Comparison

Kodex vs a

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Kodex

An advanced code editor for iOS devices, offering desktop-class features like multi-caret editing, regex search, and syntax highlighting for over 150 languages. It integrates with the Files app and supports external keyboards for a seamless coding experience.

Highlights
  • Multi-caret editing
  • Regex search and replace
  • Minimap for navigation
  • Syntax highlighting (150+ languages)
  • External keyboard support
  • Files app integration
  • Customizable themes and fonts
Features
Read full description

Kodex is an advanced code editor which brings powerful and desktop-class editor features to your iPad or iPhone: * Multi-caret editing, to quickly transform code selections. * Regex search and replace, with template matching and replace-all-matches. * Minimap which allows quick scroll navigation though the document. * Multiple window support * Syntax highlighting for over 150 languages. * Trackpad support with custom gestures to add cursors (ctrl+shift+click). * Auto complete feature (currently only for HTML). * Add as many guide columns as you wish (default 80 and 120 characters). * Configurable tab size (default 4 spaces), or insert spaces when pressing tab. * Draw hints for invisible characters such as new lines, tabs, and spaces. * Customizable key bindings, so you can configure Kodex to use the same key combos you are already used to. * Kodex smartly preserves your open documents so that your work stays as you left it between launches. * Light and Dark modes. Kodex is integrated with the Files app, so you can easily open files from any other app, and from your iCloud documents folder. You can launch Kodex QuickEdit from any file sharing view in any app to edit its contents without launching the main Kodex App (be aware this functionality depends on the host app implementing the sharing activity properly). Included are 10 editor themes, and several monospaced fonts for code editing (you can install your own preferred fonts using system profiles). Font size and line spacing are adjustable, so you can configure Kodex to best fit your preferred screen size, arrangement, and orientation. Kodex is not a compiler, and you can not build or run the code you edit from it. Think of Kodex as a NotePad++ or Sublime Text substitute for iPhone and iPad. Kodex is currently optimized for external keyboards, such as Apple's Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro, or any bluetooth/USB keyboard. More virtual keyboard features will be added in a future version.

About

a

Run Unix commands locally on your iOS device with a powerful terminal emulator. Supports file transfer, editing, scripting with Python and Lua, and network utilities. Integrates with Shortcuts and supports multiple windows for multitasking.

Highlights
  • Local Unix terminal emulator
  • SSH client
  • File transfer (scp, curl)
  • Text editing (vim, ed)
  • Scripting (Python, Lua, JavaScript)
  • Network utilities (nslookup, ping)
  • Shortcuts integration
  • Multi-window support
Features
Read full description

a-Shell mini is a complete local terminal emulator, allowing to run most Unix commands on you iOS device. You can transfer files using scp and curl, edit them with vim and ed, process them using grep, awk and sed. Work with git repositories using lg2. Most commands are compiled for iOS native Arm64 format, making them fast and well integrated with iOS underlying BSD Unix. a-Shell mini includes Python, Lua, JavaScript and webAssembly for programming and scripting. It also includes native ffmpeg and convert for fast image and video conversion. There are also multiple network utilities: nslookup, ping, whois, ifconfig... Type help for help, help -l to get the full list of commands. a-Shell mini can be controlled from Shortcuts: run commands in order, process files in a-Shell, get the results as text or files, transfer files to other apps... a-Shell mini uses iPadOS 13+ “multiple windows” ability, so you can run multiple shells at the same time, with different commands, in different directories. You can edit a file in one window with vim and process it in the other with python. a-Shell mini is a minimalist terminal, designed to have a very small footprint (less than 250 MB). If you need more commands, please consider a-Shell, which has more Python packages, more JavaScript modules, Perl, make, a C and C++ compiler and TeX.

Screenshots

Kodex4 screens
a4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: a at none against Kodex's 1. a also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and review sentiment (78% vs 63%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

a holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 207 and 119 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Kodex's written reviews are positive against 78% of a's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kodex ships an update monthly, a every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 21, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Kodex versus a: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKodexa
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (207 ratings)4.6 (119 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.1% of reviews77.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings207 — better119
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#86#58 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.4 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB373 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperBruno Philipe Resende SilvaNicolas Holzschuch

Customer experience

Kodex

All ratings207 ratings
Positive77.3%
Neutral8.2%
Negative14.5%
Written reviews222 reviews
Positive63.1%
Neutral10.4%
Negative26.6%

a

All ratings119 ratings
Positive89.9%
Neutral2.5%
Negative7.6%
Written reviews90 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral5.6%
Negative16.7%

User reviews

Kodex

From 207 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful code editor
  • 👍 Well-integrated with iPad features
  • 🎨 Excellent syntax highlighting and theming
  • 📁 Broad file format support
  • 💡 Useful QuickEdit mode

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🔍 Lack of search and replace functionality
  • 🔀 Difficulty navigating between files
  • 🚫 No option to run/compile code
  • 📏 Forced word wrapping with no toggle

a

From 119 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great app for shortcuts
  • 🚀 Efficient and functional
  • 💡 Useful for IT tasks
  • ✨ Free and awesome
  • 💻 Good for remote server connection

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Font size not adjustable
  • 🐛 Keyboard icons too large
  • 🐛 App deletes itself
  • 🐛 Rotating screen scrambles display
  • 🐛 Pasting text shows strange characters

Bugs and requests

Kodex

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when opening certain file types
  • Loses data after copy/paste and undo/redo
  • Compatibility issues with latest iOS versions
  • Overlapping UI elements in search/replace

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add search and replace feature
  • Implement code execution/compilation
  • Improve file management and navigation
  • Provide option to disable word wrapping
  • Introduce more keyboard shortcuts

a

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Keyboard icons comically large
  • App deletes itself
  • Rotating iPhone/iPad scrambles display
  • Pasting text results in strange characters
  • App only uses half of the screen when editing files
Show 7 more
  • Command not found errors for all commands
  • App crashes on launch after update
  • Cannot get own absolute path
  • Cannot execute own programs
  • App messes up .txt file association
  • Trouble selecting characters to copy and paste
  • No module named requests in shortcuts

Requested features

8 requests
  • Option to use old keyboard buttons
  • Add openssl support
  • Add libx265 codec for ffmpeg
  • Support telnet command
  • Add possibility to compile from source
Show 3 more
  • Make Ubuntu default
  • Add expansion of keys (e.g., echo {a..z})
  • Adjustable font size

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Kodex

One-time1
  • Tip$4.99
None

a

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Kodex free?
Kodex 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, Kodex or a?
a is rated higher. Kodex averages 4.2 out of 5 from 207 ratings, while a averages 4.6 from 119 ratings.
Do Kodex or a have ads?
Neither Kodex nor a shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kodex or a?
Kodex ships an update monthly, and a every 2 weeks. Most recently, Kodex was updated on September 21, 2026 and a on September 21, 2026.
Which is more popular, Kodex or a?
Kodex currently peaks at #86 in the App Store charts, and a at #58. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons