# Shelly vs PortX

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 (#134 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.

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

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.

Shelly ships an update every 2 months, PortX monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shelly | PortX |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (273 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelly-ssh-client/id989642999/reviews)** | [3.7 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/portx-ssh-deprecated/id1566480505/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **273** | 19 |
| Positive reviews | **76.2% of reviews** | 72.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#134** | — |
| Size | 11 MB | 58 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Touch Foo](https://appshunter.io/developer/331891508) | [NetSarang Computer, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1563674950) |

## What reviewers say

### Shelly

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

**Currently charting:** #134 Top Grossing · Developer Tools, #206 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


### PortX

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/portx-ssh-deprecated/id1566480505)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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 October 1, 2026.

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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.*