Comparison

Shelly vs SSH VPN

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

SSH VPN

This VPN app offers secure tunneling via SSH with UDP Gateway support and port forwarding. It allows sharing network connections and provides Wi-Fi security on public hotspots. The app is designed for stealth, stability, and minimal resource usage.

Highlights
  • Port Forwarding
  • Share socks and http over Network/LAN
  • SSH tunneling with UDP Gateway
  • Wi-Fi Security on Public Hotspots
  • Minimalist and low RAM usage
  • Stealth and stable connection
Features
Read full description

SSH VPN is a VPN app that can tunnel SSH via DNS with UDP Gateway (UDPGW) support And Port Forwarding. Simple and Easy Tunneling VPN with our VPN Client App. Features: - Port Forwarding - Share socks and http over Network - Share socks and http over Lan - Minimalist, no exaggerations - Low RAM usage. - Stealth and stable, no need to log in and register, easy to use - Does not save any user log information - Wi-Fi Security when using Public Hotspots - Protect your network IP and privacy security - Unmatched network speed and performance Terms of Services: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://hexasoftware.dev/ssh-vpn-ios/ Using SSH VPN for tunneling your internet connection does not guarantee to increase your internet speed it always depends on your network provider.

Screenshots

Shelly4 screens
SSH VPN4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Shelly at 4.4 against SSH VPN's 3.5. Shelly also leads on ratings volume (273 vs 19) and chart position (#109 vs unranked). SSH VPN's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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 and SSH VPN sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shelly holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.5. 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 complicate that: 76% of Shelly's written reviews are positive against 77% of SSH VPN's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shelly ships an update every 2 months, SSH VPN every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Shelly versus SSH VPN: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShellySSH VPN
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (273 ratings) — better3.5 (19 ratings)
Positive reviews76.3% of reviews77.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings273 — better19
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#109 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTouch FooHexa Software

Customer experience

Shelly

All ratings273 ratings
Positive83.5%
Neutral4.4%
Negative12.1%
Written reviews354 reviews
Positive76.3%
Neutral8.8%
Negative15.0%

SSH VPN

All ratings19 ratings
Positive63.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative36.8%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive77.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.7%

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

SSH VPN

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Shelly

One-time1
  • Upgrade To Pro$3.99
3 purchases

SSH VPN

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Annually3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro - One-Time$24.99

Questions

Is Shelly free?
Shelly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SSH VPN free?
SSH VPN is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Shelly or SSH VPN?
Shelly is rated higher. Shelly averages 4.4 out of 5 from 273 ratings, while SSH VPN averages 3.5 from 19 ratings.
Do Shelly or SSH VPN have ads?
Neither Shelly nor SSH VPN shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shelly or SSH VPN?
Shelly ships an update every 2 months, and SSH VPN every 2 weeks. Most recently, Shelly was updated on October 15, 2026 and SSH VPN on October 15, 2026.

Other comparisons