LexShell vs Vays
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LexShell
Connect to remote servers and Bonjour services with ease. This client remembers your frequently accessed servers, adapting to different locations for seamless access. It's designed for efficient and reliable SSH connections.
- SSH terminal client
- Remote server access
- Bonjour server support
- Location-aware server memory
- Connect from anywhere
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Sometimes you need to SSH into a server. This app helps you do exactly that. Remote servers, Bonjour servers — we welcome them all. We'll optionally remember the servers you frequently access from a given spot, too; so if you're always connecting to one network from the coffeeshop and another from home, we've got you covered. With built-in support for the keyboard keys that iOS forgot (Esc, Tab, and Control-combos), a slew of themes, and a ton of functionality included for free. Need Pro features like 1Password keys, SFTP support throughout iOS, and Snippets? Take a look at a Pro subscription. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Vays
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Your AI writes Markdown all day. Now you can read it anywhere. VAYS MD is a native iPhone and iPad reader and editor for .md files — READMEs, specs, meeting notes, transcripts. Open a file and read it like a document, with real typography, not source code. No cloud in the middle. Nothing leaves your device. READ • GitHub Flavored Markdown: tables, task lists, strikethrough • Callout cards — GitHub [!NOTE] / [!TIP] / [!WARNING] and Obsidian styles • Display math typeset natively — no web view • shields.io badges drawn natively, front-matter shown as a tidy card • Footnotes become superscripts with gathered definitions • Mermaid blocks appear as clean code cards (full diagram rendering is on the roadmap) • Dark mode tuned for night reading WRITE • Source editor with Markdown highlighting • Autosave straight back to the file — no export dance • Works with the Files app: iCloud Drive, On My iPhone, and any provider PRIVATE BY DEFAULT No account. No analytics. No network requests. Your documents stay in your storage, exactly where they were. BETTER TOGETHER WITH THE MAC APP VAYS MD Reader for Mac adds a folder library, Mermaid diagrams rendered offline, a visual diagram creator, QuickLook, PDF export and Claude Code integration. Same design, same privacy. PART OF THE VAYS FAMILY From the maker of Vays, the private voice-note app. Record on the go, read the transcript beautifully. Built by a solo developer. Every feedback email is read.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: LexShell at every 3 days against Vays's fortnightly. LexShell also leads on chart position (#37 vs unranked). 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
LexShell ships an update every 3 days, Vays fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LexShell | Vays |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | #37 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lex Friedman | ARVIND JUNEJA OUMM |
In-app purchases
LexShell
No in-app purchases
Vays
No in-app purchases







