# Shelly vs SSH Tunnel

The clearest difference is price: Shelly at Free against SSH Tunnel's $9.99. Shelly also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (76% vs 46%). SSH Tunnel's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#54 vs #199). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Shelly is free to download; SSH Tunnel costs $9.99 up front. Shelly sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SSH Tunnel asks for nothing beyond the download.

Shelly holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 277 and 148 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Shelly's written reviews are positive against 46% of SSH Tunnel's.

Shelly ships an update every 2 months, SSH Tunnel every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shelly | SSH Tunnel |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $9.99 |
| Rating | **[4.4 (277 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelly-ssh-client/id989642999/reviews)** | [4.0 (148 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ssh-tunnel-vpn-and-socks5-proxy/id1260223542/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **277** | 148 |
| Positive reviews | **76.3% of reviews** | 46.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | #199 | **#54** |
| Size | 11 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Touch Foo](https://appshunter.io/developer/331891508) | [Mobibean, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1142567045) |

## What reviewers say

### Shelly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelly-ssh-client/id989642999)

**Currently charting:** #199 Top Grossing · Developer Tools (US App Store)

A powerful and user-friendly SSH client for mobile devices. It offers robust terminal emulation, gesture controls, and customizable keyboard shortcuts for efficient remote server management. Supports key-based authentication and iCloud sync.

**Highlights:** Hardware accelerated text rendering, Robust terminal emulation, Gesture control for navigation, Customizable keyboard toolbar, Key file authentication, iCloud sync support, Terminal color themes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade To Pro | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Lightweight and fast
- 👍 Customizable keyboard and gestures
- 🔒 Supports SSH key authentication
- 💡 Useful shortcuts and toolbar
- 👍 Reliable background connections

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional connection drops when switching apps
- 🐛 Toolbar issues with hardware keyboard
- 🐛 Garbled display with some terminal programs
- 🐛 Lack of support for newer SSH key formats
- 🐛 Inconsistent behavior with password managers

**Reported bugs**

- Saved profiles get overwritten unexpectedly
- Toolbar persists even with auto-hide enabled
- Cursor movement issues with hardware keyboard
- Inability to copy/paste with Magic Keyboard

**Requested features**

- Add support for port forwarding
- Implement Mosh protocol support
- Allow customization of default font
- Provide option for multiple app instances
- Add ability to remap hardware keyboard keys


### SSH Tunnel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ssh-tunnel-vpn-and-socks5-proxy/id1260223542)

**Currently charting:** #54 Top Paid · Developer Tools (US App Store)

Securely manage SSH tunnels and port forwarding on your mobile device. Configure local SOCKS5 proxies and private tunnels to your own server, with support for various authentication methods and advanced traffic redirection rules.

**Highlights:** Local Port Forwarding, Dynamic Port Forwarding (SOCKS5 proxy), Password, Private Key, 2FA authentication, Multiple SSH Key support, Connection Export & Import, Proxy Auto-Configuration (PAC) file support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✅ Works well for SSH tunneling when used as intended
- 🌐 Supports SOCKS5 dynamic forwarding
- 🔐 Supports multiple SSH key formats
- 📱 Useful built-in browser for tunnel access
- ⚙️ Proxy auto-configuration (PAC) support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🚫 Cannot maintain SSH tunnel in background (30-second limit)
- ⚠️ App disconnects when switched to other applications
- 💰 Expensive for limited functionality ($7.99-$10)
- 🔄 Lacks transparency about iOS limitations in description
- 🌐 In-app browser leaks user IP address

**Reported bugs**

- 2FA login not working despite being advertised
- In-app browser unable to access localhost or local IP addresses
- Private key parsing issues (requires proper line endings)
- Connection drops frequently (every 5 minutes in some cases)
- App crashes unexpectedly

**Requested features**

- Background app refresh capability
- VPN interface implementation for system-wide traffic routing
- Multiple simultaneous tunnels
- Tabs in built-in browser
- Remote port forwarding support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shelly free?

Shelly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SSH Tunnel free?

SSH Tunnel costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Shelly or SSH Tunnel?

Shelly is rated higher. Shelly averages 4.4 out of 5 from 277 ratings, while SSH Tunnel averages 4.0 from 148 ratings.

### Do Shelly or SSH Tunnel have ads?

Neither Shelly nor SSH Tunnel shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shelly or SSH Tunnel?

Shelly ships an update every 2 months, and SSH Tunnel every 6 weeks. Most recently, Shelly was updated on October 24, 2026 and SSH Tunnel on October 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Shelly or SSH Tunnel?

Shelly currently peaks at #199 in the App Store charts, and SSH Tunnel at #54. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*