Comparison

Shelly vs PortX

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

Head to head
About

Shelly

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
Read full description

SSH client designed for usability and performance. RELIABLE AND FAST • Hardware accelerated text rendering. • Robust terminal emulation based on the PuTTY engine. • Works great with programs such as 'screen' and 'irssi'. CONTROL WITH GESTURES • Default gestures optimized for irssi. Just swipe to switch channels or to scroll up and down. • Fully customizable. Any keypress or action can be attached to any gesture. EASY CONNECTING • Save user credentials and configure a remote command such as ‘screen -rd’ to connect with one tap. • 3D touch support. Connect directly from the iOS home screen. CUSTOMIZABLE KEYBOARD • Easily bind custom actions to buttons on the keyboard toolbar. • Works with custom iOS keyboards such as SwiftKey. OPEN LINKS AND SELECT TEXT • Familiar iOS text selection experience. Long-press on text to show the selection controls. • Copy and paste text. • Select a URL to easily open it in the web browser. OTHER FEATURES • iCloud sync support. • Terminal color themes. Choose your favorite from the several themes included or make your own. • Key file authentication support. Import an existing private key, or create a new key and export the public key. • Host key verification and management. • Agent forwarding (OpenSSH servers only). • Keep connections alive while the app is in the background. • Connection history with optional realtime location data. • Plenty of other configuration options. Please note that some features require a paid upgrade. You can try all features for free for a limited time.

About

PortX

Access and manage remote systems on your mobile device with this powerful SSH client. It offers multi-session support, intuitive session management, and an advanced keyboard for efficient command input. Customize appearance and enjoy an ad-free experience.

Highlights
  • Multi-session support
  • Intuitive session management
  • Multi-line compose bar
  • Advanced keyboard with special characters
  • Multiple authentication types
  • Customizable appearance
Features
Read full description

****** Please switch to our new app, Xcasca. This app will be deprecated soon. ****** Xcasca, the new version of PortX, is now available! This current app will soon be deprecated, so please install Xcasca to continue. You can install Xcasca from the link below. https://apps.apple.com/app/xcasca-ssh-sftp-client/id6749602189 --------------------------------------------------------------- PortX Mobile brings the power of our desktop SSH Client to your mobile device (SFTP is currently available on the Desktop version only, but will be supported on Mobile soon). With a wide variety of features in a lightweight package, PortX Mobile allows you to access and manage remotes systems on-the-go through an intuitive user interface. PortX Mobile Features: ◦ Multi-Session Support. Have multiple connections open at once. Access to any of your sessions a just a finger-swipe or click away. ◦ Intuitive Session Management. Organize and edit your sessions with PortX’s session management. ◦ Compose Bar. The multi-line Compose Bar allows you to type out, edit, and review your string before sending. ◦ Advance Keyboard. Quick access to all special characters for whatever the situation calls for. ◦ Multiple Authentication Types. Password, Public Key, and Keyboard Interactive authentication support. ◦ Customizations. Modify appearance, font, and colors. ◦ Ad-Free ◦ More features coming soon. ◦ Desktop version also available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. PortX redefines how you interact with a mobile SSH Client. On-the-go session management has never been easier.

Screenshots

Shelly4 screens
PortX4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Shelly at 4.4 against PortX's 3.7. Shelly also leads on ratings volume (273 vs 19) and chart position (#197 vs unranked). PortX's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Shelly sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PortX asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shelly holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shelly has 273 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Shelly's written reviews are positive against 73% of PortX's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shelly ships an update every 2 months, PortX monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Shelly versus PortX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShellyPortX
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (273 ratings) — better3.7 (19 ratings)
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews — better72.5% of reviews
Number of ratings273 — better19
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#197 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB58 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTouch FooNetSarang Computer, Inc.

Customer experience

Shelly

All ratings273 ratings
Positive83.5%
Neutral4.4%
Negative12.1%
Written reviews353 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral8.8%
Negative15.0%

PortX

All ratings19 ratings
Positive63.2%
Neutral5.3%
Negative31.6%
Written reviews120 reviews
Positive72.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative15.0%

Bugs and requests

Shelly

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

PortX

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Shelly

One-time1
  • Upgrade To Pro$3.99
None

PortX

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shelly free?
Shelly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PortX free?
PortX is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shelly or PortX?
Shelly is rated higher. Shelly averages 4.4 out of 5 from 273 ratings, while PortX averages 3.7 from 19 ratings.
Do Shelly or PortX have ads?
Neither Shelly nor PortX shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shelly or PortX?
Shelly ships an update every 2 months, and PortX monthly. Most recently, Shelly was updated on September 30, 2026 and PortX on September 27, 2026.

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