Vato IDE vs Shellton
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Vato IDE
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Your desktop development workflow, now in your pocket. Vato IDE turns your iPhone or iPad into a powerful companion for the Vato IDE desktop app. Connect to your computers in real time, open projects and conversations, and direct AI coding agents wherever you are. CODE FROM ANYWHERE Send instructions, follow responses live, attach reference images, or dictate prompts with your voice. Choose your preferred provider, model, reasoning level, and execution mode for every task. MANAGE YOUR DESKTOPS See connected computers, browse active projects, and continue existing conversations. Work across multiple desktops without losing project context. PLAN, REVIEW, AND APPROVE Review proposed implementation plans before execution. Answer agent questions and approve or reject commands, file changes, and other sensitive actions directly from your device. KEEP WORK MOVING Queue follow-up prompts while an agent is busy, change priorities, stop active runs, and return to completed conversations when you are ready. BUILT FOR REAL DEVELOPMENT Ask your agents to inspect files, write code, run tests, explain changes, and handle Git workflows—all through a focused, project-aware chat interface. KEY FEATURES • Real-time desktop-to-mobile connection • Multiple computers and projects • AI model and reasoning controls • Plan and execution modes • Interactive approvals and questions • Image attachments and voice dictation • Prompt queue and run controls (1/2) • Personal and team workspaces • Dark and light themes Vato IDE for mobile is a companion app. A signed-in Vato IDE desktop app must be online and connected for project access and agent execution. Available models and capabilities depend on your desktop configuration and provider accounts.
Shellton
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Shellton is a native ACP cockpit and persistent SSH/Mosh terminal for developers who want to run coding agents from iPhone without moving their work into a proprietary cloud relay. RUN CLAUDE AND CODEX ON YOUR HOSTS. Connect to a saved SSH or Mosh host, choose Claude or Codex, and start or resume an agent session in the directory where your code already lives. Shellton launches the official Agent Client Protocol adapter on demand and carries the session over your existing encrypted connection—no Shellton account, relay server, or host daemon. AN AGENT INTERFACE BUILT FOR MOBILE. Follow live transcripts, reasoning, tool activity, and plans without squeezing a desktop terminal onto your phone. Approve or deny tool requests, send the next instruction by keyboard or voice, switch between conversations, and hand control back to tmux when you return to a computer. EVERY DROPPED SESSION IS A BUG. Shellton tries Mosh first on every connection. Mosh survives Wi-Fi handoffs, dead zones, and locked-screen suspends. If the server does not have mosh-server installed, Shellton transparently falls back to SSH. VOICE INPUT, ON-DEVICE. Tap the mic and dictate agent prompts or terminal commands. Supported speech engines run on your device; your audio is never sent to Shellton. KEYBOARD THAT WORKS FOR DEVELOPERS. Use a configurable accessory bar with modifier keys, arrows, and custom escape sequences. Build bars in the app or author them in YAML and import them from Files. Hyper, Meh, Kitty keyboard protocol, and tmux prefix shortcuts are supported. FULL-SCREEN TERMINAL. Use a true-color SwiftTerm terminal with Nerd Font glyphs, themes, snippets, per-host history, SSH key management, host-key verification, Live Activities, and tmux-aware navigation. YOUR DATA STAYS YOUR OWN. Shellton uses privacy-preserving product analytics for feature adoption and connection reliability. Analytics never include hostnames, addresses, usernames, commands, terminal text, credentials, voice audio, transcripts, or raw errors, and can be disabled in Settings. There is no advertising or cross-app tracking. SSH keys live in the iOS Keychain, app data remains local, and accessory-bar configuration can sync through your private iCloud container. KEY FEATURES • Native ACP conversations with Claude and Codex • Live transcripts, plans, tool activity, and permission approvals • Direct operation over your SSH or Mosh hosts; no proprietary relay • Auto Mosh-to-SSH fallback per host • On-device voice input • Customizable accessory bar with YAML import/export • Live Activities for active sessions • Ed25519 and ECDSA SSH key generation and import • Optional Face ID protection for stored credentials • Trust-On-First-Use host-key verification • Anonymous, opt-out product analytics; no tracking or ads CONVERSATION REQUIREMENTS • A saved SSH-accessible host with Node.js 22 or later and npm • Authentication with the selected agent provider when prompted • Shellton resolves the official ACP adapter through npx on demand; users do not install a separate Shellton daemon or generic ACP service TERMINAL REQUIREMENTS • iOS 17.0 or later • An SSH server you can connect to • mosh-server on the remote host for persistent Mosh sessions (optional) SHELLTON PRO An optional auto-renewable subscription unlocks voice input, agent conversations, custom accessory bars, and session-continuity tools. Payment is charged to your Apple ID; the subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://datons.github.io/shellton-site/privacy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Shellton at every 2 weeks against Vato IDE's every 6 weeks. 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Vato IDE ships an update every 6 weeks, Shellton every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Vato IDE | Shellton |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 59 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Noah d'hondt | Jesus Lopez |
In-app purchases
Vato IDE
No in-app purchases
Shellton
No in-app purchases









