a vs GitHub
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
a
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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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.
GitHub
Manage your code projects, review changes, and collaborate with your team on the go. This app allows you to stay updated with notifications, respond to issues, and browse files and code from anywhere.
- Browse notifications
- Read, react, and reply to Issues and Pull Requests
- Review and merge Pull Requests
- Organize Issues with labels and assignees
- Browse files and code
- Discover trending repositories
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There’s a lot you can do on GitHub that doesn’t require a complex development environment – like sharing feedback on a design discussion, or reviewing a few lines of code. GitHub for iOS lets you move work forward wherever you are. Stay in touch with your team, triage issues, and even merge, right from the app. We’re making these tasks easy for you to perform, no matter where you work, with a beautifully native experience. You can use GitHub for iOS to: • Browse your latest notifications • Read, react, and reply to Issues and Pull Requests • Review and merge Pull Requests • Organize Issues with labels, assignees, projects, and more • Browse your files and code • Discover new and trending repositories ——— Terms of Service: https://docs.github.com/en/github/site-policy/github-terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://docs.github.com/en/github/site-policy/github-privacy-statement
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: a at none against GitHub's 4. a also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 63%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). GitHub's advantage is ratings volume (37K vs 553) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. GitHub sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. a asks for nothing beyond the download.
GitHub holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GitHub has 37K ratings behind it against 553, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of a's written reviews are positive against 63% of GitHub's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
a ships an update monthly, GitHub weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | a | GitHub |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (553 ratings) | 4.8 (37K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews — better | 63.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 553 | 37K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #21 | #2 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.9 GB | 175 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Nicolas Holzschuch | GitHub |
Customer experience
a
GitHub
User reviews
a
From 553 App Store ratingsWhat 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
GitHub
From 37K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great app design
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Helpful for on-the-go tasks
- 🚀 Efficient for reviewing PRs and issues
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Limited functionality compared to website
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find features
- 🔍 Lacks key features like code editing and wiki support
- 🔍 Intercepts GitHub links, forcing use of app
Bugs and requests
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
GitHub
Reported bugs
5 issues- Login issues and inability to switch accounts
- Inconsistent behavior when navigating between app and website
- Notifications not always loading correctly
- Inability to view all files in large pull requests
- Crashes when trying to perform certain actions
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for multiple accounts
- Improve search and filtering capabilities
- Implement code editing and file management
- Integrate GitHub Actions and Insights
- Allow viewing and managing GitHub projects
In-app purchases
a
No in-app purchases
GitHub
- GitHub Pro$3.991 Month
- Copilot Pro$10.001 Month
- Copilot Pro+$39.991 Month
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- Copilot Max$99.001 Month
