a vs Sekai
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.
Sekai
This social platform allows users to create, remix, and play interactive content like quizzes, memes, and mini-games. Users can instantly bring ideas to life, modify existing content, and discover an endless feed of community-created experiences to share with friends.
- Create interactive experiences instantly
- Remix existing content
- Infinite feed of community content
- Share with friends
- Build a user presence
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Don’t just watch content—play with it. Sekai is a social platform where ideas turn into fun, interactive experiences you can play and share. From personality quizzes and interactive memes to chaotic mini games and creative formats, everything is built for FUN. WHY YOU’LL LOVE SEKAI Create Instantly Got an idea? Bring it to life as a fun, interactive experience in seconds. Remix Anything See something you like? Remix it to change the vibe, swap characters, or make it your own. The Infinite Feed Scroll an endless stream of interactive experiences from the community. Discover new formats, viral moments, and unexpected ideas. Share With Friends Drop a link in your group chat and watch friends play, react, and compete. JOIN THE FUN Build your presence, share what you love, and be part of a new kind of interactive social experience. Download Sekai and start playing.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Sekai at free against a's paid. Sekai also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (26K vs 553). a's advantage is review sentiment (78% vs 68%). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sekai holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sekai has 26K ratings behind it against 553, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of a's written reviews are positive against 68% of Sekai's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
a ships an update monthly, Sekai every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | a | Sekai |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (553 ratings) | 4.8 (26K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 78.3% of reviews — better | 68.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 553 | 26K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #21 | #3 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.9 GB | 170 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Nicolas Holzschuch | Sekai |
Customer experience
a
Sekai
User reviews
a
From 553 App Store ratingsWhat 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
Sekai
From 26K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Awesome app for creating stories
- 👍 No in-app purchases
- 💡 Ability to create own characters and narratives
- 🚀 Entertaining and fluid storytelling
- 👍 Fun and creative experience
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and glitches
- 🐛 Dialogue/audio issues (repeating, not playing)
- 🐛 Slow loading times when continuing stories
- 🐛 Character/story issues after updates
- 🐛 Inconsistent character voice/appearance
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
Sekai
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes when searching for certain terms
- Issues with uploading custom character images
- Repeated audio/dialogue glitches
- Inconsistent character behavior across stories
Requested features
5 requests- Increase character limit for stories
- Add more character options and voices
- Improve character customization (poses, expressions)
- Add ability to reread previous dialogue
- Enhance story continuation experience
In-app purchases
a
No in-app purchases
Sekai
No in-app purchases
