# Shelly vs ServerCat

The clearest difference is update cadence: ServerCat at every 5 days against Shelly's every 2 months. ServerCat also leads on ratings volume (996 vs 273). Shelly's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Shelly sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ServerCat sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ServerCat holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 273 and 996 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Shelly's written reviews are positive against 77% of ServerCat's.

Shelly ships an update every 2 months, ServerCat every 5 days. Both last shipped on September 30, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shelly | ServerCat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (273 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelly-ssh-client/id989642999/reviews) | **[4.6 (996 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/servercat-ssh-terminal/id1501532023/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 273 | **996** |
| Positive reviews | 76.2% of reviews | **77.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #197 | **#72** |
| Size | 11 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Touch Foo](https://appshunter.io/developer/331891508) | [Early Moon, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1119881923) |

## What reviewers say

### Shelly

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

**Currently charting:** #197 Top Free · 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


### ServerCat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/servercat-ssh-terminal/id1501532023)

**Currently charting:** #72 Top Grossing · Developer Tools, #171 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

Monitor your Linux servers and Docker containers directly from your mobile device. View detailed resource usage, network traffic, and container stats. Offers an SSH terminal for remote management and automation capabilities.

**Highlights:** Server status monitoring, CPU, GPU, Memory usage, Network traffic and speed, Docker container stats, SSH Shell Terminal, Container management

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Annual Subscription | $5.99 | per year |
| Premium Upgrade Discount | $5.99 | one-time |
| ServerCat Lifetime Premium | $18.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fantastic app
- 🚀 Convenient and powerful
- 👍 Intuitive and feature-rich
- 👍 Excellent for monitoring Linux servers
- 👍 Beautiful and well-designed UI

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Unstable on iPhone 13
- 🐛 Scrolling and copy-paste issues
- 🐛 Incompatible with some platforms (FreeBSD, Windows)
- 🔋 High CPU usage when connected to servers

**Reported bugs**

- Connection issues and failed logins
- Server status not refreshing properly
- Crashes when switching between screens or using certain features
- Incompatibility with certain server configurations (e.g., Debian/Ubuntu only for some features)

**Requested features**

- Add support for SFTP
- Implement Celsius temperature display
- Add home screen widgets for server status
- Improve syncing of servers and SSH keys across devices
- Enhance Docker/container management features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shelly free?

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

### Is ServerCat free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Shelly or ServerCat?

ServerCat is rated higher. Shelly averages 4.4 out of 5 from 273 ratings, while ServerCat averages 4.6 from 996 ratings.

### Do Shelly or ServerCat have ads?

Neither Shelly nor ServerCat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shelly or ServerCat?

Shelly ships an update every 2 months, and ServerCat every 5 days. Most recently, Shelly was updated on September 30, 2026 and ServerCat on September 30, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Shelly or ServerCat?

Shelly currently peaks at #197 in the App Store charts, and ServerCat at #72. 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.*