TermLink vs Clive
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TermLink
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TermLink turns your iPhone into a compact SSH companion for AI coding, server checks, and remote file handoff. Connect to your own SSH host with a password, an imported ed25519/ECDSA key, or a key pair generated in the app, copy the public key, and keep the setup steps close to the terminal. Upload screenshots or photos over SCP, then pass the remote path to Codex, Claude Code, or another AI coding workflow without retyping it. The local workspace stays inside the iOS app sandbox. Built-in commands cover file navigation, JSON formatting, Base64 encode/decode, and JavaScriptCore-backed Node-compatible snippets for safe learning and small experiments. Key features: - SSH profile setup: password authentication (stored only in this device's Keychain), import of existing OpenSSH ed25519/ECDSA private keys, including passphrase-protected keys (the passphrase is never stored) - 3-step ed25519 key setup: create, register on your server, test the connection. Switch an existing profile to the new key - Free quick-reply bar: 1, 2, 3, Enter, Esc, y and Shift+Tab in one tap to answer Claude Code and Codex prompts - Optional Face ID / Touch ID protection for private keys and saved passwords - Remote shell access from iPhone - SCP image upload and remote path handoff - Snippets for frequent SSH commands and AI prompts - Sandboxed local files and bundled command shims - JSON formatter, Base64 tools, and JavaScriptCore snippets - Japanese IME support and app language switching - Adjustable terminal font size - Optional Pro themes, multiple tabs, multiple SSH profiles, multiple snippets, and remote path insertion RSA keys are not supported. Passphrase-protected keys are supported in OpenSSH format (ssh-keygen's default encryption). Password authentication requires PasswordAuthentication to be enabled on the server. TermLink is built as an SSH companion, a command-line learning tool, and an AI coding handoff surface. It is not a native package manager, an external code store, or a way to run downloaded native executables after review. Japanese: TermLink は、iPhone から SSH ホストや AI コーディング環境へつなぐための端末ワークスペースです。SSH 接続(パスワード認証・パスフレーズ付きを含む鍵の読み込み・Face ID での鍵の保護に対応)、クイック返信バー、SCP 画像アップロード、Codex / Claude Code 向けのリモートパス連携、サンドボックス内ファイル操作、JSON 整形、Base64 変換、スニペット、Pro テーマなどを利用できます。アプリ外のコードをダウンロードして実行するネイティブパッケージマネージャーではありません。
Clive
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Clive is an SSH and Mosh terminal for iPhone and iPad that keeps your place on the server. Phones are hostile to terminals. You switch apps to copy a code, the screen locks, you walk out of Wi‑Fi, and the connection is gone with your output and the job you were watching. Clive keeps the session on the server and brings you straight back to it. WHY SESSIONS THAT SURVIVE CHANGE EVERYTHING • Walk away. Start a coding agent, a build or a training run, pocket the phone, and check on it from the train. • Nothing is lost. Mosh rides out locks, app switches and network changes without reconnecting. tmux keeps your shell and scrollback alive on the server, so even a session you closed days ago is still there. • Pick up where you left off. Clive lists the sessions it left on each server. Tap one to resume it, or end the ones you are done with. • No tricks. No keep-alive hacks and no battery drain. The right protocols, used properly, with automatic reconnect when the network returns. MADE FOR AGENTIC CODING • Claude Code, Codex and any other terminal agent run as they do on your desktop, in full colour. • A keyboard built for the terminal: Esc, Tab, Ctrl, arrows and a joystick-style key bar, plus full hardware-keyboard support. • Several connections at once, even to the same server. A REAL TERMINAL • xterm-256color with true colour, so TUIs, games and editors look as they should. • Ten themes, or let Clive match its own chrome to the colours of the program on screen. (Themes and custom fonts are Clive Pro) • Adjustable scrollback and two-finger scrolling that reaches the program itself. YOUR FILES, RIGHT THERE • A built-in SFTP browser with a code editor, syntax highlighting and Markdown rendering. (Clive Pro) • Rename, create folders, delete, or jump straight to a path. Save-conflict warnings keep your draft when the remote file has changed. • Type "open" and a path at any prompt and the file opens in Clive. YOUR KEYS, PROTECTED • Verify each new server's fingerprint; a changed host key blocks the connection until you replace the trust yourself. • Generate Ed25519 keys on the device or import your own. Private keys and passwords stay in the Keychain, behind Face ID if you choose. • Optional iCloud sync shares hosts and eligible secrets through your own iCloud Keychain. Secure Enclave keys never leave their device. CALM BY DESIGN • No account, no ads, no tracking. Your traffic goes only to the servers you add. • One app for iPhone and iPad, with a side-by-side layout on wide screens. CLIVE PRO Clive Pro is a one-time purchase that adds themes, custom fonts, the SFTP browser and the file viewer and editor, after a seven-day full-access trial. Everything else is free: the terminal, SSH, Mosh, tmux, hosts, keys and iCloud sync. No subscription. Pull out your phone. Your session is right where you left it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: TermLink at every 4 days against Clive's every 4 weeks. On price, 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
Both are free to download. TermLink sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Clive sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
TermLink ships an update every 4 days, Clive every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TermLink | Clive |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kenichi Nagamatsu | Philip Orange |
In-app purchases
TermLink
- TermLink Pro$4.99
Clive
- Clive Pro$14.99









