). Mosh support keeps your session alive through Wi-Fi switches, cellular handoffs, and unstable hotel networks. Telnet for legacy systems and network equipment. All protocols, one app. BUILT-IN SFTP FILE MANAGER Browse, upload, download, and manage files on your remote servers. Create folders, rename, delete — all from an intuitive file browser. Pull a log file, push a config change, or grab a backup. No need for a separate SFTP app. MULTIPLE SESSIONS Run multiple terminal sessions simultaneously. Switch between them with a tap or with keyboard shortcuts. Each session maintains its own independent state — monitor production on one tab, debug staging on another. Manage all your servers from one place. TERMINAL KEYBOARD DONE RIGHT A purpose-built keyboard accessory bar with ESC, Ctrl, Alt, Tab, arrow keys, and F1–F12. Auto-repeat on directional keys. Modifier key toggles. Every key a terminal user needs — designed for real work, not bolted on as an afterthought. CUSTOMIZE EVERYTHING 10+ built-in terminal themes including Dracula, Nord, Solarized, Monokai, Gruvbox, Tokyo Night, One Dark, GitHub Dark, and more. Choose your monospace font and size. Pick your cursor style — block, underline, or beam with optional blink. Make it yours. iPAD POWER USER Full hardware keyboard support with Cmd+N, Cmd+W, Cmd+T, and Cmd+1–9 shortcuts. Switch sessions, open new connections, and navigate — all without touching the screen. Pair with a keyboard and your iPad becomes a proper workstation. SECURITY FIRST SSH keys and credentials stored in the iOS Keychain — encrypted on your device, never in the cloud. Ed25519 and RSA key support. Host key verification with SHA-256 fingerprints. Organize keys into groups, see which connections use each key. All connections encrypted end-to-end. STAY CONNECTED Configurable keep-alive to prevent session drops. Detailed connection logs for troubleshooting. Save and organize your servers into groups with one-tap access. Host key memory so you connect with confidence every time. Kex is built for people who take their work seriously — but don't want to carry a laptop everywhere. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

SSH Client & Terminal

A comprehensive SSH client and server monitor for managing Linux servers, VPS, and Docker containers. Offers real-time dashboards, SFTP, SSL alerts, and system log viewing. Securely stores credentials on your device.

Highlights
  • Multi-server dashboard with health scores
  • Full SSH terminal with VT100/xterm emulation
  • Real-time monitoring charts
  • SSL certificate expiry tracking
  • Docker and Podman container management
  • SFTP browser
  • System log viewer
Features
Read full description

A full SSH client and Linux server monitor in your pocket. Cura gives sysadmins, DevOps engineers, and developers a real terminal, live VPS dashboards, SFTP, Docker controls, and SSL alerts - for every server you run. Built by people who actually live in the shell. No subscriptions, no telemetry, no nonsense. KEY FEATURES - Multi-server dashboard with health scores and live CPU, RAM, and disk usage - Full SSH terminal with VT100 and xterm emulation, function keys, and landscape mode - Real-time monitoring charts for CPU, RAM, disk, network, swap, load, and processes - SSL certificate discovery and expiry tracking for your domains - Alerts for threshold breaches with process-level context - Runbooks - save and execute multi-line commands with one tap - System log viewer with color-coded output for syslog, auth.log, nginx, apache, and more - Uptime monitoring with HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, and Ping checks - Docker and Podman container management - start, stop, restart, view logs - systemd service control - start, stop, and restart services remotely - SFTP browser for navigating remote files - Home screen widget showing server health at a glance - Face ID and Touch ID app lock to protect server access - Light, dark, and system themes SECURITY Your server credentials never leave your device. Passwords and private keys are encrypted in the iOS Keychain with hardware-backed protection. Authentication supports passwords, Ed25519, and RSA private keys. PRO UPGRADE The free tier supports two servers with the full SSH terminal and basic monitoring. Cura Pro is a one-time purchase that unlocks: - Unlimited servers - Alerts for CPU, RAM, disk, and uptime thresholds - SSL certificate expiry tracking - Custom runbooks - Uptime monitoring - Home screen widget - Notification history No subscriptions. One purchase, yours forever. LANGUAGES Cura is available in 20 languages: English, Arabic, German, Spanish, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Vietnamese, Simplified and Traditional Chinese. PRIVACY Your server credentials are stored only on your device. We do not collect, transmit, or have access to your credentials, command output, or server data. See our privacy policy at https://saltserv.com/privacy/. SUPPORT Questions or feedback? Visit https://saltserv.com/support/ or contact support directly through the app.

Screenshots

Kex4 screens
SSH Client & Terminal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: SSH Client & Terminal at none against Kex's shown. Kex's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Kex sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and SSH Client & Terminal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kex ships an update every 2 days, SSH Client & Terminal weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Kex versus SSH Client & Terminal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKexSSH Client & Terminal
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAli Mert TUFEKCIOday Maleh

Customer experience

Kex

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

SSH Client & Terminal

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Kex

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Plan$4.997 Days
  • Monthly Plan$9.991 Month
  • Yearly Plan$29.991 Year
3 purchases

SSH Client & Terminal

Subscriptions2
  • Cura Pro$4.997 Days
  • Cura Pro7 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Cura Pro Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Kex free?
Kex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SSH Client & Terminal free?
SSH Client & Terminal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Kex or SSH Client & Terminal have ads?
Kex shows ads; SSH Client & Terminal does not.
Which is updated more often, Kex or SSH Client & Terminal?
Kex ships an update every 2 days, and SSH Client & Terminal weekly. Most recently, Kex was updated on October 17, 2026 and SSH Client & Terminal on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons