Comparison

SSH Client & Terminal vs Shellby

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

Head to head
About

SSH Client & Terminal

A comprehensive SSH client and server monitor for managing Linux servers, VPS, and Docker containers. Offers real-time dashboards, SFTP, SSL alerts, and system log viewing. Securely stores credentials on your device.

Highlights
  • Multi-server dashboard with health scores
  • Full SSH terminal with VT100/xterm emulation
  • Real-time monitoring charts
  • SSL certificate expiry tracking
  • Docker and Podman container management
  • SFTP browser
  • System log viewer
Features
Read full description

A full SSH client and Linux server monitor in your pocket. Cura gives sysadmins, DevOps engineers, and developers a real terminal, live VPS dashboards, SFTP, Docker controls, and SSL alerts - for every server you run. Built by people who actually live in the shell. No subscriptions, no telemetry, no nonsense. KEY FEATURES - Multi-server dashboard with health scores and live CPU, RAM, and disk usage - Full SSH terminal with VT100 and xterm emulation, function keys, and landscape mode - Real-time monitoring charts for CPU, RAM, disk, network, swap, load, and processes - SSL certificate discovery and expiry tracking for your domains - Alerts for threshold breaches with process-level context - Runbooks - save and execute multi-line commands with one tap - System log viewer with color-coded output for syslog, auth.log, nginx, apache, and more - Uptime monitoring with HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, and Ping checks - Docker and Podman container management - start, stop, restart, view logs - systemd service control - start, stop, and restart services remotely - SFTP browser for navigating remote files - Home screen widget showing server health at a glance - Face ID and Touch ID app lock to protect server access - Light, dark, and system themes SECURITY Your server credentials never leave your device. Passwords and private keys are encrypted in the iOS Keychain with hardware-backed protection. Authentication supports passwords, Ed25519, and RSA private keys. PRO UPGRADE The free tier supports two servers with the full SSH terminal and basic monitoring. Cura Pro is a one-time purchase that unlocks: - Unlimited servers - Alerts for CPU, RAM, disk, and uptime thresholds - SSL certificate expiry tracking - Custom runbooks - Uptime monitoring - Home screen widget - Notification history No subscriptions. One purchase, yours forever. LANGUAGES Cura is available in 20 languages: English, Arabic, German, Spanish, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Vietnamese, Simplified and Traditional Chinese. PRIVACY Your server credentials are stored only on your device. We do not collect, transmit, or have access to your credentials, command output, or server data. See our privacy policy at https://saltserv.com/privacy/. SUPPORT Questions or feedback? Visit https://saltserv.com/support/ or contact support directly through the app.

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
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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

SSH Client & Terminal4 screens
Shellby4 screens

Verdict

The call

SSH Client & Terminal and Shellby are too close to call on the numbers: across 7 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. SSH Client & Terminal 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

SSH Client & Terminal ships an update weekly, Shellby every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
SSH Client & Terminal versus Shellby: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSSH Client & TerminalShellby
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOday Maleh荟 马

Customer experience

SSH Client & Terminal

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Shellby

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

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SSH Client & Terminal

One-time1
  • Cura Pro Lifetime$17.99
3 purchases

Shellby

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

Questions

Is SSH Client & Terminal free?
SSH Client & Terminal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shellby free?
Shellby is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SSH Client & Terminal or Shellby have ads?
Neither SSH Client & Terminal nor Shellby shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SSH Client & Terminal or Shellby?
SSH Client & Terminal ships an update weekly, and Shellby every 11 days. Most recently, SSH Client & Terminal was updated on September 26, 2026 and Shellby on September 14, 2026.

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