# a vs Cookie

The clearest difference is rating: a at 4.6 against Cookie's 3.4. a also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 40%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). Cookie's advantage is monetization model (free vs paid). On price, ads, in-app purchases and chart position there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

a holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a has 553 ratings behind it against 91, 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 40% of Cookie's.

a ships an update monthly, Cookie every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | a | Cookie |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (553 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell/id1473805438/reviews)** | [3.4 (91 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cookie-editor/id6446215341/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **553** | 91 |
| Positive reviews | **78.6% of reviews** | 40.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#19** | #36 |
| Size | 1.9 GB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nicolas Holzschuch](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450994948) | [Christophe Gagnier](https://appshunter.io/developer/1676668149) |

## What reviewers say

### a

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell/id1473805438)

**Currently charting:** #19 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful terminal with Linux commands
- 👍 Useful for programming and development
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
- 💡 Impressive capabilities for an iOS app
- 👍 Helpful documentation and developer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Limited customization options
- 🔍 Missing some basic terminal features
- 🔍 Compatibility issues with certain packages

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Cookie

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cookie-editor/id6446215341)

**Currently charting:** #36 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

Manage your web browser cookies with this open-source tool. Easily view, create, edit, and delete cookies, and import/export them in various formats. Ideal for web development, testing, and enhancing online privacy.

**Highlights:** List all cookies, Search cookies, Create, edit, delete cookies, Import/export cookies, Delete all cookies, Customizable interface

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Works for some users
- 👍 Free and open source
- 👍 Useful for data migration
- 👍 Good for privacy control
- 👍 Works on macOS

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Does not work on iOS 18
- 🐛 Does not work on newer iOS versions
- 🐛 Does not work on Sequoia update
- 🐛 Does not work on MacOS updates
- 🐛 Extension not loading

**Reported bugs**

- Extension cannot be loaded
- Manifest version error
- No cookies detected
- Not working on iOS 18
- Not working on MacOS updates

**Requested features**

- Update for iOS 18 compatibility
- Update for newer MacOS versions
- Fix extension loading issues
- Remove intrusive advertising
- Improve cookie parsing for import


## Frequently asked questions

### Is a free?

a is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Cookie free?

Cookie is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, a or Cookie?

a is rated higher. a averages 4.6 out of 5 from 553 ratings, while Cookie averages 3.4 from 91 ratings.

### Do a or Cookie have ads?

Neither a nor Cookie shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, a or Cookie?

a ships an update monthly, and Cookie every 4 months. Most recently, a was updated on September 26, 2026 and Cookie on September 27, 2026.

### Which is more popular, a or Cookie?

a currently peaks at #19 in the App Store charts, and Cookie at #36. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*