Comparison

Shelly vs Shelly Dev Kit

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

Shelly Dev Kit

Features
Read full description

Shelly DevKit is an independent developer's companion for Shelly smart-home devices. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Allterco Robotics or the Shelly brand. Log in with your own Shelly Cloud account, on Shelly's own login page, and get a transparent, developer-grade view of your devices. Every tap shows the HTTP call behind it, and any action can become an Apple Shortcut that runs from Siri, Spotlight or the Shortcuts app while this app stays closed. DEVICES • Live inventory of your cloud-connected Gen1, Gen2+ and BLU devices, grouped by room • Switch, cover and light controls, sensor readings, and real-time status over WebSocket • "View API call" on any control shows the exact request and response API EXPLORER • Documented contracts for OAuth, inventory, control and real-time events, plus the Gen1 REST and Gen2+ RPC local APIs • Try it: run allow-listed calls against your own devices and inspect the raw response • History of your last 50 calls; copy any call as cURL, Swift or JavaScript with the token masked BUILD • Compose multi-step recipes: read a value, branch on it, wait, show a result or send a raw request • Test-run a recipe inside the app before exporting it • Export it as an App Intent: it appears in Shortcuts and Spotlight and can be run with a Siri phrase PRIVACY BY DESIGN • Your Shelly password is only ever typed into Shelly's page; the app keeps the resulting token in the iOS Keychain • No account with us, no backend of ours, no tracking • Analytics can be switched off in Settings FREE AND PRO Everything above is free, including composing and test-running recipes. One thing needs Shelly DevKit Pro, an auto-renewable subscription: exporting recipes to the Shortcuts app, with Siri phrases, Spotlight tiles and unlimited saved recipes. Pro is offered as a monthly or a yearly plan, and the price is shown in the app before you subscribe. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of that period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your App Store account settings after purchase. Terms of Use: https://shellydevkit.sydcup.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://shellydevkit.sydcup.com/privacy/ Requires a Shelly Cloud account and cloud-connected Shelly devices. "Shelly" is a trademark of its owner, used here only to describe compatibility.

Screenshots

Shelly4 screens
Shelly Dev Kit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Shelly Dev Kit at every 10 days against Shelly's every 2 months. Shelly's advantage is chart position (#118 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, 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 Shelly Dev Kit sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shelly ships an update every 2 months, Shelly Dev Kit every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Shelly versus Shelly Dev Kit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShellyShelly Dev Kit
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (277 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings277 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#118 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTouch FooSydcup OU

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

Shelly Dev Kit

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Shelly

One-time1
  • Upgrade To Pro$3.99
2 purchases

Shelly Dev Kit

Subscriptions2
  • Shelly Dev Kit Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Shelly Dev Kit Yearly$79.991 Year

Questions

Is Shelly free?
Shelly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shelly Dev Kit free?
Shelly Dev Kit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shelly or Shelly Dev Kit have ads?
Neither Shelly nor Shelly Dev Kit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shelly or Shelly Dev Kit?
Shelly ships an update every 2 months, and Shelly Dev Kit every 10 days. Most recently, Shelly was updated on November 13, 2026 and Shelly Dev Kit on November 6, 2026.

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