# Scriptable vs a

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: a at none against Scriptable's 3. a also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 69%). Scriptable's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks) and ratings volume (3.8K vs 120). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Scriptable sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. a asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Scriptable against 4.6 for a. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Scriptable has 3.8K ratings behind it against 120, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of Scriptable's written reviews are positive against 78% of a's.

Scriptable ships an update every 4 days, a every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Scriptable | a |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (3.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scriptable/id1405459188/reviews)** | [4.6 (120 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell-mini/id1543537943/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.8K** | 120 |
| Positive reviews | 69.2% of reviews | **77.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#16** | #52 |
| Size | 28 MB | 373 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Simon B. Støvring](https://appshunter.io/developer/423532907) | [Nicolas Holzschuch](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450994948) |

## What reviewers say

### Scriptable

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scriptable/id1405459188)

**Currently charting:** #16 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

Automate tasks on your device by writing custom scripts in JavaScript. Integrate with native iOS features like files, calendars, and reminders. Create personalized widgets for your Home Screen and interact with Siri.

**Highlights:** Write and run JavaScript, Create custom widgets, Siri Shortcuts integration, Access native iOS features, Schedule notifications, File management, Script gallery

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Amazing usage of Application Programming Interface (API)
- 🚀 Scriptable + AI lets create micro apps
- 👍 Whoah, Wow, Nice
- 👍 Awesome app, Helpful app
- 🚀 Unrivaled Functionality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Force closes, Crashes immediately, Cannot Use - Always Crashes
- 🐛 Scripts don't work, Stopped working, Self Deleting
- 🐛 Incompatible with iOS 18, Widgets become white, Doesn't work on iOS 17.4
- 🐛 Bugs, So many bugs, Kept freezing
- 🐛 Default access to iCloud, Misspelled word, Selecting text is difficult

**Reported bugs**

- Scripts say need '(' at end when already there
- Reminders scheduling crashes when changing date/time
- Reminders Due Today has variable scope issues
- setInterval is not set
- Accessing Contacts and ContactsContainer causes blank widget

**Requested features**

- Add HTML support
- Add Apple Watch support
- Improve documentation with examples
- Add ability to access files from other apps
- Add ability to require other scripts


### a

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell-mini/id1543537943)

**Currently charting:** #52 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Option to use old keyboard buttons
- Add openssl support
- Add libx265 codec for ffmpeg
- Support telnet command
- Add possibility to compile from source


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Scriptable free?

Scriptable 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, Scriptable or a?

Scriptable is rated higher. Scriptable averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.8K ratings, while a averages 4.6 from 120 ratings.

### Do Scriptable or a have ads?

Neither Scriptable nor a shows ads.

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

Scriptable ships an update every 4 days, and a every 2 weeks. Most recently, Scriptable was updated on October 1, 2026 and a on September 29, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Scriptable or a?

Scriptable currently peaks at #16 in the App Store charts, and a at #52. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*