a vs Advanced JSON Viewer
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.
Advanced JSON Viewer
This tool enhances JSON data viewing and editing within Safari and on your device. It offers beautiful formatting, syntax highlighting, and an interactive editor for efficient JSON management.
- Open and save JSON files
- Beautiful JSON formatting
- Syntax highlighting
- Interactive editor
- Light & dark modes
- Error detection
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Advanced JSON Viewer transforms raw JSON data into an elegant, interactive viewing experience right in Safari and now supports opening and saving JSON files directly from your device. Key Features: • Open JSON Files: Open and view JSON files from your device with powerful formatting • Save JSON Files: Edit and save your JSON data directly to your device • Beautiful JSON Formatting: Instantly transforms unformatted JSON into a clean, readable format • Syntax Highlighting: Makes JSON structure easily readable with color-coded elements • Light & Dark Modes: Automatically switches between themes based on your system preferences • Customizable Themes: Choose from a wide selection of professional color schemes • Interactive Editor: Edit JSON directly in the browser with the powerful Ace editor • Settings Toolbar: Quick access to all viewing preferences in one convenient panel • Adjustable Settings: Customize font size, tab width, and other viewing preferences • Invisible Characters: Option to display invisible characters for precise editing • Fast & Efficient: Works instantly on any JSON page or file without slowing down your experience • Error Detection: Highlights JSON syntax errors as you type • Toggle Views: Switch between raw and formatted views with a single click Perfect for developers, QA engineers, API testers, and anyone who works with JSON data. Advanced JSON Viewer makes reading, editing, and saving JSON in Safari and local files a delightful experience. Built with attention to detail and performance, this app seamlessly enhances your JSON workflow whether you're browsing API responses online or examining and editing local configuration files. Available as a universal purchase - buy once and use it on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: a at Free against Advanced JSON Viewer's $1.99. a also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.3) and review sentiment (78% vs 40%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
a is free to download; Advanced JSON Viewer costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
a holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a has 553 ratings behind it against 3, 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 40% of Advanced JSON Viewer's.
a ships an update monthly, Advanced JSON Viewer every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | a | Advanced JSON Viewer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (553 ratings) — better | 3.3 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 78.3% of reviews — better | 40.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 553 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #17 — better | #190 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.9 GB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nicolas Holzschuch | Acrogenesis LLC |
Customer experience
a
Advanced JSON Viewer
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
Advanced JSON Viewer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
a
No in-app purchases
Advanced JSON Viewer
No in-app purchases









