Comparison

Agentmux vs Shellby

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

Head to head
About

Agentmux

Transform your iPhone or iPad into a powerful command center for remote development. Connect to servers, manage persistent tmux sessions, and run AI coding agents directly from your device. Browse, edit, and preview project files with ease, all without needing a laptop.

Highlights
  • Remote server connection
  • Persistent tmux session management
  • AI coding agent execution
  • File browsing and editing
  • Markdown preview
  • Live Activities and Dynamic Island integration
  • iCloud sync for settings
Features
Read full description

Agentmux turns your iPhone and iPad into a command center for remote development. Connect to your servers, resume persistent tmux sessions, launch coding agents, browse project files, preview Markdown, and make quick code edits without opening a laptop. Agentmux is built for developers who already live in terminals, SSH, tmux, and AI coding agents. Run coding agents from your phone Launch Claude, Codex, Antigravity, OpenCode, Antigravity, and custom CLI agents directly inside remote project sessions. Agentmux discovers your projects and keeps agent launch actions close to the work. Keep sessions alive with tmux & Live Activities Remote work should not disappear when Wi-Fi drops or iOS switches networks. Agentmux integrates deeply with tmux so you can reconnect and continue where you left off. Monitor background tasks and active sessions at a glance with Lock Screen Live Activities and Dynamic Island integration. If tmux is missing, Agentmux can help install it on supported servers. Browse and edit remote projects Open a file explorer over SSH/SFTP, move through project folders, inspect Git context, preview Markdown, and edit text/code files with line numbers and syntax highlighting. Edit configs with confidence using strict syntax validation for JSON, YAML, and TOML files. Swipe through remote image galleries with edge-aware gestures. Designed for mobile terminals Use an iPhone shortcut panel for arrow keys, Ctrl, Esc, Tab, Home/End, and other terminal controls. Seamlessly copy text from remote editors (like Vim/Neovim) to your iOS clipboard using OSC 52. On iPad, use a hardware keyboard, trackpad, landscape layout, and larger workspace. Sync your workflow Optional iCloud sync keeps supported server settings, recent sessions, and recent files available across your own devices with fast incremental batch sync. SSH credentials are stored securely in iOS Keychain. Agentmux is a focused SSH workspace for developers who want their remote dev box, coding agents, tmux sessions, files, and editor in one mobile app. 14-day free trial with Pro features. Agentmux Pro is available as a lifetime unlock.

About

Shellby

A native SSH client for Apple devices that offers SFTP, tunnels, and server monitoring. It features an AI assistant to translate plain language tasks into commands and Mosh-compatible transport for resilient sessions.

Highlights
  • AI-powered command generation
  • Mosh-compatible sessions
  • SFTP file transfer
  • Port forwarding and tunnels
  • Server monitoring (CPU, memory)
  • On-screen key bar
Features
Read full description

Shellby is a modern, native SSH client for iPhone, iPad, and Mac — one app, one experience across all your Apple devices. It does more than connect: a built-in AI agent turns plain-language ops tasks into commands you approve one by one, Mosh-compatible transport keeps sessions alive across network changes, and on Mac your AI coding tools reach your servers read-only, fully audited. Built for developers, sysadmins, and anyone who manages remote servers. No account, no tracking. AI ASSISTANT & AGENT (BRING YOUR OWN KEY) • Describe an ops task in plain language — the agent plans and runs it step by step • Every command passes an approval gate; destructive ones need explicit confirmation — nothing runs behind your back • Customizable allow/deny lists; approve & allowlist in one tap • Standard chat-completion APIs, so you pick the service — DeepSeek, Kimi, GLM, Qwen, or a local Ollama model • Off by default; bring your own key and endpoint — no AI service is built in EXTERNAL AGENTS — MCP (macOS) • Let claude-code, codex, and other MCP clients use hosts you already configured — no passwords, keys, or jump-host setup handed over • Read-only: list hosts, run read-only commands, read files, fetch metrics; mutating commands are refused with a reason • Loopback only, token-checked per request, token in the Keychain, every call audited • Runs only while Shellby is open — no background daemon MOSH-COMPATIBLE CONNECTIONS • Switch Wi-Fi to cellular, roam, ride through a tunnel — the session survives and resumes instantly • Typing stays responsive even on slow, high-latency links • Connection test detects a missing mosh-server and gives install steps for your distro TERMINAL • Fast, standards-compliant terminal (xterm-256color) • Password and SSH key authentication (Ed25519 / RSA / OpenSSH) • On-screen key bar: Esc, Tab, Ctrl combos, arrows, symbols • Full hardware-keyboard mapping on iPad and Mac • Terminal themes and font size • Scrollback buffer up to 50,000 lines SNIPPETS & COMMAND TOOLBAR • Save commands you use daily; run, insert, or copy them from a toolbar above the terminal • Shell syntax highlighting and line numbers; review before running DESKTOP-CLASS ON MAC & iPAD • Three-column layout: hosts, sessions, and content each in place • Multiple windows and session tabs, with live terminal previews • Split view, and command broadcast — type once, send to many sessions • Native menu bar, shortcuts, and window toolbar on Mac FILES (SFTP) • Browse, upload, download, rename, move, delete, create folders • One transfer queue both ways — progress, resume, choice of destination • Drag & drop on Mac; notification when background transfers finish • Integrates with the Files app PORT FORWARDING & TUNNELS • Local (-L), remote (-R), and dynamic SOCKS5 (-D) forwarding • Jump hosts / ProxyJump (-J) with multi-hop chains • Standalone tunnels that stay up and auto-reconnect, with live bandwidth • For reaching services inside your own server network (databases, internal dashboards) — not for bypassing network restrictions SERVER MONITOR • Live CPU, memory, swap, disk, load, and top processes SYNC — YOUR DATA, YOUR STORAGE • Optional iCloud sync of hosts, groups, and rules (CloudKit); passwords and keys only via the end-to-end-encrypted iCloud Keychain • Or bring your own storage: hosts, keys, snippets, AI settings & chats via any WebDAV or S3-compatible service you control • Pair a new device by scanning a QR code SECURITY & PRIVACY • Credentials stored only in the device Keychain — never in plaintext • Host fingerprint verification (TOFU), with a strong warning if one ever changes • Face ID / Touch ID app lock • No account, no tracking, no data collection You bring your own SSH servers; Shellby connects only to machines you own or are authorized to access. Languages: English, 简体中文, 繁體中文. Privacy Policy: https://shellby.app.mahui.me/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Agentmux4 screens
Shellby4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Agentmux at every 3 days against Shellby's every 11 days. On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Agentmux sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Shellby sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Agentmux ships an update every 3 days, Shellby every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 7 level
Agentmux versus Shellby: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAgentmuxShellby
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHSINWEI LIAO荟 马

Customer experience

Agentmux

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Shellby

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Agentmux

One-time1
  • Agentmux Pro Lifetime$14.99
3 purchases

Shellby

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Agentmux free?
Agentmux is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shellby free?
Shellby is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Agentmux or Shellby have ads?
Neither Agentmux nor Shellby shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Agentmux or Shellby?
Agentmux ships an update every 3 days, and Shellby every 11 days. Most recently, Agentmux was updated on September 9, 2026 and Shellby on September 14, 2026.

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