Comparison

MuxLink vs LexShell

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

Head to head
About

MuxLink

This app provides a seamless remote development experience on mobile devices. Connect to your dev box, manage tmux sessions, and run coding agents that continue working even when your screen is off. It offers a customizable keyboard and efficient command history for enhanced productivity.

Highlights
  • Persistent tmux sessions
  • Run coding agents anywhere
  • Customizable accessory keyboard
  • Command history and autocomplete
  • SSH with key or password auth
  • Mosh support for roaming
  • SFTP file browsing
Features
Read full description

Your terminal, everywhere you go. MuxLink is an SSH client built for one thing: making a real remote development session usable from a phone. Connect to your dev box, attach to tmux, and pick up exactly where you left off — including long-running coding agents that keep working while your screen is off. RUN AGENTS FROM ANYWHERE Start a coding agent on your server, lock your phone, and check back later. Your tmux session keeps running on the remote machine, so nothing is lost when the connection drops or the app goes to the background. A one-tap "Copy Terminal Buffer" button grabs the visible scrollback so you can paste context into a chat without fighting a text selection handle. Works with any terminal-based agent — Claude Code, Codex, Aider, or your own scripts. MuxLink is not affiliated with or endorsed by their makers. TMUX AS A NATIVE INTERFACE MuxLink detects when your session is running tmux and renders your windows as a native tab bar. Switch windows by tapping instead of typing a prefix chord. It works with grouped sessions, so your phone can follow its own window without dragging your desktop client along with it. A KEYBOARD THAT WORKS ON A TOUCHSCREEN The iOS keyboard has no Ctrl, Esc, Tab, or arrow keys. MuxLink adds them in an accessory bar you can customize, with presets for tmux, Vim, and agent-driven workflows. Type into a comfortable text field and send whole lines, or drop into raw keystroke mode when an app needs every character live. COMMANDS YOU ALREADY RAN Command history is kept per host, with inline ghost-text autocomplete as you type and up/down recall. Pin the commands you run constantly and tap them from a menu. Everything is scoped to the host you are on, so your laptop's history does not clutter your server's. BUILT FOR REAL SERVERS • SSH with password, Ed25519 key, or passwordless auth • Generate keys on device, optionally protected by Face ID • Known-hosts fingerprint verification with a clear warning if a host key changes • Mosh support for roaming between networks • SFTP file browsing • Per-host startup command — auto-attach tmux the moment you connect • Auto-reconnect when you return to the app • Multiple concurrent sessions • Paste an "ssh user@host -p port" command to connect instantly MADE TO LOOK RIGHT Thirty themes, five monospace fonts, and full-color terminal rendering so Starship prompts, syntax highlighting, and TUI apps look the way they do on your desktop. Native iPad support with a resizable window. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No accounts, no telemetry, no analytics SDKs, no ads. Keys and passwords live in the iOS Keychain on your device. The only network connections MuxLink makes are the ones you initiate to the servers you name. REQUIREMENTS MuxLink connects to servers you already have access to. It does not provide servers, hosting, or a VPN. To reach a machine that is not exposed to the public internet, use it alongside a mesh VPN such as Tailscale.

About

LexShell

Connect to remote servers and Bonjour services with ease. This client remembers your frequently accessed servers, adapting to different locations for seamless access. It's designed for efficient and reliable SSH connections.

Highlights
  • SSH terminal client
  • Remote server access
  • Bonjour server support
  • Location-aware server memory
  • Connect from anywhere
Features
Read full description

Sometimes you need to SSH into a server. This app helps you do exactly that. Remote servers, Bonjour servers — we welcome them all. We'll optionally remember the servers you frequently access from a given spot, too; so if you're always connecting to one network from the coffeeshop and another from home, we've got you covered. With built-in support for the keyboard keys that iOS forgot (Esc, Tab, and Control-combos), a slew of themes, and a ton of functionality included for free. Need Pro features like 1Password keys, SFTP support throughout iOS, and Snippets? Take a look at a Pro subscription. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MuxLink4 screens
LexShell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: MuxLink at 100% against LexShell's 0%. MuxLink also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2). LexShell's advantage is chart position (#92 vs unranked) and ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MuxLink holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LexShell has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of MuxLink's written reviews are positive against 0% of LexShell's.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
MuxLink versus LexShell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMuxLinkLexShell
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.2 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings15 — better
Update frequency—Every 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#92 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJesse ZieglerLex Friedman

Customer experience

MuxLink

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

LexShell

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

MuxLink

No in-app purchases

None

LexShell

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MuxLink free?
MuxLink is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is LexShell free?
LexShell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MuxLink or LexShell?
MuxLink is rated higher. MuxLink averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while LexShell averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.
Do MuxLink or LexShell have ads?
Neither MuxLink nor LexShell shows ads.

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