Comparison

Terminalko vs Refactual

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

Head to head
About

Terminalko

Connect to remote servers like VPS, Raspberry Pi, or Linux boxes directly from your iPhone or iPad. This app provides a real terminal experience with advanced features for managing connections and executing commands securely.

Highlights
  • Connect to VPS, Raspberry Pi, Linux
  • xterm-256color PTY with ANSI colors
  • Password or key authentication
  • Jump hosts support
  • Command snippets
  • Auto-reconnect for dropped sessions
  • Multiple parallel sessions
Features
Read full description

Terminalko is a fast, focused SSH terminal for iPhone and iPad. Connect to your VPS, Raspberry Pi or any Linux box, run a real shell, get work done without a laptop. Add a server and you are at a prompt in a minute. [ A real terminal ] A true xterm-256color PTY with ANSI colors, scrollback and a keyboard aware layout. htop, vim and tmux behave exactly like they should. [ SSH, Mosh and Telnet ] SSH with password or key auth, jump hosts through a bastion in one hop. Mosh survives Wi-Fi to cellular switches, IP changes and long sleeps. Your prompt is still there hours later. Telnet for legacy gear: switches, routers, the odd BBS. [ Edit files over SFTP ] Open the config, fix the wrong line, save it back in place. Sizes, permissions and dates on every row. Upload, download, rename, delete, new folder. [ SSH keys, Secure Enclave included ] Generate an Ed25519 key on device and copy its authorized_keys line, ready to deploy. Paste an existing OpenSSH key. Or make one in the Secure Enclave, where the private half cannot leave the chip. A different key per server. Secrets live in the iOS Keychain. [ Dropped connections reconnect ] Connection Keeper retries a dropped session with a visible overlay and a cancel button. Lock the phone, tmux keeps working server side, the session re-attaches when you return. [ Themes and fonts ] Fifteen built in themes, plus an editor for your own: all 16 ANSI slots, text, background, cursor and selection, live preview. Twenty monospace faces bundled, nothing to download. [ Maximum Privacy and Security ] No tracking, no ads, no spying. Face ID, Touch ID, Optic ID or your passcode, with a grace period you choose, and masks it in the app switcher. No analytics, no ads, no accounts, no telemetry. The app talks to your servers and to nothing else. [ Our mission ] Make the best terminal and SFTP app there is. Every version came from someone saying what was missing. If something is missing for you, say so. [ Requirements ] iOS or iPadOS 17 or later. Built for developers, sysadmins and homelab tinkerers. Check a server from the couch, SSH into a Pi from bed, restart a service from the train. Terms of Use: https://terminalko.com/terms/

About

Refactual

An AI-powered workspace designed for modern software development, accessible on mobile. It offers real-time chat, code refactoring tools, codebase analysis, and document parsing. Seamlessly sync your work between web and mobile platforms.

Highlights
  • Real-time AI chat with streaming replies
  • Code refactoring and pull request tracking
  • Codebase modernization reports
  • Parsed document library with sharing
  • Web and mobile work synchronization
  • Model picker for AI tasks
  • Change alerts from monitored sources
Features
Read full description

Refactual is your AI workspace for modern software work — now on your phone. Chat is the everyday flagship: ask anything and watch answers stream in live. Paste code, ask about an error, get cited images and sources, and pick the model that fits the task. Your conversations sync with refactual.com, so you can start on the web and continue on mobile. The app brings the rest of your Refactual work with you: • Chat — streaming AI replies, a model picker, web search, and rich cited media. • Refactor — kick off and track code-refactor jobs, then open the pull request. • Repos — read your codebase modernization reports: score, hotspots, ROI, and a step-by-step remediation plan. • Parser — view structured output from your parsed PDFs and documents. • Documents — your parsed document library, with sharing. • Code — browse and copy the code snippets from your sessions. • Monitor — get change alerts from the pages and sources you watch. • Account — your plan and shared team credit balance at a glance. Your Refactual account and work sync across web and mobile. The app is free to download and use with your Refactual account. Built for developers and teams modernizing real codebases. Sign in and pick up right where you left off. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.refactual.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.refactual.com/privacy

Screenshots

Terminalko4 screens
Refactual4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Refactual at Free against Terminalko's $4.99. Terminalko's advantage is chart position (#28 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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

Refactual is free to download; Terminalko costs $4.99 up front. Terminalko sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Refactual sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Terminalko against 5.0 for Refactual. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Terminalko ships an update every 4 days, Refactual weekly. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Terminalko versus Refactual: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTerminalkoRefactual
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings22
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#28 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBEGRIPSean Webb

Customer experience

Terminalko

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Refactual

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Terminalko

Subscriptions1
  • Terminalko Monthly$2.991 Month
One-time1
  • Terminalko Pro$6.99
6 purchases

Refactual

Subscriptions2
  • Refactual Plus$6.991 Month
  • Refactual Pro1 Month trial$19.991 Month
One-time4
  • $10 of credits$10.00
  • $25 of credits$25.00
  • $50 of credits$50.00
Show 1 more
  • $125 of credits$100.00

Questions

Is Terminalko free?
Terminalko costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Refactual free?
Refactual is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Terminalko or Refactual?
Terminalko and Refactual are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Terminalko or Refactual have ads?
Neither Terminalko nor Refactual shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Terminalko or Refactual?
Terminalko ships an update every 4 days, and Refactual weekly. Most recently, Terminalko was updated on October 25, 2026 and Refactual on October 25, 2026.

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