a-Shell

a-Shell

*Local* Unix terminal (& ssh)

61 ratings
279 reviews
#26 in free Developer Tools
📊 Productivity
🛠️ Developer Tools
Free

Details

  • Released
  • Updated

Features

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a-Shell screenshot #15 for iPhone
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About

Run a full Unix-like terminal environment on your iOS device. Execute a wide range of commands, edit files, and even program using included interpreters and compilers. Supports multitasking and integration with Shortcuts.

Local Unix terminal emulator
SSH client
File transfer (scp, curl)
Text editing (vim, ed)
Scripting languages (Python, Lua, Perl, JS)
C/C++ compiler
TeX distribution
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What users say

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What's New in a

2.1.0

July 1, 2026

- moved to texlive-2026 - fixed a major cause of crash at startup - $TERM is now xterm-256colors (it enables many more options in curses) - store bookmarks for already accessible directories - get the volume name as a bookmark when you select a mounted device with pickFolder - fixed issues with reloading in internalbrowser - added more optional entitlements for interacting with the system using pyobjc

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Charts

Top Free

The app has maintained its position at 26 recently.

Last updated on July 19, 2026.

User reviews

Overall amazing

This is a really good app. I love it. Just one issue, nano in ssh doesn’t seem to scale properly and it displays weirdly, when I try to delete things where my cursor is isn’t actually where it’s deleting (this is in ssh). Apart from that, this app really push the limits of iOS. I am amazed by the fact that I can just start a python http server and other devices can connect to it. The ssh is really easy to use. I understand that apple has heavy restrictions on code execution so that (full) package management cannot be implemented and we can’t execute UNIX apps. But overall really impressive.
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The battle cats.

I’ve seen a tutorial on YouTube that came out like last year on how to hack the game. I copied everything but it was a little different than what he was doing and I couldn’t do anything about it. Just wondering if I could get some help. But overall I like the idea of the app

New UI is confusing

Very confused by the new multi-arrow buttons on iPhone. They don’t seem to do anything. Am I doing something wrong?

시발

해킹앱 같네 삭제도 안돼고 시발련아

何故なのか…

腹立つわ〜

$ pip check
curl-cffi 0.15.1 has requirement cffi>=2.0.0, but you have cffi 1.17.1.

$ pip install --upgrade cffi
Successfully installed cffi-2.0.0

$ pip check
cffi 2.0.0 is not supported on this platform

Response from developer

Thanks for raising this issue. Despite what "pip check" says, curl-cffi still works. You should remove the cffi-2.0 that you installed in order to go back to the pre-installed version.

Developer apps

User experience

🐞

Reported Bugs

3 issues

Toolbar buttons not accessible in portrait mode on some devices

Bug

Pasting from clipboard can insert unexpected characters

Bug

Sourcing certain script files causes crashes

Bug

Requested Features

5 requests

Add support for package managers like Homebrew or APT

Feature

Implement more advanced shell features like job control and better tab completion

Feature

Integrate Git for version control

Feature

Allow installing additional packages and libraries

Feature

Improve clipboard and file management integration

Feature

FAQ

What is a-Shell?

a-Shell is a powerful local terminal emulator for iOS devices. It allows you to run a Unix-like command-line environment directly on your device, enabling you to execute a wide variety of commands, edit files, and even program using included interpreters and compilers.

What programming languages and tools are included?

The app includes Python, Lua, Perl, JavaScript, C, and C++ for programming. It also features a TeX distribution (texlive 2025) for text processing, along with network utilities like nslookup, ping, and ifconfig.

How much does a-Shell cost?

a-Shell is a paid application. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements within the app.

What are the system requirements for a-Shell?

a-Shell requires iOS 13 or later. It leverages iOS 13+'s 'multiple windows' ability, allowing you to run multiple terminal sessions simultaneously.

Can I use a-Shell with Shortcuts?

Yes, a-Shell integrates with iOS Shortcuts. You can create custom workflows to run commands, process files within a-Shell, and transfer results to other apps or receive files from them.