Comparison

a vs Web Inspector

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

Web Inspector

This app provides a suite of web development tools for Safari on mobile devices. Inspect and edit the DOM, view element styles, execute JavaScript commands, monitor network requests, and examine stored resources like cookies.

Highlights
  • DOM inspection and editing
  • Element style viewer
  • JavaScript console
  • Network request monitoring
  • Resource storage details
Features
Read full description

Web Inspector expands Safari on iPhone and iPad with a set of web development tools: Elements: Browse the DOM tree and tap elements on the page to inspect them. View node details, styles, and computed values. Search the DOM, edit an element's HTML, and copy or delete nodes. Console: Type JavaScript commands to debug, modify, and get information about your webpage. Sources: Read the webpage's source with syntax highlighting. Network: See a list of network requests made by the webpage, with headers and responses. Filter requests, or copy one as a cURL command. Resources: Find details about the data stored by a webpage, such as cookies, local storage, and session storage. Tip: If you tap the Web Inspector button and nothing happens, reload the page once..

Screenshots

a4 screens
Web Inspector4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: a at 4.6 against Web Inspector's 3.9. a also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 65%) and ratings volume (553 vs 152). Web Inspector's advantage is monetization model (free vs paid) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and chart position 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

a holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 553 and 152 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of a's written reviews are positive against 65% of Web Inspector's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

a ships an update monthly, Web Inspector weekly. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
a versus Web Inspector: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteraWeb Inspector
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (553 ratings) — better3.9 (152 ratings)
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews — better65.2% of reviews
Number of ratings553 — better152
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#19 — better#42
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB2 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNicolas HolzschuchAnd a Dinosaur

Customer experience

a

All ratings553 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral4.5%
Negative7.4%
Written reviews294 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral10.2%
Negative11.2%

Web Inspector

All ratings152 ratings
Positive68.4%
Neutral9.2%
Negative22.4%
Written reviews221 reviews
Positive65.2%
Neutral13.6%
Negative21.3%

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

Web Inspector

From 152 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Efficient web inspector
  • 👍 Useful debugging tools
  • 🔍 Helpful for web development
  • 💡 Brings desktop-like functionality to mobile

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Limited functionality compared to desktop tools
  • 🔍 Inconsistent performance
  • 🔍 Difficult to use or navigate

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

Web Inspector

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Disappears when reloading webpage
  • Doesn't work on newer iOS versions
  • Doesn't load on crashed tabs
  • Permissions issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • CSS editing capabilities
  • Resizable panel
  • Improved console functionality
  • Better integration with Safari

In-app purchases

None

a

No in-app purchases

None

Web Inspector

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is a free?
a is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Web Inspector free?
Web Inspector is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, a or Web Inspector?
a is rated higher. a averages 4.6 out of 5 from 553 ratings, while Web Inspector averages 3.9 from 152 ratings.
Do a or Web Inspector have ads?
Neither a nor Web Inspector shows ads.
Which is updated more often, a or Web Inspector?
a ships an update monthly, and Web Inspector weekly. Most recently, a was updated on September 23, 2026 and Web Inspector on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, a or Web Inspector?
a currently peaks at #19 in the App Store charts, and Web Inspector at #42. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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