Comparison

QuickTerminal vs Astra Shell

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

Head to head
About

QuickTerminal

Features
Read full description

QuickTerminal is a professional terminal emulator and SSH client designed for iOS and macOS. It combines local shell access, remote SSH sessions, SFTP file browsing, and AI-powered command assistance in one workspace. TERMINAL: - Full xterm-256color terminal emulation - Local shell support (bash, zsh, fish, sh, ksh) - Multiple concurrent sessions with tabs - Horizontal and vertical terminal splitting - Customizable fonts: Fira Code, JetBrains Mono, Source Code Pro, Cascadia Code - Adjustable font size (8โ€“32px) and cursor styles (block, underline, bar) - Scrollback buffer up to 50,000 lines SSH & SFTP: - SSH remote sessions with saved host profiles - Key-based and password authentication - SSH jump host / bastion support - SFTP file browser for remote directories - Connection pooling and session reuse - Secure credential storage AI ASSISTANT (Pro): - Claude and Gemini AI integration - Natural language command suggestions and explanations - Command safety analysis before execution - Context-aware help with working directory and git status COMMAND TOOLS: - Command snippets: save, categorize, search, and import/export as JSON - Command history with search, favorites, and directory tracking (500 entries) - Command palette for unified search across actions and snippets SECURITY POLICIES: - Command approval modes: None, Risky Only, Always - Risky command detection (rm -rf, mkfs, dd, shutdown, etc.) - Directory-based sandboxing with allowed paths - Configurable safety levels WORKSPACE: - Dockable floating panels - Integrated file browser - Resizable sidebar with icon-only mode - Grid and tabbed layout modes CUSTOMIZATION: - 20+ theme colors with dark/light mode - Customizable keyboard shortcuts - Responsive layout for mobile, tablet, and desktop ADVANCED CONNECTIVITY: - Mosh (Mobile Shell) for resilient connections over flaky networks - Port forwarding with local and remote SSH tunnels - GCP IAP tunneling for Google Cloud SSH access QuickTerminal Pro unlocks: - Unlimited AI agent execution - Ad-free experience - Advanced security policies - Priority support Terms of Use: https://kakitiro.com/quickapps/quickterminal/terms/

About

Astra Shell

Features
Read full description

Astra Shell is a native terminal client designed for persistent remote work. Traditional remote terminals are tied to the current device and network. When a client restarts, the network disconnects, or you switch devices, you often need to reconnect and find your place again. Astra Shell keeps shells running on a remote host you control, so your Mac, iPhone, and iPad can return to the same terminal and continue from the existing context. Key features: โ€ข Persistent remote shells Remote shells and their tasks continue running after the client disconnects. Reconnect to return to an existing terminal. โ€ข Continue across devices Open the same shell from Mac, iPhone, or iPad to keep viewing and entering commands. โ€ข Native terminal experience Supports common terminal modes, colors, wide characters, alternate screens, mouse input, paged history, and copy and paste. โ€ข Remote files Browse remote directories, upload and download files, preview text, view transfer progress, and inspect Git status. โ€ข Astra and SSH hosts Connect to a self-hosted Astra service over QUIC/TLS, or use standalone SSH/SFTP mode with a standard server. โ€ข Private-key security SSH private keys are stored in Keychain. Host configurations and credentials can synchronize through iCloud Keychain when enabled. Astra mode requires the open-source astrad service on a host you own or manage, with an authorized public key configured. Standard SSH hosts do not require astrad. Installation instructions are available on the support website. Astra Shell contains no advertising or behavioral analytics. It does not send terminal commands, remote files, or SSH private keys to the developer.

Screenshots

QuickTerminal4 screens
Astra Shell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Astra Shell at none against QuickTerminal's 2. Astra Shell also leads on ads (none vs shown). QuickTerminal's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. QuickTerminal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year. Astra Shell asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

QuickTerminal ships an update every 6 weeks, Astra Shell every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 2 level
QuickTerminal versus Astra Shell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterQuickTerminalAstra Shell
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 4 weeks โ€” better
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac โ€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size57 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKAZUHIRO KAKIMOTO็Žฅ ็†Š

In-app purchases

2 purchases

QuickTerminal

Subscriptions1
  • Pro - Annual$1.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro - Lifetime$6.99
None

Astra Shell

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is QuickTerminal free?
QuickTerminal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Astra Shell free?
Astra Shell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do QuickTerminal or Astra Shell have ads?
QuickTerminal shows ads; Astra Shell does not.
Which is updated more often, QuickTerminal or Astra Shell?
QuickTerminal ships an update every 6 weeks, and Astra Shell every 4 weeks. Most recently, QuickTerminal was updated on October 15, 2026 and Astra Shell on October 12, 2026.

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