Comparison

Knife Terminal vs Edsger

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

Head to head
About

Knife Terminal

Features
Read full description

Knife Terminal mirrors the terminal sessions on your Mac to your iPhone. It is the phone-side companion to the free, open-source Knife Terminal app for macOS. Run Claude Code (or any command-line tool) in Knife Terminal on your Mac, and every tab follows you out the door: • Live mirror — each session's screen rendered natively, with real colors, text selection and copy • Chat view — Claude Code sessions read like a messages thread: your prompts, Claude's replies, tool activity • Reply from anywhere — type into any session from your phone; a push notification tells you when a session is waiting on you • Usage at a glance — 5-hour, weekly and per-model usage bars, one tap away • Open projects remotely — start a new session in any recent project without touching the Mac • Private by design — everything syncs through your own private iCloud database. No accounts, no analytics, no servers of ours; we never see your data. Requires the free, open-source Knife Terminal app for macOS: github.com/cheewee2000/knife-terminal

About

Edsger

A mobile coding environment for writing and running code in multiple languages. Features an AI tutor that can explain code, fix errors, and assist with problems, all while keeping your data private.

Highlights
  • On-device code execution
  • AI-powered code explanation and debugging
  • Support for Python, C, JavaScript, and Lua
  • Offline functionality
  • Private code and AI interactions
  • Optional cloud AI features
Features
Read full description

Edsger is a coding workspace for iPhone and iPad. Write C, Python, JavaScript or Lua, press Run, and your program runs right on your device. No account, no ads, and no network needed to write or run code. Ask Edsger, the built-in AI tutor, to explain code, fix an error or walk through a math or science problem. The free tutor and coding agent run entirely on your device, so your code and questions stay private. FOUR LANGUAGES, ON DEVICE • C with PicoC, a small interpreter • Python 3.14 with the standard library • JavaScript with JavaScriptCore • Lua 5.5 Each language has its own projects, syntax highlighting, console input and Stop. AI THAT HELPS YOU LEARN • Chat: ask questions, attach documents, and get step-by-step math • Agent IDE: describe a change and the agent reads, edits and runs files in your project, with restore points • On-device models are free and work offline EDSGER PRO (OPTIONAL SUBSCRIPTION) • Dijkstra Super Fast 1.0, a faster cloud model for Chat and the Agent IDE, with a monthly AI allowance • Photos in Chat with Dijkstra • Bring your own OpenAI or Claude API key • Push projects to your GitHub account • A custom Chat note and extra colors Pro Plus includes three times the Pro allowance. Cloud AI only runs after you allow sharing, and you can turn it off anytime. HONEST LIMITS C runs in PicoC, not GCC or Clang, so some standard library features are missing. Python, JavaScript and Lua run without package installs, network access or GUIs. AI can make mistakes; review its code and don't rely on it for medical, legal or financial advice. Subscriptions renew monthly unless canceled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage them in your Apple Account settings. Terms: https://garrettmichae1.github.io/lilc/terms.html Privacy: https://garrettmichae1.github.io/lilc/privacy.html

Screenshots

Knife Terminal4 screens
Edsger4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Knife Terminal at none against Edsger's 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Edsger sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Knife Terminal asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Knife Terminal versus Edsger: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKnife TerminalEdsger
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequency—Every 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB3.3 GB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperCW&TGARRETT MICHAEL WOODSIDE

In-app purchases

None

Knife Terminal

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Edsger

Subscriptions2
  • Edsger Pro$9.991 Month
  • Edsger Pro Plus$24.991 Month

Questions

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

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