Comparison

Helmrig Shell vs Omnis

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

Head to head
About

Helmrig Shell

Features
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The terminal from your desk, now on iPhone and iPad. Helmrig Shell is a native terminal β€” btop, tmux, vim, true color, ligatures, full escape-sequence support, rendered natively. Not a web view, not a cut-down mobile shell. A real desktop terminal that feels like the one you already use. Your sessions run on your own Mac or server. The iPad or iPhone is just the window β€” so they never drop. Lock the screen, lose signal, switch to another app, come back hours later: every tab, every running process, your full scrollback, exactly where you left it. No reconnect dance, no lost output. Drop a file onto the terminal and it uploads to your machine, with the full path dropped straight into your command line. Hand a screenshot to a CLI tool, attach a file to a running command β€” it just works, as if the file were already there. Built on libghostty for the rendering you'd expect from a desktop terminal. Hardware keyboard shortcuts, split panes, tabs that name themselves after what's running. Designed for iPad first, not ported from somewhere else. Works anywhere over an end-to-end encrypted connection β€” at your desk, on the couch, or across the world. Not limited to your local network. Helmrig Shell requires a subscription to use. A free trial is available, after which continued access requires Helmrig Shell Pro at $8.99/month. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. WHAT IT IS A window into your own machine. Your shell, your tools, your environment β€” running where they always have, now reachable from your iPad. WHAT IT NEEDS A Mac or Linux machine you control, running the Helmrig server. Setup takes one command. PRIVACY No third-party SDKs. No analytics. No crash reporting. Helmrig Shell servers never see terminal output. Full policy at helmrig.app/shell-privacy.html CONTACT hi@helmrig.app Support Link: https://helmrig.app/support Privacy Policy: https://helmrig.app/shell-privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://helmrig.app/shell-terms.html

About

Omnis

Features
Read full description

Keep your AI usage in sight with Omnis. Omnis brings your AI quotas, usage history, and reset times together in one clear dashboard. See what you’ve used, how much you have left, and when your limits resetβ€”so you can plan your next session with confidence. TRACK YOUR USAGE Connect your AI accounts and check your quotas in one place. Switch between used and remaining views to see the numbers your way. KNOW WHEN LIMITS RESET See upcoming reset times and get notified when your quota renews. SPOT YOUR PATTERNS Explore your usage history to understand how your consumption changes over time. CHECK AT A GLANCE Keep your quotas close with Home Screen widgets, without opening the app. GO FURTHER WITH OMNIS PREMIUM Track multiple AI accounts, unlock usage projections, and receive quota alerts to help you plan ahead. Whether you’re coding, writing, or exploring ideas, Omnis helps you spend less time checking limits and more time creating. Omnis is an independent app and is not affiliated with the AI service providers it supports. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://elnyne.fr/apps/omnis/privacy

Screenshots

Helmrig Shell4 screens
Omnis4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Omnis at every 2 days against Helmrig Shell's every 2 weeks. Omnis also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Helmrig Shell ships an update every 2 weeks, Omnis every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Helmrig Shell versus Omnis: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHelmrig ShellOmnis
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS26.017.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size39 MB90 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNikita KislitsinFlorian Feron

In-app purchases

None

Helmrig Shell

No in-app purchases

None

Omnis

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Helmrig Shell free?
Helmrig Shell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Omnis free?
Omnis is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Helmrig Shell or Omnis have ads?
Neither Helmrig Shell nor Omnis shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Helmrig Shell or Omnis?
Helmrig Shell ships an update every 2 weeks, and Omnis every 2 days. Most recently, Helmrig Shell was updated on September 30, 2026 and Omnis on October 2, 2026.

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