a vs Code Editor
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.
Code Editor
This app is a powerful mobile code editor and compiler designed for programmers. It offers syntax highlighting for numerous languages, code assistance, and the ability to compile and run code directly on your device. Access files from cloud storage and version control systems, with customizable themes and extensive editing features.
- Syntax highlighting for 110+ languages
- Online compiler for 30+ languages
- Code assist and auto-completion
- Multi-tab navigation
- Unlimited undo/redo
- Cloud file access (FTP, WebDAV, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive)
- GitHub/GitLab integration
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Code editor is optimized text editor focused on coding. It contains necessary features including syntax highlight, code assist, auto-complete, compile and execute, etc. Features: - Syntax highlighting for over 110 languages (C++, Java, JavaScript, HTML, Markdown, PHP, Perl, Python, Lua, Dart, etc). - Include online compiler, can compile and run over 30 common languages (Python, PHP, Java, JS/NodeJS, C/C++, Rust, Pascal, Haskell, Ruby, etc). - Code assist, folding and auto-completion. - Easily navigate between multiple tabs. - Undo and redo changes without limit. - Search and replace with regular expressions. - Show or hide line numbers. - Highlight matching parentheses. - Automatic indent and outdent. - Displays invisible characters. - Open files from recently opened file collections. - Preview HTML and Markdown files. - Includes Emmet support for web development. - Access files from FTP and WebDAV. - Evaluate JavaScript code with built-in JavaScript console. - Integrate and easy access to GitHub and GitLab. - Access files from Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive. - Dark and light themes and over 30 syntax highlighting styles. If you run into any issues or have any suggestions, please feel free to contact us: support@rhmsoft.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: a at 4.6 against Code Editor's 3.2. a also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support 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
Both are free to download. Code Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. a asks for nothing beyond the download.
a holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a has 553 ratings behind it against 43, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of a's written reviews are positive against 54% of Code Editor's.
a ships an update monthly, Code Editor every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | a | Code Editor |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (553 ratings) — better | 3.2 (43 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews — better | 53.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 553 — better | 43 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #19 — better | #78 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.9 GB | 65 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nicolas Holzschuch | Rhythm Software |
Customer experience
a
Code Editor
User reviews
a
From 553 App Store ratingsWhat 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
Code Editor
From 43 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great for coding on the go
- 👍 Supports many languages
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 👍 Good for learning and quick edits
- 👍 Minimal ads (for some users)
Room to improve
- 😠 Unskippable, full-screen ads
- 😠 Ads after every file operation
- 😠 Ads interrupt workflow
- 😠 Frequent and intrusive ads
- 😠 Paid version still has ads
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
Code Editor
Reported bugs
46 issues- Uninterruptible ads
- Cannot create new files
- Cannot copy files
- Sidebar cannot be reopened after closing
- Cannot save files
Show 41 moreShow fewer
- Settings screen does not open
- No option to open a file
- App crashes frequently
- File shown as empty, needs reopening
- No magnifying preview when selecting text
- Cannot use as target for 'open with...'
- Cannot input user data
- Cannot execute more than one file
- Image not appearing in browser
- Links not functioning
- Typing cursor moves to the beginning of the file
- Content reloads via iCloud Drive, losing data
- HTML files not running in the included browser
- C++ user input (cin >>) not working
- Save button disabled
- Cannot print files
- Bug when project runs
- Cannot save Typst files
- Cannot save Webdav files
- Cannot name files
- C/C++ compilers don't allow argument changes
- Editing .js files prevents saving/closing without discarding changes
- App crashes on opening on iPad Pro
- Error loading file content due to unsupported encoding
- Chinese input causes misalignment
- Landscape mode bug on iPhone
- FTP folder display is blank
- Code not running properly for complex operations
- Extend Script not supported
- Toolbar content overlaps and becomes unresponsive after switching apps
- Python input not executing
- File content deleted after saving
- Error when loading file content
- Landscape mode not working on iPhone
- Cannot compile sum of user input numbers in C
- Auto-completion not working well
- App closes instantly when clicking live server link
- Cannot compile C++ code with user input
- Cannot save edits
- Cannot save files on mobile
- Broken number generator due to ASCII issues
Requested features
26 requests- SFTP protocol connection
- Add a run button
- Error indicator during typing
- Custom keyboard with coding symbols
- Ability to edit visual styles/syntax coloring
Show 21 moreShow fewer
- Add tab closing functionality
- Improve console window size
- Support for trackpad/mouse scrolling
- Add automatic save feature
- Support opening files from other apps via share sheet
- Add Bitbucket support
- Add SFTP/SSH support
- Add a terminal for installing external libraries
- Support for mouse wheel scrolling
- Allow multiple file execution at once
- Add code recording/deletion function
- Support system theme switching
- Add telemetry toggle button
- Improve Git integration (manage repos, branches, etc.)
- Add i/o redirection for console programs
- Support for specific libraries (e.g., pandas, Kivy)
- Make execution button available
- Support for mouse scroll on iPad
- Open source the app
- Add landscape mode support on iPhone
- Add ability to create files from scratch
In-app purchases
a
No in-app purchases
Code Editor
- Remove Ads (Forever)$3.99
