A JuiceSSH Alternative for Android

For years, a single SSH client dominated Android, and for good reason — it had saved connections, key management, and a clean terminal. But it hasn't shipped a meaningful update since 2021. As Google tightened its target-API requirements and Android's networking and background rules evolved, abandoned apps started to show their age: connection failures, broken key prompts, and quirks that no patch is coming to fix. On Android 14, 15, and 16, what used to be a two-tap connection can now simply not work.

ShellPilot exists to be the opposite: a client that keeps pace with the platform. It's built against current Android APIs and tested on Android 15 and 16, so the basics — opening a session, authenticating with a key, holding the connection — keep working as the OS moves forward. When Android changes, the app gets updated; it doesn't get left behind.

The migration is painless because the workflow you already rely on is all here. Add each server once — host, port, username, password or private key — and it lives in a tappable list. Staging, production, and your Raspberry Pi sit side by side, one tap from a full terminal. Import your existing SSH private keys, or generate new ones on-device. Modern Ed25519 keys are first-class alongside RSA, so you're not stuck on dated crypto.

Under the UI is a genuine terminal, not a cut-down shell. Full PTY emulation means htop, vim, tmux, and nano render correctly with ANSI colors; Ctrl+C, Ctrl+Z, Tab completion, and arrow keys all work; and a scrollback buffer keeps output you'd otherwise lose. A built-in SFTP browser handles file transfers by tapping through folders instead of memorizing scp syntax, and a server health dashboard shows CPU, memory, disk, and Docker containers at a glance.

Your keys are the keys to your infrastructure, so ShellPilot keeps them on the device — generated and stored locally, gated behind a biometric app lock, never synced to someone else's cloud. It installs from Google Play with automatic updates, so the app that works today keeps working tomorrow.

How to move to ShellPilot

1. 1

   Install ShellPilot

   Download ShellPilot free from Google Play — it's built for current Android versions with automatic updates.

2. 2

   Add your servers

   Tap New Connection and enter each host, port, and username — they're saved as a tappable list.

3. 3

   Bring your keys

   Import your existing SSH private keys, or generate new Ed25519 keys on-device — both password and key auth are supported.

4. 4

   Connect in one tap

   Tap a saved host to open a full terminal session instantly — no commands to type first.

Frequently asked questions