# Shells review (2026): is it worth $14.95 a month? > A personal cloud computer you open from any device Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Shells rents out a virtual desktop that runs in the cloud and can be opened from a browser, a phone, a tablet or a TV. Plans are sized by processors, memory and storage, with Linux desktops and Windows listed on its site. It is aimed at students, developers and small teams who want a computer that is not tied to one device. - **Category:** Remote Desktop - **Made by:** E Shells Inc. - **Website:** https://www.shells.com - **Runs on:** Web, iOS, Android - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want to try before paying, as no free plan or trial is listed. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Shells is a paid product, starting at $14.95 per month, billed monthly. - **Pricing model:** Paid - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Shells Basic | $14.95 per month, billed monthly | 1 processor, 2 GB memory and 40 GB storage with unlimited use. The page shows a 25% saving on yearly billing. | | Shells Plus | $22.95 per month, billed monthly | 2 processors, 4 GB memory and 80 GB storage with unlimited use. The page shows a 23% saving on yearly billing. | | Shells Pro | $39.95 per month, billed monthly | 4 processors, 8 GB memory and 160 GB storage with unlimited use. The page shows a 33% saving on yearly billing. | Read from https://www.shells.com/l/en-US/pricing on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Shells before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Yearly billing saves 23% to 33%** (Annual discount): The pricing page shows Save 25% on Basic, 23% on Plus and 33% on Pro when billed yearly. The yearly prices themselves were not read. Source: https://www.shells.com/l/en-US/pricing ## Key features - **Desktop on any device:** The site lists Android TV, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, PlayStation, Xbox, Oculus and Tesla browsers as ways to open a Shells desktop. - **Linux and Windows desktops:** Solution pages cover a Linux cloud desktop, a browser in the cloud, cloud virtual machines and a cloud IDE. - **Automatic backup:** The vendor says each Shell is backed up automatically in the cloud and that its firewalls and end-to-end encryption keep data private. - **Plan upgrades:** Moving to more processors, memory or storage is described as a one-click change, and a build-your-own option sits below the three plans. - **Team infrastructure:** A business section describes remote infrastructure deployment and a bring-your-own-device workforce setup for small teams. ## Good for - Students and coders who want a Linux desktop on a tablet or Chromebook - People who want one desktop reachable from several devices - Small teams without in-house IT ## Worth knowing - No free plan or free trial is listed on the pricing page. - The entry plan has 2 GB of memory and 1 processor, which is light for heavy applications. - Yearly prices were not readable in the page text; only the percentage saving is shown. - The homepage says plans start at $5 a month, but the pricing page lists $14.95 as the lowest plan. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Shells gives you a Linux or Windows desktop in the cloud that you open from a browser or phone. The cheapest plan is $14.95 a month with 2 GB of memory and one processor, and there is no free plan or trial. - **Value for money: C.** $14.95 a month for Basic, within the category's range but above its $8.33 middle, and the entry plan is 2 GB and one processor. - **Free plan and trial: F.** No free plan or free trial is listed on the pricing page. - **Features: C.** A desktop on any device, Linux and Windows options, automatic backup, plan upgrades and team infrastructure. The entry plan is light for heavy applications. - **Ease of use: B.** No store rating on record. You sign up and open the desktop in a browser with nothing to install. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web, iPhone and Android are listed, so phones and a browser but no desktop app. No integrations are listed. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Shells's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among remote desktop apps - Shells's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 13 of the 85 other remote desktop apps we grade, and level with 7. - It stands best on ease of use (B, above 59 of 85) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0). - Its paid plans start at $14.95 a month, against a middle price of $8.33 for the category: 32 of the 44 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 5 tools score higher and cost less. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/remote-access ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace Shells you would be making a fast, secure link to another computer through any network. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 65 of the 85 other remote desktop apps grade higher. It costs $179.40 a year. - You could not: A fast, secure link to another computer through any network. - You could not: Files kept in step across devices without losing one. - You could not: A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Remote desktop, File sync ## Alternatives - [Paperspace](https://toolgpa.com/tools/paperspace): Cloud desktops and GPU machines you rent by the hour or month. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/paperspace-vs-shells) - [Vagon](https://toolgpa.com/tools/vagon): Cloud workstations with GPUs, billed by the minute. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/shells-vs-vagon) - [Shadow PC](https://toolgpa.com/tools/shadow-pc): A full Windows PC in the cloud for gaming and creative work. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/shadow-pc-vs-shells) - [Cameyo](https://toolgpa.com/tools/cameyo): Virtual app delivery that serves Windows apps as web apps. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cameyo-vs-shells) - [Apporto](https://toolgpa.com/tools/apporto): Browser-based virtual desktops and computer labs for work and schools. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/apporto-vs-shells) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.shells.com/l/en-US/pricing - https://www.shells.com/l/en-US/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/shells Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).