Dataplicity vs PiHelper
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dataplicity
Access your Raspberry Pi shell remotely from any network without complex configurations like dynamic DNS or port forwarding. This secure solution uses a client-initiated connection, eliminating the need for SSH or open ports on your device.
- Remote shell access
- No dynamic DNS needed
- No port forwarding required
- Works behind NAT/firewalls
- Secure websockets connection
- No SSH required
- Agent runs without root
Read full descriptionHide full description
Dataplicity helps teams support connected Linux devices after they ship, wherever the work happens. Use the Dataplicity iOS app to find the right device, check live status, and take the next support action without going back to a laptop. With Dataplicity you can: - Search enrolled devices by name or ID - See current device status at a glance - Review service endpoint, heartbeat, user impact, and device monitor signals - Acknowledge or escalate open incidents - Confirm fixes when work is complete - Open terminal access for a selected device when shell access is the fastest path - Reach docs, help, and account settings from the app Dataplicity is built for real support work: customer sites, production floors, field visits, and incident response. Start with the easy checks, understand what is happening, and keep the work moving from your iPhone or iPad. Dataplicity access requires an active Dataplicity account and enrolled devices.
PiHelper
Easily connect to and manage your Raspberry Pi or Linux machine remotely. Monitor system resources, control GPIO pins, and access an SSH terminal. Browse and manage files with SFTP and perform server actions like rebooting.
- Real-time system monitoring (CPU, memory, disk, temp)
- Interactive GPIO control
- Full SSH terminal experience
- SFTP file browser with upload/download
- Remote reboot and halt server
- Custom command execution
Read full descriptionHide full description
Get started with PiHelper: https://medium.com/swlh/using-pihelper-to-monitor-and-manage-raspberry-pis-9a24065febed PiHelper lets you connect and manage your Raspberry Pi or Linux machine easily. - Monitor CPU, memory, disk usage, processes and/or temperature statics in realtime. - GPIO Colorful pinout. Tap to change GPIO mode and output. - SSH Terminal Realtime shell with full xterm experience. - SFTP / File browser Browse files and directories. Easy upload, download, rename and delete. - Single tap to reboot / halt server. Custom commands are also supported. - Multi-language support: -- English -- 中文 -- 日本語 -- Русский (Thanks to Sergey Britov) -- Deutsche (Thanks to Daniel Wolf) -- Français (Thanks to Dorian Eydoux) -- Lietuvis (Thanks to Ernestas Kardzys) Report issue: - Email: pihelper@outlook.com - Twitter: @shaqian629 Notes: - Public/Private key authentication only supports RSA keys. - To use the GPIO tool with RPi 4, please upgrade wiringPi to 2.52+: cd /tmp wget https://project-downloads.drogon.net/wiringpi-latest.deb sudo dpkg -i wiringpi-latest.deb Reference: http://wiringpi.com/wiringpi-updated-to-2-52-for-the-raspberry-pi-4b/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Dataplicity at 4.6 against PiHelper's 4.1. Dataplicity also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (79% vs 64%). PiHelper's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.1). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. PiHelper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Dataplicity asks for nothing beyond the download.
Dataplicity holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 163 and 247 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Dataplicity's written reviews are positive against 64% of PiHelper's.
Dataplicity ships an update every 3 months, PiHelper every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dataplicity | PiHelper |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (163 ratings) — better | 4.1 (247 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews — better | 64.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 163 | 247 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MachineForest Ltd | 茜 沙 |
Customer experience
Dataplicity
PiHelper
User reviews
Dataplicity
From 163 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to install and setup
- 👍 Works smoothly and as described
- 👍 Excellent for remote access to Linux/Raspberry Pi
- 👍 Simple and efficient to use
- 👍 Great GUI and user interface
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes frequently during signup/adding devices
- 🐛 Terminal scrolling is difficult/unusable on iOS
- 🐛 Input mask is covered by the keyboard
- 🐛 No way to delete devices
- 🐛 Limited bandwidth on paid subscriptions
PiHelper
From 247 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💻 Convenient remote management
- 📊 Useful monitoring features
- 🔑 SSH and SFTP access
- 🚀 Clean and intuitive UI
- 💰 Reasonable pricing
Room to improve
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer OS versions
- 🔒 Unreliable authentication methods
- 🖥️ Terminal interface limitations
- 🔄 Abandoned by developers
- ⚠️ Potential security concerns
Bugs and requests
Dataplicity
Reported bugs
8 issues- App crashes before any action can be taken
- App crashes when trying to add a system/device
- In-call status bar pushes terminal down, hiding part of the special function keyboard
- Third-party keyboards of different heights block the bottom half of the special function keyboard
- App does not auto-scroll or allow manual scrolling on screen
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Cannot connect to Pi from auto-connect or command line
- Custom actions are not always working
- Unreachable devices remain unreachable, no way to delete them
Requested features
7 requests- Add a widget for one-click access to custom actions
- Add proper keyboard support with control, tab, escape keys
- Allow font size adjustment
- Improve terminal colors
- Allow landscape mode for the terminal
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Add a dark mode option
- Improve bandwidth offerings on paid subscriptions
PiHelper
Reported bugs
5 issues- Inability to connect to Raspberry Pis
- Clipboard data being accessed
- Terminal crashes and text wrapping issues
- Inaccurate CPU and GPU usage reporting
- Incompatibility with newer SSH ciphers
Requested features
5 requests- Support for Raspberry Pi 5
- Temperature monitoring in Fahrenheit
- Ability to clear RSA keys
- Network and disk usage monitoring
- Offline notification alerts
In-app purchases
Dataplicity
No in-app purchases
PiHelper
- Remove Ads$0.99
