Comparison

a vs Replit

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

Replit

Build and deploy apps, websites, and games directly from your phone. Utilize AI to generate projects from natural language prompts, collaborate in real-time, and host your creations instantly with zero setup. Suitable for both beginners and experienced developers.

Highlights
  • Build apps with natural language AI
  • Instant zero-setup hosting
  • Real-time multiplayer collaboration
  • Create in any language/framework
  • Clone and remix millions of projects
  • Custom domain setup
  • Integrated authentication and databases
Features
Read full description

Describe what you want. Replit builds it — websites, web apps, slides, videos, data dashboards, and more. No coding. No tools to learn. Just describe what you need in plain language, and Replit handles the building, testing, debugging, and hosting — all in one place. It's like having an entire team of engineers and designers on demand, available through a simple chat. Trusted by 50 million creators and builders worldwide. BUILD ANYTHING One platform for everything you want to make: - Web apps — live in minutes with a public URL - Websites and prototypes - Slide decks and presentations - Videos and animations - Data apps and dashboards DESIGN FREELY Design directly on a live canvas. No handoff. No gap between what you picture and what ships. BUILD TOGETHER Every request becomes a structured task your team can track. Add tasks anytime, see progress in real-time, and stay focused on what matters — while Replit handles the maintenance, updates, and complexity in the background. MOVE FASTER Multiple AI agents work across your project simultaneously — building infrastructure, integrating services, and refining features at once. What used to take cycles now happens in parallel. EVERYTHING BUILT IN — ZERO SETUP Authentication, database, hosting, and monitoring are all included from day one. No configuration, no infrastructure decisions. Build fully scalable web apps securely from the start. 100+ INTEGRATIONS, NO API KEYS NEEDED Connect to Google Drive, Gmail, Google Workspace, enterprise data warehouses, and more. Turn your project into a fully connected system in minutes, not days. SECURE BY DEFAULT Pre-deployment security screening, secure built-in services, and enterprise-grade controls — including SSO/SAML and SOC2 — so what you build stays protected. WHO USES REPLIT: - Founders and entrepreneurs building their first product or MVP - Designers who want to ship without depending on a developer - Product managers building internal tools and prototypes - Marketers who need campaign tools and dashboards - Students creating real projects for their portfolio - Anyone with an idea and no time to waste Creativity runs on Replit. Get started for free. Download and build something today.

Screenshots

a4 screens
Replit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: a at none against Replit's 4. a also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 59%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.4). Replit's advantage is ratings volume (21K vs 553) and chart position (#1 vs #19). On price, rating, update cadence 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

Both are free to download. Replit sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $20.00 per month. 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 4.7 for Replit. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Replit has 21K ratings behind it against 553, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of a's written reviews are positive against 59% of Replit's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

a ships an update monthly, Replit fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
a versus Replit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteraReplit
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (553 ratings)4.7 (21K ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews — better58.8% of reviews
Number of ratings55321K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#19#1 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB63 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNicolas HolzschuchReplit

Customer experience

a

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

Replit

All ratings21,170 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral2.5%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews1,907 reviews
Positive58.8%
Neutral7.1%
Negative34.1%

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

Replit

From 21K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Quick & easy to use
  • 🚀 Accelerates development
  • 👍 Comprehensive mobile IDE
  • 👍 Intuitive user interface
  • 👍 Seamless integration

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy, crashes, and lags
  • 🔋 High resource usage
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔒 Concerns about privacy and data usage
  • 👎 Lacks features compared to desktop version

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

Replit

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
  • Unreliable file management and saving
  • Compatibility problems with certain devices and frameworks

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add iPad/tablet support
  • Improve code editor functionality
  • Provide more tutorials and learning resources
  • Enhance collaboration and team features
  • Add offline/local development capabilities

In-app purchases

None

a

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Replit

Subscriptions4
  • Replit Core$20.001 Month
  • Replit Core (Hacker)$20.001 Month
  • Replit Core$219.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Replit Core (Hacker)$219.991 Year

Questions

Is a free?
a is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Replit free?
Replit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, a or Replit?
Replit is rated higher. a averages 4.6 out of 5 from 553 ratings, while Replit averages 4.7 from 21K ratings.
Do a or Replit have ads?
Neither a nor Replit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, a or Replit?
a ships an update monthly, and Replit fortnightly. Most recently, a was updated on October 14, 2026 and Replit on October 14, 2026.
Which is more popular, a or Replit?
a currently peaks at #19 in the App Store charts, and Replit at #1. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons