Comparison

PocketADM vs Pier Shell

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

Head to head
About

PocketADM

Manage your self-hosted Linux servers directly from your phone. Monitor live dashboards, access a full terminal, deploy apps with a one-tap store, and receive smart updates and health checks. An optional AI agent can even run commands and fix issues.

Highlights
  • Live server dashboard
  • Full terminal with copy/paste
  • AI agent for command execution
  • One-tap app deployment
  • Smart updates and health checks
  • Open source
Features
Read full description

PocketADM is a mobile-first command center for the servers you host yourself. Connect to your own Linux box and run the whole thing from your phone. β€’ Live dashboard: CPU, memory, disk, uptime and network at a glance, with every container grouped and one tap from its logs. β€’ A real terminal: a full terminal with a mobile key bar and copy & paste. Open a shell as your own host user, the app, or exec into any container. β€’ Assistant: an optional AI agent that runs commands, reads and edits files and fixes things directly on your server. It streams live, asks before anything destructive, and you bring your own API key (or run a local model). β€’ One-tap app store: deploy popular self-hosted apps as clean Docker/compose projects with friendly config forms. β€’ Smart updates & health: spot outdated images, roll back safely, and get plain language security and health checks. PocketADM is open source (MIT). There is no account with us and no tracking. The app talks only to the servers you add, over a direct connection. You run the server software yourself with a single install command from pocketadm.com. Just looking? Add the demo server demo.pocketadm.com with username and password 'demo' to explore a read-only sandbox.

About

Pier Shell

Features
Read full description

No separate account required Pier works with your existing iCloud account to keep supported data synchronized across your Apple devices. There’s no Pier registration, username, or password to manage. Pier is a native SSH and SFTP client built for developers who want a simple, fast way to access their servers from iPhone and Mac. Add your hosts once and keep them synced privately through iCloud. Connect to production, staging, personal servers, Raspberry Pis, and more without rebuilding your setup on every device. Pier is designed to feel at home on Apple platforms, with a clean native interface, fast terminal performance, and secure key handling.

Screenshots

PocketADM4 screens
Pier Shell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Pier Shell at every 8 days against PocketADM's every 3 weeks. PocketADM's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PocketADM ships an update every 3 weeks, Pier Shell every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 6 level
PocketADM versus Pier Shell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocketADMPier Shell
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 8 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeβ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac β€” better
Requires iOS17.0 β€” better26.5
Further details β€” not scored
Size11 MB12 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperMaximilian Elias PaaschMuhamad Nur Asyraaf

In-app purchases

None

PocketADM

No in-app purchases

None

Pier Shell

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PocketADM free?
PocketADM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pier Shell free?
Pier Shell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PocketADM or Pier Shell have ads?
Neither PocketADM nor Pier Shell shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PocketADM or Pier Shell?
PocketADM ships an update every 3 weeks, and Pier Shell every 8 days. Most recently, PocketADM was updated on October 10, 2026 and Pier Shell on September 28, 2026.

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