Comparison

K2 Companion vs Helmrig Shell

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

Head to head
About

K2 Companion

This app allows users to remotely connect to the K2 Desktop application. It facilitates mobile access to your desktop environment, enabling remote control and interaction.

Highlights
  • Remote connection to K2 Desktop
  • Mobile access to desktop environment
  • Remote control functionality
  • Interactive desktop experience
Features
Read full description

K2 Companion App is the mobile remote connection app for K2 by Alakazam Labs! K2 runs a small team of AI agents on your own computer. One handles research, one keeps your plans straight, one handles the errands and paperwork. They hand work to each other, keep going after you close the app, and message you on your phone when they need you.

About

Helmrig Shell

Features
Read full description

The terminal from your desk, now on iPhone and iPad. Helmrig Shell is a native terminal — btop, tmux, vim, true color, ligatures, full escape-sequence support, rendered natively. Not a web view, not a cut-down mobile shell. A real desktop terminal that feels like the one you already use. Your sessions run on your own Mac or server. The iPad or iPhone is just the window — so they never drop. Lock the screen, lose signal, switch to another app, come back hours later: every tab, every running process, your full scrollback, exactly where you left it. No reconnect dance, no lost output. Drop a file onto the terminal and it uploads to your machine, with the full path dropped straight into your command line. Hand a screenshot to a CLI tool, attach a file to a running command — it just works, as if the file were already there. Built on libghostty for the rendering you'd expect from a desktop terminal. Hardware keyboard shortcuts, split panes, tabs that name themselves after what's running. Designed for iPad first, not ported from somewhere else. Works anywhere over an end-to-end encrypted connection — at your desk, on the couch, or across the world. Not limited to your local network. Helmrig Shell requires a subscription to use. A free trial is available, after which continued access requires Helmrig Shell Pro at $8.99/month. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. WHAT IT IS A window into your own machine. Your shell, your tools, your environment — running where they always have, now reachable from your iPad. WHAT IT NEEDS A Mac or Linux machine you control, running the Helmrig server. Setup takes one command. PRIVACY No third-party SDKs. No analytics. No crash reporting. Helmrig Shell servers never see terminal output. Full policy at helmrig.app/shell-privacy.html CONTACT hi@helmrig.app Support Link: https://helmrig.app/support Privacy Policy: https://helmrig.app/shell-privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://helmrig.app/shell-terms.html

Screenshots

K2 Companion4 screens
Helmrig Shell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Helmrig Shell at every 2 weeks against K2 Companion's monthly. K2 Companion's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

K2 Companion ships an update monthly, Helmrig Shell every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
K2 Companion versus Helmrig Shell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterK2 CompanionHelmrig Shell
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLZTEK, LLCNikita Kislitsin

In-app purchases

None

K2 Companion

No in-app purchases

None

Helmrig Shell

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is K2 Companion free?
K2 Companion is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Helmrig Shell free?
Helmrig Shell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do K2 Companion or Helmrig Shell have ads?
Neither K2 Companion nor Helmrig Shell shows ads.
Which is updated more often, K2 Companion or Helmrig Shell?
K2 Companion ships an update monthly, and Helmrig Shell every 2 weeks. Most recently, K2 Companion was updated on October 14, 2026 and Helmrig Shell on September 30, 2026.

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