Comparison

GateShell vs Moray

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

Head to head
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 β€’ Zero backend. GateShell runs entirely on-device. There's no server to breach because there is no server. β€’ Credentials live in the hardware-encrypted Apple Keychain, or on Secure Enclave keys that never leave your device, not even as an export. β€’ No analytics, no telemetry. We don't know who you are or what you connect to. CONNECT, AND STAY CONNECTED β€’ Native Mosh, with encrypted UDP and predictive local echo. Change networks, close the lid, come back hours later: your session is still there. β€’ Jump hosts reach private servers through a bastion, with per-hop auth and host-key checks. β€’ Import your ~/.ssh/config, or bulk-import servers from CSV. β€’ SSH, Mosh, and Telnet, with automatic SSH fallback when UDP is blocked. SECURE CONNECTIONS β€’ Verified host keys, pinned per server, with a warning the instant one changes. β€’ Generate ed25519, P-256, RSA, or Secure Enclave hardware-backed keys, or import a PuTTY .ppk, including Argon2-encrypted ones. β€’ 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. β€’ Face ID / Touch ID lock keeps your servers safe even if your device isn't. A REAL TERMINAL β€’ Full XTerm-256 color terminal with fullscreen, scrollback search, and a customizable toolbar. β€’ Two- and four-pane terminals with optional input broadcast. β€’ 32 themes, bundled Nerd Fonts, custom font import, and named keyboard layouts. β€’ Command snippets with ${VAR} prompts, run across many hosts at once. MANAGE THE WHOLE SERVER β€’ 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. β€’ Fleet broadcasts one command to every server at once. β€’ Live health monitoring with restart, logs, and failure alerts. β€’ 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 β€’ Upload and download over SFTP with progress tracking and background retry. β€’ Show your servers in the Files app, and open remote files like local ones. β€’ Built-in editor with syntax highlighting and find/replace for 13+ languages. β€’ Git on the go: status, stage, commit, and review diffs. β€’ App Preview opens your dev server right in the app, tunneled over your existing SSH connection. BRING YOUR OWN CODING AGENT β€’ Start, resume, and interrupt Claude Code, Codex, or Gemini CLI in any project on your server, straight from the terminal. β€’ It runs under your account, with your CLI. GateShell never proxies it and never sees your provider keys. AI THAT STAYS ON THE DEVICE β€’ Describe what you want in plain English, and GateShell composes the command on-device via Apple Intelligence. β€’ Long output gets an instant, structured summary with error and warning counts. β€’ A multi-step agent proposes a plan and runs it, with your approval on every step. β€’ Automatic secret redaction and a risk warning before dangerous commands run. AT A GLANCE β€’ 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 β€’ 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

About

Moray

Features
Read full description

Moray is a native SSH, SFTP, and terminal client for iPhone, iPad, and Mac β€” with a real terminal, a dual-pane file manager, port-forwarding tunnels, and on-device key security. With Moray Pro, your hosts and snippets sync through your own iCloud; your keys and passwords never leave the Keychain unless you choose. No account, no vendor server. β–Έ A REAL TERMINAL A full terminal powered by SwiftTerm β€” rich color, a fast keyboard, and smooth scrollback. Open several sessions as tabs, name them, switch between them from the keyboard, search the scrollback, and run commands automatically on connect. Moray remembers what you typed on each server β€” never a password β€” so you can search it and re-run. The Smart Bar puts arrows, Esc, Tab, Ctrl, and paste one tap away. β–Έ SFTP FILE MANAGER Browse, upload, download, rename, and delete over SFTP, reopening in the folder you left. Preview with Quick Look, edit text files in place, or pick which app opens each file type. On iPad and Mac, a dual-pane manager copies files and folders between servers β€” or to your computer β€” with drag and drop, and a file pane can sit beside the terminal. β–Έ YOUR SERVERS IN THE FILES APP On iPhone and iPad, mount a host and it appears in Files next to iCloud Drive β€” open a remote file straight into any app that uses the document picker, and save back to it. β–Έ PORT-FORWARDING TUNNELS Forward a local port to a database or dashboard behind your server. Import LocalForward lines from ~/.ssh/config, start every tunnel with one tap, and keep them running with a Live Activity. β–Έ KEYS DONE RIGHT Generate Ed25519 keys, or import Ed25519 and RSA keys. Keys and saved passwords live in the device Keychain β€” encrypted, never synced unless you opt in, and behind an optional biometric app lock. A new server's fingerprint and key picture are shown before you trust it; a key that later changes stops the connection, with both keys side by side. β–Έ SMART AUTOFILL Moray spots sudo, login and passphrase prompts and offers a Face ID– or Touch ID–gated fill β€” enter your password once, not every time. β–Έ ORGANIZED HOSTS Group and tag your servers, with an icon and color each. Quick Connect (β‡§βŒ˜K) and Siri Shortcuts connect you in seconds; jump hosts reach servers behind a bastion. β–Έ SNIPPETS Save the commands you run all the time β€” with fill-in placeholders β€” and run or paste them into any session. β–Έ MAKE IT YOURS Start from built-in terminal themes or design your own with a full color editor. Choose your font β€” SF Mono, Menlo, or any monospaced font you've installed β€” plus size, line height and cursor style. β–Έ SYNC, YOUR WAY (MORAY PRO) With Moray Pro, hosts, groups, snippets and host keys sync through your own iCloud β€” no Moray account, ever. Keys stay on the device unless you turn on iCloud Keychain sync. β–Έ APPLE-NATIVE THROUGHOUT Siri and Spotlight, recent-hosts widgets (Moray Pro), a keyboard-driven Mac app with a menu-bar extra, a biometric app lock, and JSON backup. ________________ FREE & PRO Free: unlimited hosts, the terminal (up to three sessions at once), a single-pane SFTP file manager, the remote editor, key management, autofill, command history, SSH config import, and Quick Connect. Moray Pro adds iCloud sync, port-forwarding tunnels, jump hosts, automatic key auth, dual-pane transfers and server-to-server copy, Files app mounts, unlimited terminal tabs, custom themes, unlimited snippets, and widgets β€” as a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. ________________ PRIVATE BY DESIGN β€’ No account and no vendor servers β€” sync (Moray Pro) is your iCloud, or nothing β€’ Private keys and passwords stay in the Keychain, device-local by default β€’ Host-key checks you can see: a new server's fingerprint is shown before it's trusted, and a changed key stops the connection until you decide ________________ Privacy Policy: https://moray.bartstudio.io/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

GateShell4 screens
Moray4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Moray at none against GateShell's 2. GateShell's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.5). On price, update cadence, ads 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. GateShell sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Moray asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GateShell ships an update every 5 weeks, Moray every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 6 level
GateShell versus Moray: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGateShellMoray
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
MonetizationFreemiumβ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS17.0 β€” better26.5
Further details β€” not scored
Size52 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHEFTY INNOVATIONSBartlomiej Zabicki Mobile Developer

In-app purchases

2 purchases

GateShell

Subscriptions2
  • GateShell Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
  • GateShell Pro Yearly$9.991 Year
None

Moray

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GateShell free?
GateShell is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Moray free?
Moray is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do GateShell or Moray have ads?
Neither GateShell nor Moray shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GateShell or Moray?
GateShell ships an update every 5 weeks, and Moray every 3 weeks. Most recently, GateShell was updated on October 15, 2026 and Moray on October 17, 2026.

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