Comparison

electerm vs PureTerm

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

Head to head
About

electerm

This open-source client supports SSH, SFTP, Telnet, RDP, VNC, and more for remote file editing and terminal management. It offers AI assistance for command suggestions and script writing, with customizable themes and quick commands.

Highlights
  • SSH/SFTP/FTP/Telnet/RDP/VNC/Spice client
  • Direct remote file editing
  • Public key and password authentication
  • Zmodem file transfer
  • SSH tunnel support
  • Customizable themes and quick commands
  • AI assistant integration
Features
Read full description

Open-sourced ssh/sftp/telnet/RDP/VNC/Spice/ftp client for iOS Features: - Works as a terminal/file manager, ssh/sftp/ftp/telnet/serialport/RDP/VNC/Spice client - Multi-language support - Double click to directly edit (small) remote files. - All kind of auth methods: publicKey, password, ssh agent, certificates, otp, netbird etc. - Support Zmodem(rz, sz), and Trzsz. - Support ssh related features: tunnel, connection hopping. - Customizable UI: themes, background image. - Global/session proxy. - Quick commands/triggers to do predefined tasks and automattic operations - Sync data including bookmarks to github/gitee secret gist/webdav/custom server/electerm cloud - Quick input/mirror input to one or all terminals. - AI assistant integration (supporting multiple LLM API formats — OpenAI Chat Completions, OpenAI Responses, and Anthropic Messages) to help with command suggestions, script writing, and explaining selected terminal content, create bookmarks/themes, and agent mode to directly do terminal operations - MCP (Model Context Protocol) widget for AI assistants and external tools integration

About

PureTerm

Features
Read full description

PureTerm is a real terminal for your iPhone and iPad: connect to your own servers over SSH or Telnet and work as if you were sitting at the console. A REAL TERMINAL Full PTY with xterm-256color emulation. vim, htop, nano, colors, mouse modes and live window resizing behave the way they should — this is not a fake command box. SSH DONE RIGHT - Log in with a password or an SSH key - Generate modern ed25519 keys directly on your device (Pro) - Import existing OpenSSH private keys — ed25519 or RSA, passphrase supported (Pro) - Passwords and private keys are stored in the iOS Keychain, on this device only TELNET TOO Network gear, retro machines, BBS and MUD servers: plain Telnet is one tap away, with correct option negotiation and window-size support. YOUR CREDENTIALS STAY YOURS PureTerm has no account, no sign-up, no analytics and no servers of its own. The app connects only to the hosts you add yourself. Nothing about you or your servers is uploaded anywhere. SAVED HOSTS Keep each machine as a profile — name, address, port, username, auth method — and connect with a tap. FREE AND PRO Free: 1 saved host and sessions up to 60 seconds — enough to check a service or fix a config line. PureTerm Pro unlocks unlimited hosts, unlimited session length and SSH key management, from $0.99/month (yearly and lifetime options available). WHO IT'S FOR - Developers and sysadmins who need a quick shell from anywhere - Homelab owners with a Raspberry Pi or NAS in the closet - Anyone who loves a proper terminal — including the retro Telnet corners of the internet No ads, no tracking, no dark patterns. Just a clean, fast terminal in your pocket. Note: features listed under PRO require a separate purchase — an auto-renewable subscription (monthly or yearly) or a one-time Lifetime unlock. ——— Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://hdappstudio.com/pureterm/privacy/

Screenshots

electerm3 screens
PureTerm4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: electerm at none against PureTerm's 3. electerm also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PureTerm sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. electerm asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
electerm versus PureTerm: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterelectermPureTerm
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer旭东 赵HD YAPIMCILIK VE TEKNOLOJI ITHALAT IHRACAT TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI

In-app purchases

None

electerm

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

PureTerm

Subscriptions2
  • PureTerm Pro — Monthly$0.991 Month
  • PureTerm Pro — Yearly$5.991 Year
One-time1
  • PureTerm Pro — Lifetime$14.99

Questions

Is electerm free?
electerm is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PureTerm free?
PureTerm is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do electerm or PureTerm have ads?
Neither electerm nor PureTerm shows ads.

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