● Free forever · for Mac, iPhone and iPad · $14.99 one-time license

Your servers, keys and files, in a single window.

ShellDock keeps your connections in a library sorted by groups, opens each server in a tab that splits in two when you need it, and moves files between your Mac and your servers in a dual-pane SFTP. It uses the good old ssh and keeps your secrets in the Keychain.

Download free License · $14.99 Free forever · 14 days with everything · macOS 14 or later · Apple Silicon
The ShellDock window: the server library grouped on the left and two terminals side by side, one showing the git history and the other a configuration file

Actual screenshot of the app, with sample servers and terminal output.

Built for everyday work

Everything you use to get into a server, within reach

Not a generic terminal with a list bolted on: the library, keys, tabs and files are designed to jump from one server to another without losing your train of thought.

🗂

A tidy library

Collapsible groups, a color per server, notes and a command that runs on connect. A dot tells you when you last got in and whether the last attempt failed.

⌁

The SSH you already know

It uses ssh and sftp from macOS, so it respects your ~/.ssh/config and your ProxyJump hops. Import that configuration in one click and open any session in Terminal, iTerm2 or Ghostty.

☁

The same library on Mac, iPhone and iPad

With the license, servers, groups and key details travel through iCloud across your Macs, iPhone and iPad. Passwords, private keys and passphrases go separately, through iCloud Keychain.

↺

You don't lose your work

If the app crashes, reopening it brings back your tabs and the folders you were in. With ⌘Q you quit cleanly and start fresh.

🔑

Passwords, your way

⌘P generates a password with the length and symbols you chose in Settings and leaves it on the clipboard, ready to paste.

⌨

Shortcuts that fit you

Everything has a key combination, and you can change them in Settings. Tabs are one keystroke away with ⌘1…⌘9.

Truly lightweight

Almost 11 times less memory than Termius

Each app on its own, freshly opened, with the same 3 terminals on the same Mac. ShellDock is native; Termius runs on Electron, a full browser under the hood.

Memory
ShellDock
115 MB
Termius
1256 MB
Idle CPU
ShellDock
0.1%
Termius
8.0%

ShellDock 1.2 and Termius 9.42.2 on a 16 GB MacBook Air M5 running macOS 26.6. Each app on its own, freshly opened, with 3 local terminals and 60 s idle; median of 3 rounds. Memory: physical footprint of all the app's processes, as shown in Activity Monitor. Termius is a trademark of its owner.

Tabs

Drag a tab and split the window in two

When you drag a tab, two boxes appear right below it: Side by side or Top and bottom. Drop it on one and you have two terminals in view, the one you were looking at and the one you dragged.

  • To go back to a single terminal, the button next to + or ⇧⌘0
  • Hover over a tab and a tooltip shows its full name and its shortcut
  • Dragging a tab doesn't drag the window; the empty part of the bar does move it
  • Local terminal with ⌘L and text size with ⌘+ and ⌘−
A dragged ShellDock tab, with the Side by side and Top and bottom boxes right below it
A tab's tooltip, with its full name and the ⌘2 shortcut
Groups

A hundred servers and you still find the one you want

Groups are in alphabetical order, and so are the servers inside each one. A click on the title collapses the group you're not using, and the app remembers how you left it.

  • A manager to see how many servers each group has, and to create, rename and delete groups
  • Drag a server onto a group to move it
  • Deleting a group deletes nothing else: its servers are left ungrouped
  • Search finds servers by name, host, user, group or notes
The ShellDock group manager with the number of servers in each group
Dual-pane SFTP

From your Mac to the server, or from one server to another

Two panes in the same tab: this Mac and a server, or two servers. Drag files or entire folders from one side to the other and watch each one's progress.

  • Breadcrumb paths: each folder is a button to jump straight back; click the empty space to type the path
  • Per-file progress, speed and time remaining
  • Rename, create folders and delete without leaving the app
  • Copy straight from one server to another, without going through your disk
  • Whole folders back and forth, subfolders included
ShellDock's SFTP with this Mac on the left and a server on the right, each with its breadcrumb path
Keys and secrets

One key for all its servers

Import or generate a key once and assign it to as many servers as you like. When it changes, it changes for all of them.

01

Shared, not copied

Each server points to the key in the library. One key, many servers, and you can see who uses each one.

02

Import or generate

Drag in a .pem or an id_rsa, look for them in ~/.ssh or generate a new ed25519 or RSA 4096 right there.

03

Secrets in the Keychain

Passwords, private keys and passphrases live in iCloud Keychain, not in the library. To connect, ssh uses a local copy of the key with 0600 permissions.

04

The passphrase, once

If your key is encrypted, you save its passphrase and ShellDock hands it to ssh whenever it asks. You don't type it again.

05

The public key, one click away

Copy the line for authorized_keys from the key manager, with its fingerprint and type in plain sight.

06

Native, not Electron

Built in Swift with AppKit and SwiftUI. It launches fast, looks like a Mac app and doesn't carry a hidden browser.

iPhone and iPad · in App Store review

Also on iPhone and iPad

The iPhone and iPad app is already in App Store review. It's free to connect, with an SSH terminal and SFTP, and with the same license as the Mac your server library shows up on its own: whatever you add on one device appears on the other without typing it twice.

  • The same collapsible groups, with their manager
  • A terminal with a key bar: Esc, Tab, Ctrl, arrows and the most-used symbols
  • SFTP files with breadcrumb paths, and saving to or uploading from the Files app
  • On iPad, the list and the terminal side by side
  • “Connect to a server” from Siri, Spotlight and Shortcuts

Coming to the App Store very soon. If you want us to let you know, write to us.

ShellDock on iPhone: terminal connected to a server with the key bar
iPhone · terminal with key bar
ShellDock on iPhone: the grouped server list
iPhone · your library by groups
ShellDock on iPad: the server list on one side and the terminal on the other
iPad · list and terminal side by side
ShellDock on iPhone: SFTP files with a breadcrumb path
iPhone · SFTP files
ShellDock on iPad: SFTP files over the server list
iPad · SFTP files
ShellDock on iPhone: group manager
iPhone · manage groups
Keyboard

Your hands never leave the keyboard

These come out of the box. Almost all of them can be changed in Settings.

Requirements

What you need to run it

A Mac with Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or later. To sync the library across your Macs, the same iCloud account on all of them.

Version1.1
SystemmacOS 14 Sonoma or later
ProcessorApple Silicon
Built withSwift · AppKit · SwiftUI
TerminalSwiftTerm
ConnectionThe system's ssh and sftp
SynciCloud and iCloud Keychain
SignatureApple Developer ID
App languageSpanish
Pricing

Free forever. The license, just once.

Connecting to your servers costs nothing. The license is for working across your Mac, iPhone and iPad without re-entering anything, and you pay once: no subscription.

Free

$0
forever
  • Full SSH terminal
  • Unlimited servers, groups and keys
  • Dual-pane SFTP, one at a time
  • Everything included for the first 14 days
⬇ Download free

Personal license

$14.99 USD
one-time payment · one key for your Mac, iPhone and iPad
  • Everything in the free plan
  • Your server library synced across Mac, iPhone and iPad
  • Split screen and several SFTP sessions at once
  • Up to 3 Macs and 5 iPhones or iPads
  • Updates included
Buy
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost?

ShellDock is free forever: SSH terminal, unlimited servers, keys, groups and one SFTP session at a time. The license costs 14.99 USD, once, and adds syncing across Mac, iPhone and iPad, split screen and several SFTP sessions at once. For the first 14 days you get everything without paying.

Does it use a lot of resources?

No: ShellDock is a native Mac app, written in Swift, with no Electron and no hidden browser. On the same Mac, with 3 terminals open, ShellDock uses 115 MB of memory and Termius 1256 MB. Less memory means less battery drain and less fan noise.

How many devices can I use it on?

One license works on up to 3 of your Macs and 5 of your iPhones or iPads. On iPhone and iPad you don't even type the key: it arrives on its own through iCloud Keychain. If you switch devices, release the old one from Settings › License.

Which Mac do I need?

A Mac with Apple Silicon and macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. The app is signed with an Apple Developer ID.

Is it built with Electron?

No. It's built in Swift with AppKit and SwiftUI, and it connects using the ssh and sftp programs that come with macOS.

Can I use my ~/.ssh/config?

Yes. Since ShellDock uses the system's ssh , your aliases, hops and options keep working, and you can import that configuration into the library from the Server menu.

Where are my passwords and keys stored?

In iCloud Keychain, separate from the server library. To connect, ssh needs the private key in a file, so ShellDock keeps a local copy with 0600 permissions that only your user can read.

What happens if the app crashes?

When you reopen it, it brings back your tabs and the folders you were in. If you quit with ⌘Q, the session closes cleanly and next time it starts fresh.

Will there be an iPhone and iPad version?

Yes, it's coming to the App Store very soon and shares the server library and Keychain with the Mac: whatever you add on one shows up on the other. And it's the same license: if you already bought it, you don't pay again.

Your servers, a double-click away

The library, the keys, the terminal and the files, in a single app made for your Mac.

Download free Buy a license · $14.99
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