Comparison

ShellDiver vs SFTP Access

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

Head to head
About

ShellDiver

Read full description

With software, free is usually a question rather than an answer. Here it is arithmetic: no server of ours, no accounts, no analytics β€” nothing for a subscription to pay for. Sync, startup commands, port forwarding: all of it is in the app. WHERE YOUR KEYS LIVE In your device's keychain. ShellDiver has no account and no sign-in β€” there is simply nowhere on our side for anything of yours to sit. An Ed25519 key either travels with you through iCloud Keychain, end-to-end encrypted, or stays on this device behind Face ID. A Secure Enclave key is created inside the security chip. It cannot be read out β€” not even by ShellDiver β€” never leaves the device, and will ask for Face ID on every sign-in if you want it to. THE VAULT Instead of iCloud you can take syncing into your own hands: an encrypted file in a place you choose. A USB stick, a cloud folder, or your own WebDAV server, so Nextcloud, ownCloud, a Synology, an Apache with mod_dav. It works across different Apple IDs and carries the secrets with it: saved server passwords and private keys. Only your devices encrypt and decrypt. Whoever runs the storage location sees nothing but unreadable files. You add a second device with a QR code, without typing your passphrase there. THE TERMINAL It does not hang up because you looked somewhere else for a minute: the connection belongs to the session, not to the screen. The running build and the half-typed line are still there when you come back. Up to 20 sessions as tabs, terminals and files mixed. Real xterm emulation: colour, UTF-8, resizing that works β€” htop, vim and colourful logs look the way you expect. Plus search through the scrollback, your choice of monospaced font including Nerd Fonts, and five colour schemes. On iPhone there is a row above the keyboard with esc, ctrl, tab, arrows and a paste key, because a phone has no ⌘V. When the link drops, ShellDiver notices through keepalives and rebuilds it by itself. This is SSH, not Mosh: the new shell starts fresh. SIGNING IN WITHOUT GUESSING ShellDiver asks the server which methods it offers and works through whatever it holds credentials for. That covers publickey followed by keyboard-interactive β€” 2FA after the key β€” and equally a server that only offers keyboard-interactive while the host is saved as "password". One-time codes are never pre-filled and never stored. You confirm a host key once, by its fingerprint. Every connection after that checks it, and a key that has changed is refused rather than waved through. THROUGH A JUMP HOST When a server is only open on the inside, you give it a jump host β€” OpenSSH's ProxyJump. The jump host then forwards nothing but encrypted bytes and cannot read along; both sign-ins are signed on this device. So your key does not have to sit on the machine in between, and a Secure Enclave key works here too. FILES AND TUNNELS The SFTP browser downloads and uploads, whole folders included, renames, and deletes recursively. Local port forwarding brings a database or an admin interface onto this device. It listens on 127.0.0.1 only and cannot be reached from outside; each rule holds its own connection, so a tunnel does not fall with a terminal. WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE Your ~/.ssh/config is imported, with each IdentityFile matched against the keys you have and any ProxyJump resolved; so is known_hosts, hashed entries as far as they can be matched. Keys come in as Ed25519, RSA or ECDSA β€” from the OpenSSH container, from PuTTY's .ppk (v2 and v3), and from the PEM family. A passphrase on the file is used once during import and not kept. Snippets are also the buttons above the keyboard β€” global or bound to one host, with a confirmation step if you want one. One per host runs by itself as soon as the shell is open. The backup is a JSON file you can read β€” secrets sit inside an encrypted block under a passphrase you choose. Without it nobody gets at them, us included.

About

SFTP Access

Features
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Manage your remote servers, websites, and infrastructure right from your pocket with SFTP Access, the lightning-fast, premium SSH and SFTP client designed for security and ease of use. Whether you are a system administrator, web developer, or IT professional, SFTP Access provides a beautiful, intuitive interface to monitor system resources, execute terminal commands, and manage your filesβ€”all secured by industry-standard encryption. Powerful Server Management System Dashboard: Instantly view real-time server health, including OS details, uptime, CPU load, RAM usage, and root disk space. Full SSH Terminal: Execute commands flawlessly with a built-in, responsive terminal emulator. Advanced File Browser: Navigate your remote directories, manage configurations, and oversee your file system with ease. Quick Connect: Paste your standard SSH connection strings to instantly parse host, port, and user details. Multi-Server Profiles: Save and organize multiple connection profiles for one-tap access to your entire infrastructure. Uncompromising Security Private Key Authentication: Connect securely using passwords or your own private keys (.pem, id_rsa), including passphrase support. 100% Local Storage: Your credentials, passphrases, and server IP addresses are heavily encrypted and stored safely on your local device. We never transmit or store your server data externally. Biometric App Lock: Secure the app itself with Fingerprint or Face ID authentication, ensuring no one can access your servers even if your phone is unlocked. One-Tap Disconnect: Terminate your active SSH sessions cleanly and instantly. Premium User Experience Dark & Light Modes: Seamlessly switch between a sleek dark theme and a clean light theme to match your environment. Dynamic UI: Enjoy a modern, responsive interface with smooth animations and intuitive navigation. Customizable Settings: Tailor your notifications, appearance, and security preferences directly within the app. Take control of your infrastructure with absolute confidence. Download SFTP Access today and put the power of the command line in the palm of your hand.

Screenshots

ShellDiver4 screens
SFTP Access4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: ShellDiver at none against SFTP Access's shown. SFTP Access's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, 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.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
ShellDiver versus SFTP Access: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShellDiverSFTP Access
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyβ€”
AdsNo β€” betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.013.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size11 MB28 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperMathias OysmuellerAlka Rose Benny

In-app purchases

None

ShellDiver

No in-app purchases

None

SFTP Access

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ShellDiver free?
ShellDiver is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SFTP Access free?
SFTP Access is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ShellDiver or SFTP Access have ads?
SFTP Access shows ads; ShellDiver does not.

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