BURSU Connection Manager vs Clayshell
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
BURSU Connection Manager
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BURSU Connection Manager is a full remote-access client for iPhone and iPad. SSH, Telnet, RDP, VNC, SFTP and FTP ā one app, one catalogue of connections, one master password.
Clayshell
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Clayshell is an SSH client and server manager for people who run their own servers. Add a server once, then do the daily work without leaving the app. NEW IN 1.1 ⢠Test connection: check the address, user and key before you save a server. If it fails, Clayshell says why: the name was not found, nothing is listening on that port, no answer, not an SSH server, or the key needs its passphrase. ⢠On the Mac, Clayshell is now a desktop: Terminal, Files, Monitor and PM2 open as windows inside it, with a dock and a top bar that shows the server you are working on. Press Command-K to switch servers. Liquid Glass on macOS 26. ⢠Files: choose several files and folders at once, download several in one go, and delete a folder with everything inside it. Clayshell refuses to delete the root, top-level system folders and your home folder. TERMINAL A real terminal with full colour, in tabs. Your own shell, as many sessions as you need. FILES Browse the server over SFTP. Upload, download, rename, delete, make files and folders, and preview text files. EDITOR WITH A BACKUP Open a file on the server, edit it and save. Before every save the previous version is kept next to it as a .bak file, and one tap puts it back. If the file changed on the server while you were editing, Clayshell tells you instead of overwriting it. MONITOR CPU, memory, disk, load, uptime and the busiest processes, live, for Linux servers. PM2 See your PM2 processes, start, stop and restart them, and follow their logs. ALERTS Be told when a disk fills up, when CPU or memory stays high, when a PM2 process goes down, or when a server cannot be reached. On the Mac, Clayshell can watch your servers from the menu bar. A small script can also be installed on the server itself, so alerts reach Telegram, ntfy or a webhook even when your devices are asleep. MORE SSH Jump hosts. Import from your SSH config. Local port forwarding. Ed25519 and RSA keys, or a password. YOUR DATA STAYS WITH YOU ⢠No account, no analytics, no tracking. Nothing is sent to us. ⢠Passwords and keys are kept in the Keychain on your device. ⢠Clayshell only talks to the servers you add. ⢠It asks before trusting a new server, and stops if a server's key changes. ⢠An optional lock with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. Clayshell has a day and a night look, and works on Mac and iPhone. Monitoring needs a Linux server. The PM2 screen needs PM2 on the server. Server alerts need curl and cron on the server. An RSA key protected by a passphrase is not supported yet.
Screenshots
Verdict
BURSU Connection Manager and Clayshell are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters ā price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them ā neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BURSU Connection Manager ships an update every 3 days, Clayshell every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BURSU Connection Manager | Clayshell |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days ā better | Every 5 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 ā better | 18.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Gia Bursulaia | Arvind Kumar |
In-app purchases
BURSU Connection Manager
No in-app purchases
Clayshell
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BURSU Connection Manager free?
Is Clayshell free?
Do BURSU Connection Manager or Clayshell have ads?
Which is updated more often, BURSU Connection Manager or Clayshell?
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