GateShell vs SSH Terminal & SFTP
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
SSH Terminal & SFTP
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Buy it once. Own it forever. No subscription, no account, no tracking. SSH Terminal & SFTP is a real interactive shell and SFTP file manager for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It connects straight from your device to the machines you already own ā no servers in between, and nothing about your session ever leaves your hardware. A REAL TERMINAL, NOT A TOY - Full interactive shell over a genuine PTY: colors, vim, htop, tmux, tab completion - xterm-256color, so your tools look the way they do on your desktop - Live resize ā rotate the device and full-screen programs reflow instantly - Hardware keyboards work properly: arrows, Tab, Esc and Ctrl-C go straight to the remote shell - On-screen Esc, Tab, Ctrl and arrow keys ā the ones a touch keyboard leaves out - One-tap command suggestions, drawn from what you actually type - Tappable session history ā reuse any command without retyping it FILE TRANSFER OVER SFTP (SSH Terminal Pro) - Browse the remote filesystem, starting in your home directory - Download to your device, upload from the Files app - Live progress with one-tap cancel; interrupted downloads clean up after themselves - Runs inside the same connection as your shell ā no second login, no second password - Unlocked by SSH Terminal Pro, a one-time $9.99 purchase. No subscription, and everything else in the app stays free. SECURITY, DONE PROPERLY - Password and SSH key authentication ā ed25519 and RSA, passphrase-protected keys included - Trust-on-first-use host-key pinning: your server's identity is checked on every single connect, and a key that changes is refused outright - Fingerprints are shown in the exact format ssh-keygen prints, so you can verify them by eye - Saved passwords and keys live in the device Keychain, sealed behind Face ID / Touch ID and unlocked only at the moment you connect ā never pre-filled on screen - Optional Face ID / Touch ID lock for the whole app, covering the app-switcher preview too MAKE IT YOURS - Pick the font and the size - Set terminal background and text colors, classic phosphor green and amber included - Everything applies live, mid-session PRIVACY YOU CAN ACTUALLY CHECK No accounts. No sign-up. No analytics, telemetry, crash reporting, ads or third-party tracking. Your host profiles, pinned keys and credentials stay on your device and vanish when you delete the app. We run no servers, so there is nothing for us to collect even if we wanted to. WHO IT'S FOR Developers, sysadmins, and anyone with a Raspberry Pi, a home server, a VPS or a Mac they need to reach from somewhere else. One app. iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SSH Terminal & SFTP at none against GateShell's 2. SSH Terminal & SFTP also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. GateShell sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. SSH Terminal & SFTP asks for nothing beyond the download.
GateShell ships an update every 5 weeks, SSH Terminal & SFTP every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GateShell | SSH Terminal & SFTP |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | ā |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 5 days ā better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No ā better |
| Monetization | Freemium | ā |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac ā better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | HEFTY INNOVATIONS | Asarel Morales |
In-app purchases
GateShell
- GateShell Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
- GateShell Pro Yearly$9.991 Year
SSH Terminal & SFTP
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is GateShell free?
Is SSH Terminal & SFTP free?
Do GateShell or SSH Terminal & SFTP have ads?
Which is updated more often, GateShell or SSH Terminal & SFTP?
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