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iOS 17+ · iPadOS 17+

SFTP on iPhone and iPad, done right

Browse remote servers, edit configs in place, upload Files-app screenshots in one tap. Same SFTP engine as the Mac version, native on iOS.

Reading and writing files on a remote server from an iPhone is harder than it should be, most workflows end up with copy-paste through an SSH terminal, or a web-based file manager open in a tab. SSHive ships a real native SFTP client on iOS and iPadOS: a remote file browser, a transfer queue with real-time progress, a built-in text editor for in-place edits, and integration with the iOS Files app so you can drop something from iCloud Drive straight onto a server. Credentials and host keys live in the Keychain behind Face ID or Touch ID, same security model as the SSH terminal. Free covers 10 MB per file (enough for most configs, scripts and small assets), Pro unlocks unlimited transfer size and adds session logging and `.sshive` profile export/import. Universal Purchase: pay once for Pro on the App Store, use it across iPhone, iPad and Mac. No subscription, no data sent to us, and if you hit a use case the editor or browser does not cover well, tell us, we listen.

What works on iPhone and iPad

Remote file browser

Navigate any SFTP server like a Files folder. Tap a folder to descend, swipe-left for delete/rename/copy-path. Long-press a file for the share sheet, open in another iOS app, save to Files, AirDrop. Symlinks are followed transparently with their target shown.

Built-in text editor

Tap a `.conf`, `.yml`, `.json`, `.env` or any text file to open it in SSHive's editor. Syntax-highlighted, line numbers, find-and-replace, Tab/Shift+Tab indent. Save writes back over SFTP. Perfect for the 90% of remote edits that are "fix one line in nginx.conf and reload".

Upload from anywhere on iOS

SSHive is registered as a target in the iOS share sheet. From Photos, Files, Mail, Messages or any third-party app, share to SSHive and pick a destination folder on any saved SFTP profile. The transfer queue handles retries and shows progress for each file.

Download to Files

Download a remote file to the iOS Files app (On My iPhone or iCloud Drive), including bulk selections. Once on iOS, AirDrop, share to another app, or open with any installed app. The download queue parallelizes 4 transfers by default for speed on high-latency links.

Copy remote path

Long-press any file or folder to copy its absolute remote path to the iOS clipboard, useful when paired with the SSH terminal: paste straight into a `tail -f`, `nano`, `chmod 755` command. Works for files inside symlinked directories.

Profile sync with macOS

Profiles created on macOS can be exported as `.sshive` JSON and imported on iOS, and vice versa. Note: credentials themselves are NOT in the export (they sit in the OS Keychain), only host, port, username and tags. Pro feature.

Why SSHive for SFTP on iOS

iOS Files-app integration

SSHive uses the iOS share sheet both ways: anything from another iOS app can be sent into SSHive for upload, and any remote file can be exported back to Files / iCloud Drive / another app. Your remote files do not stay locked inside the app.

In-place text editor

For the most common remote workflow, "fix one line in a config and reload the service", SSHive's built-in editor saves you from downloading the file, editing it, and re-uploading. Tap, edit, save. SFTP handles the round-trip.

Touch ID Keychain credentials

SFTP and SSH share the same credential model, biometric-gated iOS Keychain, no iCloud sync of secrets, no telemetry. The same Ed25519 key that opens your SSH terminal is the one SFTP uses; no double configuration.

How SSHive SFTP compares on iOS

Documents by Readdle

Free / Documents Pro paid

A general-purpose file manager that happens to include SFTP. Great if SFTP is one tool among many you need (cloud drives, ZIP, downloads). For SFTP-as-main-use, SSHive's editor and per-profile keys tend to be handier.

FE File Explorer

Free / Pro paid

A veteran iOS file explorer with strong protocol coverage (SFTP, SMB, cloud). Reliable choice if you need one app that talks to many protocols.

Termius (SFTP)

Subscription

Termius bundles SFTP with its subscription tier. Polished execution; a great pick if you already pay for Termius for SSH and want SFTP in the same app.

Detailed SSHive vs Termius (SFTP) comparison

Why iOS SFTP is harder than you think

SFTP on iOS has two non-obvious challenges. First, the iOS sandbox: every app has its own private container, and the Files app sandbox is even stricter, you cannot just `open()` a file from another app the way you would on a desktop. SSHive uses the iOS document picker, the share sheet, and Universal Type Identifiers (UTIs) to bridge the gap, registering itself as a destination so other apps can hand off files for upload, and exporting downloads back through the share sheet or directly into Files. Second, the network model: an SFTP transfer is a long-lived TCP connection to a remote SSH server, and iOS will suspend or kill background apps to save power. SSHive uses `URLSession`-backed background transfers for large files (so a 200 MB download survives the user switching apps), and breaks the SFTP transfer queue into 4 parallel streams to maximize throughput on cellular and high-latency links, the same chunked-parallel pattern the macOS version uses. The credential model deserves attention too. The remote SSH server might require a password, a private key, a passphrase-protected private key, or a jump host that adds another credential. SSHive's SFTP reuses the SSH profile's credentials directly, one profile, one set of credentials, used for both terminal and SFTP. The Keychain entry has `kSecAttrAccessibleWhenUnlockedThisDeviceOnly`, meaning if your iPhone is locked, the credentials are inaccessible even to SSHive itself; once unlocked with Face ID / Touch ID, they become available to the running session. This balances usability with the security expectation that secrets cannot be exfiltrated by a thief who steals the phone.

Frequently asked questions

What is the file size limit on the free tier?+
10 MB per file in Free, enough for most configs, scripts and small assets. Pro removes the cap entirely; upload and download are limited only by your network and the remote disk.
Can I edit a remote nginx.conf from my iPhone?+
Yes. Open the SFTP profile, tap nginx.conf, the built-in editor opens with syntax highlighting and line numbers. Edit, tap Save, SFTP writes back to the server. Open a parallel SSH session in the same SSHive window to `nginx -t && nginx -s reload`.
Are downloads encrypted in transit?+
Yes. SFTP is a sub-protocol of SSH, every byte goes through the SSH-encrypted tunnel. SSHive supports the modern SSH cipher suites: AES-256-GCM, chacha20-poly1305, with Ed25519 and ECDSA host-key verification.
Does SSHive SFTP support drag-and-drop on iPad?+
Yes. With iPadOS 17+, you can drag files between Files, Finder (via Sidecar), Photos and SSHive's SFTP pane. Combined with split-view, this turns the iPad into a real workstation for SFTP work.

Try SSHive Free for macOS

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