Comparison

ShellRelay vs ContainerDesk

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Remote terminal access
  • Docker playground server
  • Secure WebSocket relay
  • Touch-friendly interface
  • Team access sharing
  • Passwordless sign-in
Features
Read 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

About

ContainerDesk

Features
Read 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

ShellRelay4 screens
ContainerDesk4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
ShellRelay versus ContainerDesk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShellRelayContainerDesk
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequency—Every 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB17 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperLicong ChenNetMeSafe

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ShellRelay

Subscriptions1
  • ShellRelay Pro$4.991 Month
1 purchases

ContainerDesk

One-time1
  • ContainerDesk Pro$22.99

Questions

Is ShellRelay free?
ShellRelay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ContainerDesk free?
ContainerDesk is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ShellRelay or ContainerDesk have ads?
Neither ShellRelay nor ContainerDesk shows ads.

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