Comparison

Shelly vs Anubis

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

Anubis

Features
Read full description

SSH Terminal In Your Pocket Anubis brings professional SSH terminal capabilities to your iPhone and iPad. Whether you're a developer using Claude Code remotely, a system administrator, or power user, Anubis provides everything you need to manage servers and execute commands on the go. CORE FEATURES - Full terminal emulation with SwiftTerm integration - Multi-session SSH connections - Password and SSH key authentication - Real-time command execution with proper ANSI support - Dark theme optimized for terminal work - Native iOS performance and battery optimization CONNECTION MANAGEMENT - Save and organize unlimited SSH connections - Quick Access favorites for instant connectivity - Session persistence across app launches - Secure credential storage in iOS Keychain - Support for custom ports and connection settings SECURITY AND AUTHENTICATION - Interactive password authentication - SSH private key support (coming soon) - Secure credential management - End-to-end encrypted connections - No data stored on external servers PERFECT FOR: - Developers coding remotely with Claude Code - Managing cloud development environments - System administrators on-the-go - DevOps professionals - Students learning Linux/Unix - Anyone needing remote server access WHY CHOOSE ANUBIS? - Professional-grade terminal emulation - Intuitive touch-friendly interface - Seamless remote development workflow - Regular updates and active development - No subscription fees - one-time purchase Transform your iPhone into a powerful SSH terminal. Code anywhere, manage servers everywhere. Download Anubis and take your development environment in your pocket.

Screenshots

Shelly4 screens
Anubis4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Shelly at Free against Anubis's $5.99. Shelly also leads on chart position (#189 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). Anubis's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). On 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

Shelly is free to download; Anubis costs $5.99 up front. Shelly sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Anubis asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shelly ships an update every 2 months, Anubis every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Shelly versus Anubis: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShellyAnubis
PriceFree — better$5.99
Rating4.4 (273 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings273 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#189 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTouch FooRodgers Magabo

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

Anubis

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Shelly

One-time1
  • Upgrade To Pro$3.99
None

Anubis

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shelly free?
Shelly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Anubis free?
Anubis costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Shelly or Anubis have ads?
Neither Shelly nor Anubis shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shelly or Anubis?
Shelly ships an update every 2 months, and Anubis every 9 days. Most recently, Shelly was updated on September 27, 2026 and Anubis on September 7, 2026.

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