a vs CertsCheck
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.
CertsCheck
Easily inspect the details of TLS/SSL certificates directly from your browser. This tool helps you understand certificate information, including those from Let's Encrypt, without needing to be a security expert.
- Check TLS/SSL certificate contents
- Inspect certificate details via URL
- Share Extension for browsers
- Understand Let's Encrypt certificates
- Premium subscription for advanced features
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CertsCheck is an app that allows you to easily check the contents of TLS/SSL certificates. You can also input the URL and inspect the certificate's details directly using a Share Extension from Safari or your preferred browser app. The majority of sites using Let's Encrypt are not necessarily fraudulent sites!! ******************** CertsCheck Premium - Monthly $1.99 - Yearly $19.99 ******************** Terms of service: https://github.com/nnsnodnb/ssl-certificates-check-ios/wiki/Terms Privacy Policy: https://github.com/nnsnodnb/ssl-certificates-check-ios/wiki/Privacy-Policy Notation based on Japan's Act on Specified Commercial Transactions: https://nnsnodnb.moe/commercial-law/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: a at none against CertsCheck's 3. a also leads on ratings volume (553 vs 4) and chart position (#21 vs unranked). CertsCheck's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 78%). On price, 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
Both are free to download. CertsCheck sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. a asks for nothing beyond the download.
CertsCheck holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a has 553 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of a's written reviews are positive against 100% of CertsCheck's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | a | CertsCheck |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (553 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 78.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 553 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Freemium — better |
| Best chart rank | #21 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.9 GB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nicolas Holzschuch | Yuya Asamura |
Customer experience
a
CertsCheck
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
CertsCheck
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
a
No in-app purchases
CertsCheck
- Premium (Monthly)7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Premium (Yearly)1 Month trial$19.991 Year
- Buy developer a coffee$1.99
