AirShell vs Curlie
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
AirShell
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AirShell is a mobile SSH terminal for developers who live in the command line. Connect to your Mac, Linux server, VPS or dev box from iPhone and keep working in the same CLI-first environment you already use on desktop. AirShell is designed for AI coding tools, tmux workflows, remote shells and repeatable terminal actions. Key features: - Live SSH terminal built for focused mobile work - Saved connection profiles with Keychain-backed secrets - OpenSSH ED25519 and RSA private key support - Trusted host-key verification on device - Press-and-hold speech input for terminal commands and prompts - Custom command shortcuts for deploys, logs, tests and tmux actions - Quick entries for Codex, Claude Code, Gemini CLI and CodeBuddy - CLI completion notifications when supported tools return to the shell prompt - tmux window and directory workflows for long-running sessions - iCloud sync for server profiles and custom commands AirShell does not replace your paid CLI tools. It extends them. Use the subscriptions, servers and command-line workflows you already have, even when you are away from the computer. Ideal for: - Checking long-running AI coding agents - Sending quick follow-up prompts by voice - Restarting services or tailing logs from anywhere - Keeping SSH and tmux workflows available from your pocket - Making desktop-grade CLI tools useful beyond the desk Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Curlie
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Curlie is a fast, native API client for iPhone and iPad. PASTE CURL, GET A REQUEST Copy as cURL from Chrome, Safari or Firefox, or from any API's docs, and paste it into Curlie. It understands real-world commands (line continuations, quoting tricks, headers, bodies, forms, file uploads and auth) and shows you exactly what it read before importing. Export any request back to cURL with one tap. BUILD AND SEND REQUESTS ⢠GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD and OPTIONS ⢠Query parameters and headers you can switch on and off ⢠JSON, text, form, multipart and GraphQL bodies ⢠Basic, Bearer token and API key auth, kept in the Keychain ⢠Color-coded JSON responses that keep the server's key order, with status, timing, size and headers ⢠Previews for images and web pages STAY ORGANIZED ⢠Collections you can reorder and rename ⢠Environments with {{variables}} for hosts, tokens and IDs ⢠History of your last 100 requests ⢠A built-in library of 20 popular APIs, including GitHub, Stripe, OpenAI, Anthropic, Notion, the National Weather Service and more. Many work without a key. CURLIE PRO: ONE PURCHASE, NO SUBSCRIPTION ⢠No ads ⢠Shortcuts & Siri: send saved requests or cURL commands, then pull fields out of the JSON with a simple path ⢠iCloud Sync of collections, environments and WebSocket endpoints ⢠WebSockets: connect, send, ping and watch a live message log ⢠GraphQL Schema Explorer: browse any schema and turn a field into a working query Try it now: "Hey Siri, get the forecast with Curlie."
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: AirShell at none against Curlie's shown. Curlie's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. AirShell sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Curlie sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
AirShell ships an update every 6 weeks, Curlie every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AirShell | Curlie |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 days ā better |
| Ads | No ā better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Any Learner LLC | White Bread Games |
In-app purchases
AirShell
- AirShell Pro Monthly$6.991 Month
- AirShell Pro Yearly$59.991 Year
- AirShell Pro Lifetime$99.99
Curlie
- Curlie Pro$9.99









