Comparison

a vs SchemaHD

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

SchemaHD

This app allows users to draw circuit diagrams for logic circuits, generating Verilog HDL and performing simulations. It simplifies FPGA development by using schematics instead of complex programming languages, offering advanced security and high-performance parallel processing.

Highlights
  • Draw logic circuit diagrams
  • Generate Verilog HDL
  • Perform circuit simulations
  • Touch-based wiring
  • AXI bus interface support
  • JSON import/export
  • Offline network operation
Features
Read full description

FPGAs can dynamically generate logic circuits by means of configuration bit streams generated by languages such as Verilog and VHDL. The generated logic circuit cannot be changed by communication data. Therefore, it is very safe and cannot be attacked by hacking, which is a problem with CPUs, to execute arbitrary commands. In addition, the generated logic circuits are all running simultaneously, so the highest performance parallel processing is being performed. It can also generate logic circuits using configuration bitstreams at very high speed. Most of the processing that can be done by the CPU can be done by the FPGA alone. With advanced security and the highest performace, FPGAs are the perfect device for the modern age. However, it takes a lot of effort to learn languages such as Verilog and VHDL. There are other methods such as high-level synthesis from C/C++, but they require a lot of adjustments such as #pragma, and do not maximize the capabilities of the FPGA. Schematics, not programming languages, are needed to maximize the capabilities of FPGAs and to further improve developer productivity. Schematics allow you to grasp the whole picture at a glance, and can perfectly represent parallel processing. SchemaHD is to draw a circuit diagram of a logic circuit, and it's possible to do generation of Verilog HDL and a simulation. A made circuit diagram can be used by a different circuit diagram immediately. You can also install wiring easily by touch operation. A concept of interface is adopted as a terminal, so something structured of a AXI bus can also be used. A terminal it's also possible to distinguish sound argument reason, negative logic and characteristic wiring of a clock and a reset by interface, and which is different in interface, they don't seem able to connect, it is. You can input and output as a JSON file, so the made circuit diagram and interface are also capable of cooperation with other application. Verilog HDL generated from a circuit diagram contains a comment of a terminal name and an instance name, so it's capable of the correspondence which is at the time of problem occurrence. A network connection isn't needed, so it's also effective in information leak prevention. A simple simulation is offered in the present, but it's expected to enhance it early.

Screenshots

a4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: a at 4.6 against SchemaHD's 3.0. a also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 7) and review sentiment (78% vs 50%). SchemaHD's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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

Both are free to download. SchemaHD sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. a asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

a holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a has 553 ratings behind it against 2, 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 50% of SchemaHD's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

a ships an update monthly, SchemaHD every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
a versus SchemaHD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteraSchemaHD
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (553 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings553 — better2
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#20 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS14.014.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB2 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNicolas HolzschuchYasuaki Iwasaki

Customer experience

a

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

SchemaHD

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

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

SchemaHD

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

a

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

SchemaHD

One-time7
  • Give a tip #1$1.99
  • Give a tip #2$3.99
  • Give a tip #3$7.99
Show 4 more
  • Give a tip #4$15.99
  • Give a tip #5$23.99
  • Give a tip #6$39.99
  • Give a tip #7$79.99

Questions

Is a free?
a is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SchemaHD free?
SchemaHD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, a or SchemaHD?
a is rated higher. a averages 4.6 out of 5 from 553 ratings, while SchemaHD averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do a or SchemaHD have ads?
Neither a nor SchemaHD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, a or SchemaHD?
a ships an update monthly, and SchemaHD every 10 days. Most recently, a was updated on October 19, 2026 and SchemaHD on October 10, 2026.

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