ShellRelay vs ContainerDesk
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ShellRelay
Access and manage remote terminal sessions securely from your mobile device. Launch a personal server, connect to your own, and run commands with a touch-friendly interface. Share access with teammates and sign in easily without passwords.
- Remote terminal access
- Docker playground server
- Secure WebSocket relay
- Touch-friendly interface
- Team access sharing
- Passwordless sign-in
Read full descriptionHide full description
ShellRelay — Terminal in Your Pocket ShellRelay lets you securely access and manage remote terminal sessions from your iPhone. Connect to any server, run commands, and stay productive — wherever you are. What you can do: - Launch a personal Docker-based playground server in seconds - Connect to your own servers via secure WebSocket relay - Run terminal sessions with a touch-friendly interface - Share server access with teammates using invite links - Sign in with Apple, Google or GitHub — no password required Pro Subscription: Upgrade to Pro to add more servers and unlock full access. Subscriptions are billed monthly through your Apple ID. Payment is charged at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription auto-renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your iPhone Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Privacy & Legal: - Privacy Policy: https://www.shellrelay.com/privacy - Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.shellrelay.com/terms
ContainerDesk
Read full descriptionHide full description
ContainerDesk is the native cockpit to manage your Docker containers and Kubernetes clusters remotely, from your Mac, iPad and iPhone. No Docker daemon exposed to the network, no agent to install: ContainerDesk talks to the Docker API and kubectl through a secure SSH connection. Your servers stay closed; you stay in control. DOCKER • All your containers, grouped by Docker Compose project • Real-time stats (CPU, RAM) and streaming logs with search • Start, stop, restart, remove, with confirmation • Interactive terminal and exec inside a container • File browser (download and upload) • Images (pull, remove, prune), volumes and networks • Create containers and deploy a local container to a remote server KUBERNETES • Pods by namespace, deployments, services, ingress • Logs, console and terminal inside a pod • Scale, rollout restart, edit ConfigMaps and Secrets • Guided Deployment creation • Cluster overview: top consumers A REAL TERMINAL A true interactive (PTY) terminal on your hosts and straight inside your containers and pods: autocomplete, colors, history. SECURITY FIRST • Everything goes through SSH, never an open Docker port • Human approval before every destructive action • Host keys verified (TOFU) with an alert on change • Secrets stored in the Keychain, never in the clear • Local audit log • Zero telemetry: your data never leaves your devices FROM MAC TO PHONE One native app on macOS, iPadOS and iOS. Organize servers with favorites and folders; with iCloud (Pro), they sync across your devices. PRO Unlock unlimited servers, Kubernetes, the MCP server (for AI agents), iCloud sync and deployment. One-time purchase, yours for life. Built for developers, sysadmins and homelab enthusiasts who want to manage Docker and Kubernetes cleanly, securely, from anywhere.
Screenshots
Verdict
ShellRelay and ContainerDesk are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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. ShellRelay sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month and ContainerDesk sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | ShellRelay | ContainerDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | — | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Licong Chen | NetMeSafe |
In-app purchases
ShellRelay
- ShellRelay Pro$4.991 Month
ContainerDesk
- ContainerDesk Pro$22.99
Questions
Is ShellRelay free?
Is ContainerDesk free?
Do ShellRelay or ContainerDesk have ads?
Other comparisons















