# Clone vs a

The clearest difference is rating: a at 4.6 against Clone's 3.0. a also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (79% vs 48%). Clone's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 14.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Clone sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. a asks for nothing beyond the download.

a holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a has 553 ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Clone's written reviews are positive against 79% of a's.

Clone ships an update every 5 weeks, a monthly. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Clone | a |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clone-git-client-advanced/id1037881290/reviews) | **[4.6 (553 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell/id1473805438/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 20 | **553** |
| Positive reviews | 48.1% of reviews | **78.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#19** |
| Size | 18 MB | 1.9 GB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Dan Leehr L.L.C.](https://appshunter.io/developer/318884767) | [Nicolas Holzschuch](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450994948) |

## What reviewers say

### Clone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clone-git-client-advanced/id1037881290)

This app provides a powerful Git client for iOS devices, offering advanced code editing, intuitive workflows, and beautiful visualizations of commit history. It allows users to manage repositories, branch, merge, and push code directly from their iPhone or iPad.

**Highlights:** Commit history visualization, Code editor with syntax highlighting, Branching and merging, GitHub/Bitbucket integration, Diff views, Blame view

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Publish and Push | $9.99 | one-time |


### a

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell/id1473805438)

**Currently charting:** #19 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful terminal with Linux commands
- 👍 Useful for programming and development
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
- 💡 Impressive capabilities for an iOS app
- 👍 Helpful documentation and developer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Limited customization options
- 🔍 Missing some basic terminal features
- 🔍 Compatibility issues with certain packages

**Reported bugs**

- Toolbar buttons not accessible in portrait mode on some devices
- Pasting from clipboard can insert unexpected characters
- Sourcing certain script files causes crashes

**Requested features**

- Add support for package managers like Homebrew or APT
- Implement more advanced shell features like job control and better tab completion
- Integrate Git for version control
- Allow installing additional packages and libraries
- Improve clipboard and file management integration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Clone free?

Clone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is a free?

a is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Clone or a?

a is rated higher. Clone averages 3.0 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while a averages 4.6 from 553 ratings.

### Do Clone or a have ads?

Neither Clone nor a shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Clone or a?

Clone ships an update every 5 weeks, and a monthly. Most recently, Clone was updated on September 23, 2026 and a on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*