Comparison

YoloShell vs Astra Shell

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

Head to head
About

YoloShell

Features
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Keep your servers and coding agents close. YoloShell brings SSH, Mosh, tmux, VNC remote desktop and Herdr sessions to iPhone and iPad. HERDR WORKSPACES & CODING AGENTS • Switch workspaces, tabs, panes and agents from one compact panel. • Create workspaces and panes, and start supported coding agents such as Claude Code or Codex in an existing shell pane. • Follow agent status and continue the work in its terminal. • Observe in read-only mode or take control when needed. Requires SSH access to a remote machine running Herdr. Agents run on that machine and must be installed there. TERMINAL THAT SURVIVES ROAMING • SSH, Mosh and tmux in one polished mobile client • Mosh roaming keeps your session alive across Wi-Fi, 5G and tunnel switches • tmux integration with control mode (-CC) for a native tab / pane UI • Full xterm-256color, true color and Unicode FULL VNC REMOTE DESKTOP • VNC into your Mac, Linux box or any server — pixel-perfect • Touch gestures plus a full hardware-style key bar • Built in and free — no extra app needed MULTI-TAB ON iPad • Run many hosts side by side with multi-tab terminals • Live tab titles synced from OSC sequences • Made for the big screen and external keyboards PROFILES & SSH KEYS • Organize every host as a one-tap profile • Generate or import SSH keys, stored in the iOS Keychain • Per-profile Mosh, tmux and on-open scripts CUSTOM TERMINAL THEMES • Palette, font and cursor styling • A curated set of themes for long sessions YOLOSHELL PRO • Multi-tab terminals on iPad • Unlimited profiles & SSH keys (free includes a generous starter set) • tmux control mode (-CC) • Custom terminal themes • Priority support • 7-day free trial on the yearly plan PRIVATE BY DESIGN • All connection config and SSH keys stay on device • No telemetry of shell content, no logging of host names • No account required Subscription auto-renews until canceled. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://agentsmesh.app/products/yoloshell/privacy End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Astra Shell

Features
Read full description

Astra Shell is a native terminal client designed for persistent remote work. Traditional remote terminals are tied to the current device and network. When a client restarts, the network disconnects, or you switch devices, you often need to reconnect and find your place again. Astra Shell keeps shells running on a remote host you control, so your Mac, iPhone, and iPad can return to the same terminal and continue from the existing context. Key features: • Persistent remote shells Remote shells and their tasks continue running after the client disconnects. Reconnect to return to an existing terminal. • Continue across devices Open the same shell from Mac, iPhone, or iPad to keep viewing and entering commands. • Native terminal experience Supports common terminal modes, colors, wide characters, alternate screens, mouse input, paged history, and copy and paste. • Remote files Browse remote directories, upload and download files, preview text, view transfer progress, and inspect Git status. • Astra and SSH hosts Connect to a self-hosted Astra service over QUIC/TLS, or use standalone SSH/SFTP mode with a standard server. • Private-key security SSH private keys are stored in Keychain. Host configurations and credentials can synchronize through iCloud Keychain when enabled. Astra mode requires the open-source astrad service on a host you own or manage, with an authorized public key configured. Standard SSH hosts do not require astrad. Installation instructions are available on the support website. Astra Shell contains no advertising or behavioral analytics. It does not send terminal commands, remote files, or SSH private keys to the developer.

Screenshots

YoloShell4 screens
Astra Shell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Astra Shell at none against YoloShell's 2. On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. YoloShell sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Astra Shell asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

YoloShell ships an update fortnightly, Astra Shell every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
YoloShell versus Astra Shell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterYoloShellAstra Shell
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSignalRender Technology Co., LtdēŽ„ ē†Š

In-app purchases

2 purchases

YoloShell

Subscriptions2
  • Ų“Ł‡Ų±ŁŠ$2.991 Month
  • Ų³Ł†ŁˆŁŠ7 Days trial$14.991 Year
None

Astra Shell

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is YoloShell free?
YoloShell is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Astra Shell free?
Astra Shell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do YoloShell or Astra Shell have ads?
Neither YoloShell nor Astra Shell shows ads.
Which is updated more often, YoloShell or Astra Shell?
YoloShell ships an update fortnightly, and Astra Shell every 4 weeks. Most recently, YoloShell was updated on October 15, 2026 and Astra Shell on October 12, 2026.

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