Comparison

Terminalko vs Motrix Shell

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

Motrix Shell

Features
Read full description

Motrix Shell 是一款为 iPhone 和 iPad 打造的终端模拟器与 SSH 客户端,采用 Metal GPU 加速渲染。 无需注册 Motrix 账号,内置本地 Shell 打开即用;连接自己的服务器,可以在移动设备上处理开发与运维工作。 主要功能 • 原生 SSH — 支持 Ed25519、ECDSA、RSA 密钥、跳板机和端口转发 • 密钥保护 — 支持系统钥匙串、Secure Enclave 密钥和 Face ID 验证 • 本地 Shell — 内置 vim、git、ripgrep、jq、curl 等常用工具 • 会话管理 — 标签页、分屏、连接配置和 iCloud 同步 • Motrix Roam 与 tmux — 移动网络下的远程会话体验与原生 tmux 会话管理 • 服务器状态 — 通过 SSH 查看 Linux 或 macOS 主机的 CPU、内存、磁盘、网络和进程信息 • Git 与文件管理 — 按主机与目录浏览仓库,处理远程文件和 Git 操作 • 编码代理工具 — 查看已配置服务的用量、通知和会话状态,支持锁屏实时活动 • 语音输入 — 配置自己的语音服务凭据后,可录音转文字、编辑并发送到终端 • 终端个性化 — 主题、等宽字体和可定制的终端工具栏 远程功能需要你拥有可访问的服务器;语音及其他可选云服务需要单独配置,并会与所选服务通信。Motrix Shell 无广告、无跟踪,不要求连接外接安全密钥或 NFC 硬件。

Screenshots

Terminalko4 screens
Motrix Shell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Motrix Shell at Free against Terminalko's $4.99. On update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Motrix Shell is free to download; Terminalko costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Terminalko ships an update every 2 days, Motrix Shell every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Terminalko versus Motrix Shell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTerminalkoMotrix Shell
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB194 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBEGRIP士沛 王

In-app purchases

None

Terminalko

No in-app purchases

None

Motrix Shell

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Terminalko free?
Terminalko costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Motrix Shell free?
Motrix Shell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Terminalko or Motrix Shell have ads?
Neither Terminalko nor Motrix Shell shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Terminalko or Motrix Shell?
Terminalko ships an update every 2 days, and Motrix Shell every 3 days. Most recently, Terminalko was updated on October 14, 2026 and Motrix Shell on October 7, 2026.

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