Comparison

a vs Resolutioner

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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.

About

Resolutioner

This utility app helps you calculate and scale screen resolutions based on aspect ratios. Save and manage your frequently used resolutions for easy access. Sync your presets across Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Calculate resolutions by filling in one side
  • Edit aspect ratios easily
  • Scale resolutions up or down
  • Save and name custom resolution presets
  • Edit saved presets
  • Sync presets via iCloud
Read full description

Resolutioner by Sun Apps is a simple utility app for calculating and scaling resolutions and aspect ratios. You can input an aspect ratio and calculate a resolution based on it, or you can input a resolution and scale it up or down. For quick reference, you can save an aspect ratio to your Saved Presets, and load it back into the calculator with just one tap. NO ADS OR PREMIUM FEATURES The price you see is the price you pay. There are no ads, premium features, subscriptions, or anything else. And since we don’t collect any data, there’s no data for us to sell! If you really love the app, you can donate via the Tip Jar option (that’s the in-app purchases the App Store shows). SHORTCUTS SUPPORT Resolutioner extends all of its functionality to the Shortcuts app, so you can calculate resolutions, scale resolutions, and determine aspect ratios in Shortcuts or with Siri AI. You can also view, create, and manage your Saved Presets. INTERFACE You can choose from two great interface options, Unified or Split. Unified puts the calculator and Saved Presets on one page, while Split puts them side-by-side or into tabs, depending on screen/window size. You can also turn the theme color on or off, as well as toggle between a monospaced and a standard font design. DESIGNED FOR iOS AND iPadOS Resolutioner has been designed with Liquid Glass in mind, and works great across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro! - Full support for Dark, Tinted, and Clear Home Screen modes - Full multitasking support: multi-window support, keyboard shortcuts, full cursor support, Slide Over + Split View, and more - Choose from five app icon designs - Fully updated for Liquid Glass - iCloud sync support - Dynamic text support

Screenshots

a4 screens
Resolutioner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: a at Free against Resolutioner's $0.99. a also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (monthly vs every 33 months). Resolutioner's advantage is chart position (#2 vs #19). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

a is free to download; Resolutioner costs $0.99 up front. Resolutioner sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. a asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for a against 4.5 for Resolutioner. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 553 and 946 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of a's written reviews are positive against 80% of Resolutioner's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

a ships an update monthly, Resolutioner every 33 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
a versus Resolutioner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteraResolutioner
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.6 (553 ratings) — better4.5 (946 ratings)
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews79.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings553946 — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 33 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#19#2 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB40 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNicolas HolzschuchSun Apps, LLC

Customer experience

a

All ratings553 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral4.5%
Negative7.4%
Written reviews387 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral9.6%
Negative12.1%

Resolutioner

All ratings946 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral3.3%
Negative10.6%
Written reviews93 reviews
Positive79.6%
Neutral7.5%
Negative12.9%

User reviews

a

From 553 App Store ratings

What 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

Resolutioner

From 946 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Very good app
  • 👍 Excellent for calculations
  • 👍 Useful for graphic designers
  • 👍 Works offline
  • 👍 Good for Free Fire

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Resolution not changing
  • 🐛 App doesn't work
  • 🐛 Buggy and bad
  • 🐛 Cannot submit resolution
  • 🐛 Screen size remains the same

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

Resolutioner

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Resolution does not change
  • App does not work
  • Screen size remains the same
  • App is buggy
  • Cannot submit resolution
Show 3 more
  • Does not change FOV
  • Lagging device
  • Resetting issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add sync to device option
  • Add button to improve/submit resolution
  • Allow reordering of presets for better organization
  • Ability to use created scales in computer settings

In-app purchases

None

a

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Resolutioner

One-time5
  • Tip Jar - $0.99$0.99
  • Tip Jar - $1.99$1.99
  • Tip Jar - $2.99$2.99
Show 2 more
  • Tip Jar - $4.99$4.99
  • Tip Jar - $9.99$9.99

Questions

Is a free?
a is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Resolutioner free?
Resolutioner costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, a or Resolutioner?
a is rated higher. a averages 4.6 out of 5 from 553 ratings, while Resolutioner averages 4.5 from 946 ratings.
Do a or Resolutioner have ads?
Neither a nor Resolutioner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, a or Resolutioner?
a ships an update monthly, and Resolutioner every 33 months. Most recently, a was updated on October 12, 2026 and Resolutioner on October 10, 2026.
Which is more popular, a or Resolutioner?
a currently peaks at #19 in the App Store charts, and Resolutioner at #2. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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