JS Shell vs Localhost Web Server & Files
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
JS Shell
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JS Shell is a pocket-sized developer console that lets you write, run, and test web code (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) directly on iOS and macOS. No Xcode, no laptop, no remote server. Paste a page in, tap run, and it loads in a real WKWebView served from a local HTTP origin. A real secure-context origin on iOS, so modern web APIs ā from WebRTC to Geolocation ā behave the way they should. KEY FEATURES Local HTTP server. An in-process server bound to the loopback interface. Provides a real secure-context origin so modern Web APIs work out of the box. Not reachable from outside the device. JavaScript REPL. A full JavaScript runtime backed by JavaScriptCore. Type js to enter the REPL. console.log, fetch, setTimeout, setInterval, Promises, and async await are all available. Real Promises, real microtasks, real JSON parsing, real URL parsing. Geolocation support. Test navigator.geolocation on a real iOS device. Permissions are handled by the system, just like Safari. Useful for validating location-based web features without deploying to a server. Persistent file system. Files you paste live in your Documents directory and survive app restarts. Each downloaded package gets its own directory. iCloud backup picks them up like any other app data. SQLite key-value store. A real B-tree on disk via SQLite. Read and write from your pages with same-origin fetch. No CORS configuration required. curl. A subset of curl built on URLSession. The flags X, H, d, i, I, o, A, m, v are supported. Pretty-prints JSON responses and saves binary blobs to the virtual filesystem. Archive extraction. In-process tar, tar.gz, tgz, gz, and zip extraction. No shelling out. Download a release tarball with curl, extract it, and run it immediately. Voice commands. Tap the mic, speak a command. Apple Speech framework converts speech to text. Auto-submits on detected silence. Voice commands are saved to the scripts list for one-tap re-run. Saved scripts. Save any sequence of commands as a named script. One-tap to re-run later. Voice-recognized commands are auto-saved to the scripts list for instant replay. Mac Catalyst support. Runs natively on macOS as a Mac Catalyst app. Multi-window, resizable, fullscreen-capable. The same code that runs on your iPhone runs on your Mac. DESIGNED FOR DEVELOPERS JS Shell is a tool for people who want to test web code on a real iOS device without installing Xcode, syncing files, or setting up a tunnel. It is especially useful for: Testing geolocation, camera, and microphone permission flows on iOS. Validating fetch, CORS, and cookie behavior on a real iPhone. Building small offline web tools that need persistent state. Running JavaScript snippets without opening Safari Inspector. Debugging mobile rendering edge cases on the device itself. PRIVACY JS Shell does not collect any user data. There is no telemetry, no ads, no analytics, no third-party SDKs, no remote configuration. Everything you type, paste, or download stays on your device. The local HTTP server only listens on the loopback interface and is not reachable from any network. The app forwards camera, microphone, speech recognition, and location permissions to web pages you load, exactly like Safari does on macOS. The first time a page tries to use them, iOS shows the standard system permission prompt. The first time a page tries to use them, iOS shows the standard system permission prompt.
Localhost Web Server & Files
Transform your device into a local web server to host files, preview websites, and inspect network requests. Easily share files over Wi-Fi without needing the cloud or cables. Offers live reload and a built-in editor for web development.
- Wi-Fi file drop
- Serve folder as website
- Live reload for web development
- Request inspector for APIs
- Built-in code editor with syntax highlighting
- Split View support on iPad
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HostPilot turns your iPhone or iPad into a small web server on your own Wi-Fi network. Point any browser on the same network at the address it gives you. FILE DROP Open HostPilot, start a File Drop, and any phone, tablet or computer on your Wi-Fi can open the page and send files straight to your device. Nothing leaves your network. No cable, no account, no cloud service in the middle. Scan the QR code to open the page instantly on another device. SERVE A FOLDER AS A SITE Import a folder of HTML, CSS and JavaScript, or write one in the built-in editor, and HostPilot serves it the way a real web server would: ⢠index.html auto-serve and directory listing you can switch off ⢠Live reload, so edits show up in the browser as you save ⢠Single-page-app fallback for React, Vue and Angular builds ⢠Range requests, so video seeks and resumes properly ⢠Custom 404 pages, CORS headers and gzip ⢠Correct ETag, Last-Modified and 304 handling REQUEST INSPECTOR Point a webhook or an API client at your device and watch requests arrive: method, path, headers and body, captured as they land. Useful when you are building something that has to call you back. BUILT-IN EDITOR Syntax highlighting, find and replace, and version history for every file in a site, so you can fix a line and see the result without leaving the app. ON IPAD Open HostPilot beside Safari in Split View. Both stay on screen, so you can edit a file on one side and reload the page on the other. HOW SERVING WORKS HostPilot serves while the app is on screen. When you leave the app, iOS suspends it and the server stops ā HostPilot tells you it paused and brings it back with one tap when you return. Keep the app open while you are transferring files or previewing a site. HOSTPILOT PRO ⢠Serve several sites and choose your own port ⢠Password-protect a site with a username and password ⢠Choose whether a site is reachable from the network or from this device only ⢠Browser uploads into a running site ⢠No ads SUBSCRIPTION AND PRICING ⢠HostPilot Pro Lifetime ā $19.99, one payment ⢠HostPilot Pro Monthly ā $1.99 per month, renews automatically ⢠HostPilot Pro Annual ā $9.99 per year, renews automatically ⢠Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase ⢠A subscription renews unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period ⢠Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://cosmovex.web.app/apps/hostpilot/privacy-policy Questions: trionapps@gmail.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: JS Shell at none against Localhost Web Server & Files's 3. Localhost Web Server & Files's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support 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. Localhost Web Server & Files sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. JS Shell asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | JS Shell | Localhost Web Server & Files |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | ā | 100.0% of reviews |
| Update frequency | ā | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No ā better | Yes |
| Monetization | ā | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod ā better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 ā better |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Jowb Inc. | Sahana A S |
In-app purchases
JS Shell
No in-app purchases
Localhost Web Server & Files
- HostPilot Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
- HostPilot Pro Annual$9.991 Year
- HostPilot Pro Lifetime$19.99
Questions
Is JS Shell free?
Is Localhost Web Server & Files free?
Do JS Shell or Localhost Web Server & Files have ads?
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