Comparison

a vs NotifyHub

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

NotifyHub

Easily send various types of push notifications to your users without complex server setups. Craft custom messages and target specific devices with a simple, direct approach. Ideal for developers who want a straightforward notification solution.

Highlights
  • Send alerts, live activity updates, and background notifications
  • Supports location and VOIP notifications
  • Easy APNS Key setup
  • Customize notification messages
  • Target specific device tokens
  • No server or complex setup required
Features
Read full description

Notify Hub: Your Push Notification Power-Up Send All Sorts of Notifications: Alerts, Live Activity Updates, Background Buzzes, Complication Quirks, File Provider Fiestas, Location Shouts, and even VOIP Vibes—all in one place! - Easy as Pie: Set your APNS Key (Don't worry, it's just a fancy term for the secret code to talk to Apple's notification system). - Craft Your Message: Think of it like writing a text—just a tad more official! Customize what you want to say in your notification. - Target Locked: Pop in the device token (aka the secret handshake between your app and your user's device). - Blast Off: Hit send and watch the magic happen—your notification flies straight to your users' screens! No servers, no complex setups—just simple, direct communication without needing a PhD in coding! Because let's face it, who needs more complexity? Give Notify Hub a whirl and make sending notifications as easy as ordering pizza online (but with fewer toppings to choose from!).

Screenshots

a4 screens
NotifyHub4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: a at Free against NotifyHub's $14.99. a also leads on chart position (#18 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). NotifyHub's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 78%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

a is free to download; NotifyHub costs $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
a versus NotifyHub: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteraNotifyHub
PriceFree — better$14.99
Rating4.6 (553 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings553 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#18 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB10 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNicolas HolzschuchAmit Samant

Customer experience

a

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

NotifyHub

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

NotifyHub

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

a

No in-app purchases

None

NotifyHub

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is a free?
a is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NotifyHub free?
NotifyHub costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do a or NotifyHub have ads?
Neither a nor NotifyHub shows ads.

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