a vs JSON Tools
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.
JSON Tools
A comprehensive toolkit for developers to visualize, validate, convert, and generate code from JSON data. It offers features like interactive tree views, schema generation, and code export for multiple programming languages.
- Interactive Tree View and JSONPath querying
- Convert JSON to XML, CSV, YAML, and more
- Generate type-safe model classes for multiple languages
- Auto-generate JSON Schema for validation
- Dedicated JSON syntax keyboard overlay
- Background processing for large datasets
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The ultimate JSON toolkit for developers. Visualize, validate, convert, and generate code - all in one powerful, beautifully designed iOS app. JSON Tools is the professional-grade JSON utility built for developers who demand speed, precision, and versatility. Whether you're debugging API responses, prototyping data schemas, or generating type-safe model classes, JSON Tools handles it all natively on iPhone and iPad. Visualize & Explore Dive into your JSON with an interactive Tree View and JSONPath-powered querying. Use the Table View to inspect arrays like a spreadsheet. Rainbow column highlighting makes CSV/TSV output instantly readable. Format & Transform Prettify nested structures with smart indentation or strip whitespace with the Minify engine. Convert JSON to XML, CSV, TSV, TOML, YAML, HTML, Markdown, Base64, and more instantly. Generate Production-Ready Stub Code Export type-safe model classes for Dart, Swift, Kotlin, Java, Python, TypeScript, and C# with intelligent property singularization and pluralization. Stop writing boilerplate JSON Tools writes it for you. Validate with Confidence Auto-generate JSON Schema from any object, then validate payloads against it in real time. Catch errors before they reach production. Built for iOS A dedicated JSON syntax keyboard overlay, native Document Picker integration, and background processing keep the experience fast and fluid even on massive datasets.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: a at 79% against JSON Tools's 0%. a also leads on price (Free vs $0.99) and chart position (#18 vs #113). JSON Tools's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
a is free to download; JSON Tools costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
a ships an update monthly, JSON Tools every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | a | JSON Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (553 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 553 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #18 — better | #113 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.9 GB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nicolas Holzschuch | Mohammed Aadhil |
Customer experience
a
JSON Tools
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
JSON Tools
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
a
No in-app purchases
JSON Tools
No in-app purchases








