Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Blink Shell

Super-fast and highly configurable, professional-grade terminal for iOS.

Blink Shell

Blink Shell Reviews and Details

This page is designed to help you find out whether Blink Shell is good and if it is the right choice for you.

Screenshots and images

  • Blink Shell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-13

Features & Specs

  1. Cross-Platform Compatibility

    Blink Shell is available on multiple platforms, including iOS and macOS, making it accessible for users across different devices.

  2. Mosh Support

    Blink Shell supports Mosh (mobile shell), providing a more robust SSH experience with better performance over wireless and unstable connections.

  3. Customization

    Users can customize Blink Shell extensively, including themes, fonts, and layouts, allowing for a personalized experience.

  4. User-Friendly Interface

    The app offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, making it approachable for both novice and experienced users.

  5. Local Terminal Access

    Besides SSH access, Blink Shell also offers a local terminal, allowing users to perform tasks directly on their device.

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Videos

Blink Shell: Mosh and SSH Review

iPadOS Terminal App Overview: Termius vs Blink Shell - Generating SSH keys

HOW TO USE BLINK SHELL ON IOS TO ACCESS GOOGLE CLOUD PLATFORM TO PROGRAM ON AN IPAD

Social recommendations and mentions

We have tracked the following product recommendations or mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you see what people think about Blink Shell and what they use it for.
  • Stop Doom Scrolling, Start Doom Coding
    > and blink shell https://blink.sh/ to have a high quality iOS shell with a mosh and ssh client built right in to resume at any time I really like Termius, have you tried it? I think I tested out Blink when I was trying various SSH/shell apps and. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Stop Doom Scrolling, Start Doom Coding
    You need tmux to be able to resume the same session from anywhere, mosh-server to make ssh resilient to sketchy mobile connections, and blink shell https://blink.sh/ to have a high quality iOS shell with a mosh and ssh client built right in to resume at any time. Far more resilient and performant than a web client. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • How I Use Claude Code on My Phone with Termux and Tailscale
    This also assumes you're on Android. If you're on iOS, Termux isn't available. You'll need to use a different SSH client like Blink or Prompt. The rest of the setup is the same. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • Can your terminal do emojis? How big?
    The ChromeOS terminal (hterm[1]) is actually a pretty good terminal, so even a terminal might justify a browser context. Blink[2] on iOS for example uses it. [1]: https://hterm.org/ (although in the way they do Google seems to have lost interest in updating that site, there's still fixes in the upstream Chromium repo) [2]: https://blink.sh. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Maker of RStudio launches new R and Python IDE
    Hosted vs code server is what I used to use: https://github.com/coder/code-server. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device
    $20 a year https://blink.sh/#choose-package. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Apple must open iPadOS to sideloading within 6 months, EU says
    You can work on it https://blink.sh/ see also https://docs.blink.sh/advanced/code. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Apple debuts iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus
    You can already do that with an iPad (sans fat OS). If you're using Blink Shell (https://blink.sh) the external display is independent of what's on the iPad too, which works really neatly. This is the exact setup I used as my main dev machine in a previous role. Would be very nice to see if this works on the new iPhones. A thin client with decent security in your pocket with keyboard/mouse/display at both home and... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
    I use blink[0] with a 40% keyboard to develop linux program on a vps. If you want to do programming without wireless interenet, another option is to connect a raspberry pi zero 2w (with usb gadget mode enabled) to the usb c port using a single usb cable. Then the rpi zero will share a ethernet network with iOS device. Then you can use blink (again) to mosh to raspberrypi.local to do the development on the pi. The... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Buying an iPad Pro for coding was a mistake
    There's also Blink [1] which includes a local shell (limited), ssh and mosh support, and comes with a local-first, but remote-dependent, vscode implementation. Works with vscode.dev, code-server (the coder.com and microsoft version), coder.com etc. Not free but a free TestFlight versions available if you accept to be a beta tester of sorts. I've had moderate success using it, but overall the code-server experience... - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Prompt2, heads up; they are readying up another version Prompt2 has been abandoned by devs since iOS 14 / 1y ago in a crashing state - Now they want to make another money-heist cash-grab from its users by forcing them to upgrade one of the most expensive apps of all time.
    If you're okay with a subscription model for a terminal type shell, I would recommend Blink. Does everything Prompt did and more. They have a 1-week trial, and then you can subscribe for $20 a year. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Ed25519-sk on iOS
    I took a wild stab at finding a non-subscription iOS app that supports Ed25519-sk, but ended up just moving back to ephemeral per-device ed25519 keys instead. Both Blink.sh and Terminus purport to support -sk / HW passkeys behind subscription paywalls, but I can't verify as I don't pay for subscription model apps. Source: about 3 years ago
  • iOS tools for self hosting
    Big fan of Blink, makes it super easy to quickly ssh into a remote machine. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Ask HN: What lesser-known accessories do you use with your computer?
    SSH or mosh (via https://blink.sh/) back to a cloud/remote NixOS VM. The iPad is purely a self-contained interface with a local browser. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • Next Year's OLED iPad Pro Models Could Have These Eye-Watering Starting Prices
    Not really a terminal that has access to the system itself, but for remote stuff this work great: https://blink.sh/. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Note Taking on Emacs vs Other applications
    Why compromise? I currently use an iPad with an external keyboard and use Blink to turn it into a dumb terminal. From there I can start an emacsclient session to my laptop, enabling me to directly take notes in Org and have full access to what Emacs offers. You will still need to figure out an image sync strategy, but IMHO thatโ€™s worth the hassle for having full access to Org/Emacs wrt text. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Blink virtual machine now supports running GUI programs
    I always think these announcements are about https://blink.sh/ I donโ€™t know why itโ€™s okay to steal product names like that. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • iPad app for hosting and accessing webpage
    I use Blink Shell https://blink.sh. It has some cool functionality like they just recently added VS Code. https://docs.blink.sh/advanced/code. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Has anyone managed to write something in Rust on an iPad
    I'm talking about this Blink. Could I use sh to install cargo through the terminal? Source: over 3 years ago
  • Emulating an emulator inside itself. Meet Blink
    There is also an iOS/iPadOS SSH Client called Blink [1], short for Blink Shell, which I use almost daily. [1]: https://blink.sh/. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • What is your favorite coding app or website for iPad ?
    From there you can set up a code server where you can have a VS code instance available via the browser. Blink integrates well with this. As I said, however, you can also edit local files using the blink app. Docs on the website should explain this pretty well. Source: over 3 years ago

Summary of the public mentions of Blink Shell

The public opinion of Blink Shell, as gathered from various sources and discussions within the software development community, paints a generally favorable picture. Blink Shell is highly regarded for its performance and utility as a terminal emulator on iOS devices, particularly for developers who rely on remote access and SSH/Mosh functionality.

Performance and Functionality: Users commonly praise Blink Shell for its robust performance, particularly the fast rendering and encoding capabilities. These features are crucial for developers who need a responsive terminal for handling intricate tasks. The app's ability to maintain live sessions even through network disruptions, courtesy of its Mosh support, is particularly appreciated by users operating in environments with unreliable connectivity.

Platform Integration: Blink Shell is notably celebrated for its seamless integration with Visual Studio Code, providing developers with a powerful toolchain for remote coding. This integration facilitates a convenient development workflow, making Blink Shell a suitable choice for iOS users seeking to operate in a UNIX/Linux shell environment remotely.

User Experience: Despite its subscription model potentially being a barrier for some users, Blink Shell's value proposition is frequently defended in discussions, citing its comprehensive feature set that enhances mobile development on iOS platforms. The app's capability to transform an iPad into an efficient thin client or "dumb terminal" for SSH access to Linux servers is highlighted as a distinct advantage.

Competitiveness: Among its competitorsโ€”such as Termux, Android Terminal Emulator, and MobaXtermโ€”Blink Shell stands out primarily due to its high-quality terminal emulation and the lack of a comparable alternative on Android, with Termux being mentioned less favorably in terms of terminal emulation quality. The Blink Shell's focus on iOS makes it an attractive option for developers who are entrenched in the Apple ecosystem.

Criticisms and Considerations: While users generally report positive experiences, there are some critiques regarding its subscription model and limited local shell capabilities. Some professionals lament the dependency on remote-first setups and express a preference for a more robust local developmental environment. Additionally, there are mentions of platform-specific limitations concerning multitasking and hardware keyboard support, which can hinder productivity in some scenarios.

Market Perception: The app is frequently recommended in discussions about iOS SSH clients and described as a worthy alternative for those dissatisfied with other terminal emulators. Despite its premium price point, many in the developer community view Blink Shell as a justified expense for the unique opportunities it affords in remote development. This sentiment is echoed by users who value its reliability and advanced features.

In summary, Blink Shell is esteemed within its niche for offering a high-quality terminal emulation experience tailored to iOS users. Its integration capabilities, fast performance, and resilience in network-challenged environments position it as a competitive option in the Terminal Tools and SSH Server Management categories. While not without criticisms, its benefits appear to outweigh concerns for a majority of its user base.

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Is Blink Shell good? This is an informative page that will help you find out. Moreover, you can review and discuss Blink Shell here. The primary details have not been verified within the last quarter, and they might be outdated. If you think we are missing something, please use the means on this page to comment or suggest changes. All reviews and comments are highly encouranged and appreciated as they help everyone in the community to make an informed choice. Please always be kind and objective when evaluating a product and sharing your opinion.