Comparison

Bluetooth Terminal vs a

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

Head to head
About

Bluetooth Terminal

Prototype Bluetooth LE hardware by sending and receiving data in various formats. Inspect device services, characteristics, and values. Offers features like a button matrix for control and session export.

Highlights
  • Send data as ASCII, HEX, or Decimal
  • View device services and characteristics
  • Inspect device name, UUID, and RSSI
  • Button matrix for sending commands
  • Export session data as CSV
  • Send current time as Unix timestamp
Features
Read full description

## Version 3 is now available ## With Bluetooth LE Terminal you can easily prototype your Bluetooth Smart enabled hardware. Send individual bytes encoded as ASCII, HEX or Decimal numbers and receive data from your hardware accessory. Test your data transfers even before having your own app! # More Features: • Send bytes as ASCII, HEX or Decimal • See device's services and characteristics and their associated values • Get information about your device such as name, UUID, and RSSI readings • Setup a button matrix (game controller) to send different data with just a tap. • Apple Watch support for button matrix • Send the current time as a unix timestamp (seconds since 1970) • Export current session as CSV • Use the app in split-view or slide-over on iPad If you have any questions about the app, or requests for features you would like to see, just write a short review or use the button inside the app to contact me! * Some features may require an optional one-time in app purchase.

About

a

This app provides a local Unix terminal emulator for iOS devices, enabling users to run various Unix commands, edit files, and process data. It includes support for multiple programming languages and network utilities, with integration for iOS Shortcuts and multi-window functionality.

Highlights
  • Local Unix terminal emulator
  • Run Unix commands
  • File transfer (scp, curl)
  • Text editing (vim, ed)
  • Programming languages (Python, Lua, C)
  • Network utilities (ping, nslookup)
  • iOS Shortcuts integration
Features
Read full description

a-Shell is a complete local terminal emulator, allowing to run most Unix commands on your iOS device. You can transfer files using scp and curl, edit them with vim and ed, process them using grep, awk and sed. You can work with git repositories using lg2.  Most commands are compiled for iOS native Arm64 format, making them fast and well integrated with the BSD Unix that powers iOS/iPadOS. a-Shell includes Python, Lua, Perl, JavaScript, C, C++ for programming and TeX (texlive 2025, with Tikz and LuaTeX) for text processing. 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 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 uses iOS 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. Compile your C or C++ programs to webAssembly using clang or clang++, and execute the resulting binary. A complete webAssembly SDK is included (WASI-libc). a-Shell is the complete version. If you need a smaller app, and you don't need a C compiler, a TeX engine, or numpy and matplotlib, there is a-Shell mini.

Screenshots

Bluetooth Terminal4 screens
a4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: a at 4.6 against Bluetooth Terminal's 3.3. a also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 36%) and in-app purchases (none vs 7). Bluetooth Terminal's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Bluetooth Terminal sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. a asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

a holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a has 575 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Bluetooth Terminal's written reviews are positive against 78% of a's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bluetooth Terminal ships an update weekly, a monthly. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Bluetooth Terminal versus a: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBluetooth Terminala
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (18 ratings)4.6 (575 ratings) — better
Positive reviews36.0% of reviews78.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings18575 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#193#22 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB2.1 GB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperLukas PistrolNicolas Holzschuch

Customer experience

Bluetooth Terminal

All ratings18 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral11.1%
Negative38.9%
Written reviews75 reviews
Positive36.0%
Neutral6.7%
Negative57.3%

a

All ratings570 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral4.7%
Negative7.0%
Written reviews393 reviews
Positive78.4%
Neutral9.4%
Negative12.2%

User reviews

Bluetooth Terminal

From 18 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Works well for BLE
  • 🚀 Connects devices easily
  • 👍 Useful for custom scripts
  • 👍 Solves specific device connection issues
  • 👍 Free version is functional

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Disconnects when using controller/buttons
  • 🐛 Paid features don't work
  • 🐛 Ads are intrusive
  • 🐛 Limited free functionality

a

From 575 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Bugs and requests

Bluetooth Terminal

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App disconnects when using controller/buttons
  • Controller buttons do not send correct data
  • App crashes on refresh
  • App disconnects Bluetooth constantly
  • Cannot connect to some devices
Show 5 more
  • Dialog says 'Reading is not permitted'
  • App crashes when scrolling device info
  • HM-10 module disconnects when entering button app
  • Button 'send' is disabled
  • App crashes when refreshing BT participants

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add decimal to ASCII text decoder
  • Log read data to a file
  • Improve controller button functionality
  • Add joystick support
  • Add support for other languages (e.g., Arabic)
Show 5 more
  • Improve device detection
  • Allow selection/deselection of data type listings
  • Add dark mode
  • Improve instructions
  • Fix bugs causing crashes and disconnections

a

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Bluetooth Terminal

One-time7
  • Show RSSI Values$0.99
  • Time Stamp$0.99
  • Buy me 1 coffee$2.99
Show 4 more
  • Remove Ads$5.99
  • Controller Buttons$5.99
  • Buy me 2 coffees$5.99
  • Buy me 3 coffees$11.99
None

a

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bluetooth Terminal free?
Bluetooth Terminal 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, Bluetooth Terminal or a?
a is rated higher. Bluetooth Terminal averages 3.3 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while a averages 4.6 from 575 ratings.
Do Bluetooth Terminal or a have ads?
Bluetooth Terminal shows ads; a does not.
Which is updated more often, Bluetooth Terminal or a?
Bluetooth Terminal ships an update weekly, and a monthly. Most recently, Bluetooth Terminal was updated on November 13, 2026 and a on November 13, 2026.
Which is more popular, Bluetooth Terminal or a?
Bluetooth Terminal currently peaks at #193 in the App Store charts, and a at #22. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons