Comparison

DiffSSH vs GateShell

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

Head to head
About

DiffSSH

This app provides a comprehensive Git code review experience on mobile devices. It allows users to connect to servers via SSH, review changes with detailed diffs and syntax highlighting, and interact with a built-in terminal. The tool is designed for secure, offline-first code management.

Highlights
  • SSH connection to servers
  • Detailed code change review with diffs
  • Syntax highlighting for multiple languages
  • Integrated interactive terminal with tmux/screen support
  • Commit history graph visualization
  • Secure credential storage in iOS Keychain
  • Native iPad support with Split View
Features
Read full description

DiffSSH turns your iPhone and iPad into a proper Git review tool for the servers you already work on. Connect over SSH, open a repository, and review every change with the clarity of a desktop client - no laptop required. REVIEW CHANGES LIKE A PRO • See staged and working-tree changes in a clean, Source Control view. • Group changed files into a folder tree, or switch to a flat list - your choice. • Stage and unstage individual files, whole folders, or everything at once with a swipe. • Tap any change to open a full diff with syntax highlighting, word-level highlights, line numbers, and green/red gutters. EXPLORE THE WHOLE REPOSITORY • Browse a lazily-loaded file tree and open any file in a fast, read-only viewer. • Walk the commit history as a graph - branches, merges, and refs shown at a glance. • Tap any commit to inspect exactly what it changed. A REAL TERMINAL, BUILT IN • Run commands in a live, interactive shell scoped to your repository. • Sessions are persistent server-side via tmux or GNU screen - disconnect or background the app and your shell keeps running. Reconnect and pick up exactly where you left off. SECURE BY DESIGN • Connect with password or private-key authentication. • Credentials are stored in the iOS Keychain - never sent anywhere but to your own servers. • No accounts, no analytics, no tracking. Your data stays between your device and your servers. SYNTAX HIGHLIGHTING FOR THE LANGUAGES YOU USE Swift, JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Ruby, Go, Rust, Java, PHP, Bash, JSON, YAML, Markdown, HTML, CSS, C, C++, and SQL. BUILT FOR iPHONE AND iPAD • Native SwiftUI, designed for iOS 17 and later. • Full iPad support including Split View and Slide Over. Requirements: an SSH-accessible server with Git. The built-in terminal requires tmux or GNU screen on the server.

About

GateShell

This app provides a secure and private SSH, Mosh, and SFTP client that runs entirely on-device. It offers advanced terminal features, server management dashboards, and file editing capabilities, all without relying on external servers or tracking user data.

Highlights
  • Zero-backend SSH, Mosh, and SFTP client
  • On-device credential management
  • Native Mosh with persistent sessions
  • Server management dashboards (Docker, DBs, etc.)
  • SFTP file transfer with background retry
  • Built-in code editor with syntax highlighting
  • AI coding agent integration
Features
Read full description

GateShell is an SSH, Mosh, and SFTP client, and a full server command center. Your servers, your keys, your device, nothing in between. No backend, no relays, no tracking. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Zero backend. GateShell runs entirely on-device. There's no server to breach because there is no server. • Credentials live in the hardware-encrypted Apple Keychain, or on Secure Enclave keys that never leave your device, not even as an export. • No analytics, no telemetry. We don't know who you are or what you connect to. CONNECT, AND STAY CONNECTED • Native Mosh, with encrypted UDP and predictive local echo. Change networks, close the lid, come back hours later: your session is still there. • Jump hosts reach private servers through a bastion, with per-hop auth and host-key checks. • Import your ~/.ssh/config, or bulk-import servers from CSV. • SSH, Mosh, and Telnet, with automatic SSH fallback when UDP is blocked. SECURE CONNECTIONS • Verified host keys, pinned per server, with a warning the instant one changes. • Generate ed25519, P-256, RSA, or Secure Enclave hardware-backed keys, or import a PuTTY .ppk, including Argon2-encrypted ones. • Security Assistant scans for missing updates, exposed listeners, weak SSH policy, firewall gaps, and expiring certificates. Every finding shows its evidence, and guided fixes run allow-listed commands only after you approve them. • Face ID / Touch ID lock keeps your servers safe even if your device isn't. A REAL TERMINAL • Full XTerm-256 color terminal with fullscreen, scrollback search, and a customizable toolbar. • Two- and four-pane terminals with optional input broadcast. • 32 themes, bundled Nerd Fonts, custom font import, and named keyboard layouts. • Command snippets with ${VAR} prompts, run across many hosts at once. MANAGE THE WHOLE SERVER • 20+ built-in dashboards: Docker, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, Nginx, Caddy, Traefik, Firewall, Cron, PM2, WireGuard, Fail2Ban and more. Each one shows the status and acts on it. • Fleet broadcasts one command to every server at once. • Live health monitoring with restart, logs, and failure alerts. • Install the optional open-source agent on your own server for metric history and push alerts when a service drops, a disk fills, or a cron job fails. It runs on your box, not ours. FILES & CODE • Upload and download over SFTP with progress tracking and background retry. • Show your servers in the Files app, and open remote files like local ones. • Built-in editor with syntax highlighting and find/replace for 13+ languages. • Git on the go: status, stage, commit, and review diffs. • App Preview opens your dev server right in the app, tunneled over your existing SSH connection. BRING YOUR OWN CODING AGENT • Start, resume, and interrupt Claude Code, Codex, or Gemini CLI in any project on your server, straight from the terminal. • It runs under your account, with your CLI. GateShell never proxies it and never sees your provider keys. AI THAT STAYS ON THE DEVICE • Describe what you want in plain English, and GateShell composes the command on-device via Apple Intelligence. • Long output gets an instant, structured summary with error and warning counts. • A multi-step agent proposes a plan and runs it, with your approval on every step. • Automatic secret redaction and a risk warning before dangerous commands run. AT A GLANCE • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets for quick connect, server health, and your last session, plus a Live Activity that tracks the connection you're on. SYNC EVERYWHERE • iCloud syncs your servers, snippets, and known hosts across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, end-to-end encrypted. Free to start. Pro unlocks unlimited servers, SFTP, Mosh, port forwarding, the full dashboard suite, and more. On-device AI features require a device that supports Apple Intelligence. Terms of Use: https://gateshell.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://gateshell.com/privacy

Screenshots

DiffSSH4 screens
GateShell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DiffSSH at none against GateShell's 2. On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. GateShell sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. DiffSSH asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for DiffSSH against 5.0 for GateShell. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
DiffSSH versus GateShell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDiffSSHGateShell
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequency—Every 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCache TechnologiesHEFTY INNOVATIONS

Customer experience

DiffSSH

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

GateShell

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

DiffSSH

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

GateShell

Subscriptions2
  • GateShell Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
  • GateShell Pro Yearly$9.991 Year

Questions

Is DiffSSH free?
DiffSSH is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is GateShell free?
GateShell is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DiffSSH or GateShell?
DiffSSH and GateShell are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do DiffSSH or GateShell have ads?
Neither DiffSSH nor GateShell shows ads.

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