Terminal W vs Shepherd
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Terminal W
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Terminal W is a native SSH client for iPhone, iPad, and Apple silicon Mac. Connect to remote servers, keep several shells open, and return to your sessions as you move around the app. CONNECTIONS AND SECURITY • Save hosts, organize them into groups, and connect with a tap. • Authenticate with passwords, imported Ed25519 or ECDSA keys, or device-generated P-256 keys. • Import supported passphrase-protected private keys without saving the passphrase. • Verify SSH host keys with stable SHA-256 fingerprints. • Reach servers through SSH jump hosts and local port forwards. • Keep passwords and private keys in the device Keychain, with Secure Enclave support for generated keys on supported hardware. • Protect access with Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode. YOUR TERMINAL • Open multiple sessions, including several shells on the same server. • Use a terminal with UTF-8, ANSI colors, copy and paste, scrollback, and search. • Customize the special key bar with Esc, Tab, Ctrl, Alt, arrows, Home, End, and Page Up or Down. • Use hardware keyboard shortcuts for sessions, search, text size, and reconnecting. • Save command snippets with {{variable}} placeholders and reuse commands from history. • Upload photos and files over SFTP and insert their remote paths at the prompt. • Choose a terminal theme or follow your device's Light and Dark appearance. MADE FOR IPHONE AND IPAD • See connected sessions in a Live Activity on the Lock Screen and, on supported iPhones, the Dynamic Island. • Open separate terminals in multiple iPad windows. • Return to an open session from Hosts, Sessions, or a Live Activity. • Enable Keep Sessions Alive when you want connections to continue in the background. This optional setting is off by default. ICLOUD AND PRIVACY Saved hosts, host groups, snippets, and trusted host-key fingerprints sync through your private iCloud database. Passwords and private keys remain in the Keychain on each device, so set up credentials separately on every device. Terminal W uses Apple SwiftNIO SSH and CryptoKit. It has no analytics or tracking, requires no app account or subscription, and has no developer-operated credential vault. All shell commands run on your remote server. Requires iOS or iPadOS 26 or later. The iPad app also runs directly on Macs with macOS 26 or later and an Apple M1 chip or later.
Shepherd
This app provides a fast and secure SSH client for accessing servers directly from your mobile device. It offers features like saved connections, custom command shortcuts, and extensive theming options for a personalized experience.
- Fast SSH client
- Save server connections
- Custom command shortcuts
- Extensive terminal themes
- Face ID protected keys
- Multiple simultaneous sessions
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Mochi is the place to control your AI coding agents from your iPhone. The agents run in herdr on your server. Mochi shows what each one is doing and takes you to it when it needs you. CONTROL YOUR AGENTS WITH HERDR • Live Activity on the lock screen: which agents are working and which are waiting for you • A notification when an agent is blocked or done, even when Mochi is closed • Tap it to open that agent's pane and answer from the chat input • Swipe to switch herdr tabs A REAL TERMINAL UNDERNEATH Mochi is a fast, beautiful SSH client built on the Ghostty terminal engine — a real terminal emulator in your pocket, not a toy. SSH INTO ANY SERVER Save your connections and jump into any of them in a tap. Password and key auth, custom ports, works great over Tailscale. FIRE COMMANDS IN ONE TAP Build your own shortcut groups: tmux prefixes, Ctrl combos, slash commands, whole snippets with Enter. The keyboard toolbar puts esc, tab, ctrl and ⌘ right above the keys — no more fighting the mobile keyboard. MAKE IT YOURS 500+ built-in terminal themes with search and light/dark filters. Real monospace fonts (JetBrains Mono and more), adjustable size, pinch to zoom in session. LOCK KEYS BEHIND FACE ID Private keys live in the iOS Keychain. Flip one switch and every use of a key requires Face ID. BUILT FOR ENGINEERS • Ghostty-powered terminal emulation — fast, correct, modern • Multiple simultaneous sessions • Native iOS design that feels at home on iOS 26 • No accounts, no tracking — your servers are your business
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Shepherd at 16.0 against Terminal W's 26.0. On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Terminal W ships an update every 4 days, Shepherd weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Terminal W | Shepherd |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 61 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Weiming Chen | Egor Kolesnikov |
In-app purchases
Terminal W
No in-app purchases
Shepherd
No in-app purchases









