a vs BASIC
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.
BASIC
Create and publish your own applications directly on your iOS device using an extended BASIC programming language. Features include a rich interface, advanced graphics, sound capabilities, and hardware support.
- Create standalone apps for App Store
- Rich user interface elements
- Advanced graphics and animation
- Comprehensive sound and music support
- Hardware sensor integration
- Networking and file management
- Customizable IDE with documentation
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This is "smart BASIC" - an extended version of popular Minimal BASIC programming language. With "smart BASIC" you can create your own programs right on your iOS device. BASIC programs, written in "smart BASIC", can be published in the App Store as standalone applications using the "smart BASIC" SDK for Xcode. The "smart BASIC" programming language has many powerful features. INTERFACE: - buttons, text boxes, sliders, switches, browsers - pages for grouping your interface objects - support for additional TTF fonts - clipboard support - multitouch up to 11 simultaneous touches GRAPHIC: - advanced graphics functions - animated sprites, sprite sheet support MUSIC and SOUND: - play MP3, AIFF, WAV, MIDI, MOV and MP4 files - programmable MIDI synthesizer with 128 built-in instruments - support for additional sound fonts SF2 and DLS - speech synthesizer HARDWARE support: - GPS, compass - accelerometer - photo and video recording and more: - files - networking - integrated mathematics of complex numbers - customizable IDE - built-in documentation - ready-to-use examples of programs Visit the support forum to get assistance and to share your BASIC programs with other users.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: a at Free against BASIC's $11.99. a also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (553 vs 17). BASIC's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). 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; BASIC costs $11.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
a holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a has 553 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of a's written reviews are positive against 68% of BASIC's.
a ships an update monthly, BASIC every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.
| Parameter | a | BASIC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $11.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (553 ratings) — better | 4.2 (17 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 78.3% of reviews — better | 68.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 553 — better | 17 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #20 — better | #106 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.9 GB | 135 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nicolas Holzschuch | Nikolay Denislamov |
Customer experience
a
BASIC
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
BASIC
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
a
No in-app purchases
BASIC
No in-app purchases
