# a vs SeeLess

The clearest difference is price: a at Free against SeeLess's $2.99. a also leads on ratings volume (553 vs 10) and update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

a is free to download; SeeLess costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for a against 4.5 for SeeLess. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a has 553 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of a's written reviews are positive against 80% of SeeLess's.

a ships an update monthly, SeeLess every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | a | SeeLess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | **[4.6 (553 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell/id1473805438/reviews)** | [4.5 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seeless-c-compiler/id1481018071/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **553** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews | **80.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#18** | #103 |
| Size | 1.9 GB | 371 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nicolas Holzschuch](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450994948) | [Develobile S.p.A.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1212021727) |

## What reviewers say

### a

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

**Currently charting:** #18 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


### SeeLess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seeless-c-compiler/id1481018071)

**Currently charting:** #103 Top Paid · Developer Tools (US App Store)

This app provides a C Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for iOS devices. It allows users to write and compile C code using the clang compiler, generating LLVM IR for execution. Manage your coding projects with an integrated file browser.

**Highlights:** C IDE for iOS, Clang compiler, LLVM IR generation, File browser for project management, Link multiple objects into one executable

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is a free?

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

### Is SeeLess free?

SeeLess costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

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

a is rated higher. a averages 4.6 out of 5 from 553 ratings, while SeeLess averages 4.5 from 10 ratings.

### Do a or SeeLess have ads?

Neither a nor SeeLess shows ads.

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

a ships an update monthly, and SeeLess every 2 months. Most recently, a was updated on September 26, 2026 and SeeLess on September 24, 2026.

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

a currently peaks at #18 in the App Store charts, and SeeLess at #103. 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.*