CodeMote vs Shellby
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
CodeMote
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CodeMote turns your iPhone and iPad into a real connection to your development machine. Pair in seconds, then run your terminals, manage git, and drive AI coding agents - from anywhere. This isn't a stripped-down mobile editor. CodeMote connects to the full workstation you already have set up, so you get your real environment, your real tools, and your real projects in your pocket. Works with your existing VS Code setup. WHAT YOU CAN DO - Live terminals - open real shells on your machine, with sessions that survive backgrounding and reconnect instantly. - Git, built in - status, diff, commit, push, branches and full history, with zero credentials stored on your phone. - AI coding on the go - kick off and steer AI coding agents while you are away from your desk. - Multiple workspaces - jump between projects and keep long-running tasks alive in the background. - Saved commands - one tap to run the commands you use most. - Persistent sessions - start something on your phone, pick it up on your desktop. BUILT FOR DEVELOPERS - Fast, secure pairing - connect your phone to your machine in seconds. - Your code never leaves your computer - CodeMote is a remote control, not a copy. - Terminal-first, keyboard-friendly, and dark by default - designed for the way you actually work. WHY CODEMOTE Other remote-coding apps give you a chat box bolted onto an AI agent. CodeMote gives you the whole workstation - terminal, git, and AI together - so you can do real work, not just send prompts. Ship a fix from the sofa. Restart a build from the train. Review a diff over coffee. Your dev machine is now wherever you are. Download CodeMote and code from anywhere. A subscription is required to use CodeMote. Terms of Service: https://codemote.caste.work/tos Privacy Policy: https://codemote.caste.work/privacy
Shellby
A native SSH client for Apple devices that offers SFTP, tunnels, and server monitoring. It features an AI assistant to translate plain language tasks into commands and Mosh-compatible transport for resilient sessions.
- AI-powered command generation
- Mosh-compatible sessions
- SFTP file transfer
- Port forwarding and tunnels
- Server monitoring (CPU, memory)
- On-screen key bar
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Shellby is a modern, native SSH client for iPhone, iPad, and Mac ā one app, one experience across all your Apple devices. It does more than connect: a built-in AI agent turns plain-language ops tasks into commands you approve one by one, Mosh-compatible transport keeps sessions alive across network changes, and on Mac your AI coding tools reach your servers read-only, fully audited. Built for developers, sysadmins, and anyone who manages remote servers. No account, no tracking. AI ASSISTANT & AGENT (BRING YOUR OWN KEY) ⢠Describe an ops task in plain language ā the agent plans and runs it step by step ⢠Every command passes an approval gate; destructive ones need explicit confirmation ā nothing runs behind your back ⢠Customizable allow/deny lists; approve & allowlist in one tap ⢠Standard chat-completion APIs, so you pick the service ā DeepSeek, Kimi, GLM, Qwen, or a local Ollama model ⢠Off by default; bring your own key and endpoint ā no AI service is built in EXTERNAL AGENTS ā MCP (macOS) ⢠Let claude-code, codex, and other MCP clients use hosts you already configured ā no passwords, keys, or jump-host setup handed over ⢠Read-only: list hosts, run read-only commands, read files, fetch metrics; mutating commands are refused with a reason ⢠Loopback only, token-checked per request, token in the Keychain, every call audited ⢠Runs only while Shellby is open ā no background daemon MOSH-COMPATIBLE CONNECTIONS ⢠Switch Wi-Fi to cellular, roam, ride through a tunnel ā the session survives and resumes instantly ⢠Typing stays responsive even on slow, high-latency links ⢠Connection test detects a missing mosh-server and gives install steps for your distro TERMINAL ⢠Fast, standards-compliant terminal (xterm-256color) ⢠Password and SSH key authentication (Ed25519 / RSA / OpenSSH) ⢠On-screen key bar: Esc, Tab, Ctrl combos, arrows, symbols ⢠Full hardware-keyboard mapping on iPad and Mac ⢠Terminal themes and font size ⢠Scrollback buffer up to 50,000 lines SNIPPETS & COMMAND TOOLBAR ⢠Save commands you use daily; run, insert, or copy them from a toolbar above the terminal ⢠Shell syntax highlighting and line numbers; review before running DESKTOP-CLASS ON MAC & iPAD ⢠Three-column layout: hosts, sessions, and content each in place ⢠Multiple windows and session tabs, with live terminal previews ⢠Split view, and command broadcast ā type once, send to many sessions ⢠Native menu bar, shortcuts, and window toolbar on Mac FILES (SFTP) ⢠Browse, upload, download, rename, move, delete, create folders ⢠One transfer queue both ways ā progress, resume, choice of destination ⢠Drag & drop on Mac; notification when background transfers finish ⢠Integrates with the Files app PORT FORWARDING & TUNNELS ⢠Local (-L), remote (-R), and dynamic SOCKS5 (-D) forwarding ⢠Jump hosts / ProxyJump (-J) with multi-hop chains ⢠Standalone tunnels that stay up and auto-reconnect, with live bandwidth ⢠For reaching services inside your own server network (databases, internal dashboards) ā not for bypassing network restrictions SERVER MONITOR ⢠Live CPU, memory, swap, disk, load, and top processes SYNC ā YOUR DATA, YOUR STORAGE ⢠Optional iCloud sync of hosts, groups, and rules (CloudKit); passwords and keys only via the end-to-end-encrypted iCloud Keychain ⢠Or bring your own storage: hosts, keys, snippets, AI settings & chats via any WebDAV or S3-compatible service you control ⢠Pair a new device by scanning a QR code SECURITY & PRIVACY ⢠Credentials stored only in the device Keychain ā never in plaintext ⢠Host fingerprint verification (TOFU), with a strong warning if one ever changes ⢠Face ID / Touch ID app lock ⢠No account, no tracking, no data collection You bring your own SSH servers; Shellby connects only to machines you own or are authorized to access. Languages: English, ē®ä½äøę, ē¹é«äøę. Privacy Policy: https://shellby.app.mahui.me/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CodeMote at none against Shellby's 3. CodeMote also leads on chart position (#166 vs unranked). Shellby's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). 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
Both are free to download. Shellby sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. CodeMote asks for nothing beyond the download.
CodeMote ships an update weekly, Shellby every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CodeMote | Shellby |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | ā | 100.0% of reviews |
| Update frequency | Weekly ā better | Every 11 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No ā better | Yes |
| Monetization | ā | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | #166 ā better | ā |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac ā better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 ā better |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Salvatore Castellitti | č 马 |
In-app purchases
CodeMote
No in-app purchases
Shellby
- Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
- Pro Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Pro Lifetime$29.99









