Comparison

a vs Apps Connect

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

Apps Connect

This app provides a one-click connection to various proxy protocols like Shadowsocks, Vmess, and Trojan. It offers a lighter, simpler interface with custom themes and aims for faster, more secure connections.

Highlights
  • One-click connection
  • Supports multiple proxy protocols
  • Lighter and simpler interface
  • Customizable themes
  • Faster connection speeds
  • Secure kernel
Features
Read full description

One Click Connection v2board / SSPANEL / Xboard Support Shadowsocks ShadowsocksR Vmess Vless Trojan Hysteria Socks Hysteria2 AnyTLS Multiple protocols - Lighter to use - Simpler interface - A brand new Glassmorphism / GradientCard style - Custom theme Colors - Faster connection speeds - Better Interaction - A more secure kernel - TUN protocol stack switching - chained proxy - rule/rule set settings - rule resource management - proxy sharing - Based on mihomo

Screenshots

a4 screens
Apps Connect4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Apps Connect at free against a's paid. a's advantage is review sentiment (79% vs 61%) and ratings volume (553 vs 130). 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. 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 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 553 and 130 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of a's written reviews are positive against 61% of Apps Connect's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
a versus Apps Connect: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteraApps Connect
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (553 ratings) — better4.4 (130 ratings)
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews — better60.9% of reviews
Number of ratings553 — better130
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#19#17 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB148 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNicolas HolzschuchCITY OF THE SKY NETWORK

Customer experience

a

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

Apps Connect

All ratings130 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral2.3%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive60.9%
Neutral5.8%
Negative33.3%

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

Apps Connect

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

a

No in-app purchases

None

Apps Connect

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is a free?
a is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Apps Connect free?
Apps Connect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, a or Apps Connect?
a is rated higher. a averages 4.6 out of 5 from 553 ratings, while Apps Connect averages 4.4 from 130 ratings.
Do a or Apps Connect have ads?
Neither a nor Apps Connect shows ads.
Which is updated more often, a or Apps Connect?
a ships an update monthly, and Apps Connect monthly. Most recently, a was updated on September 23, 2026 and Apps Connect on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, a or Apps Connect?
a currently peaks at #19 in the App Store charts, and Apps Connect at #17. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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