# a vs 小码盒

The clearest difference is rating: a at 4.6 against 小码盒's 3.0. a also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (565 vs 2). 小码盒's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 78%). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 小码盒 sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. a asks for nothing beyond the download.

a holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a has 565 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of a's written reviews are positive against 100% of 小码盒's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

a ships an update monthly, 小码盒 every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | a | 小码盒 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (565 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell/id1473805438/reviews)** | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id6757125188/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **565** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 78.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | **#24** | — |
| Size | 2.1 GB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | +17 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nicolas Holzschuch](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450994948) | [Chongqing Yichen Cloud Network Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1679272039) |

## What reviewers say

### a

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

**Currently charting:** #24 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


### 小码盒

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id6757125188)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 月会员 | $1.99 | per month |
| 年会员 | $6.99 | per year |
| 永久会员 | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is a free?

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

### Is 小码盒 free?

小码盒 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, a or 小码盒?

a is rated higher. a averages 4.6 out of 5 from 565 ratings, while 小码盒 averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do a or 小码盒 have ads?

Neither a nor 小码盒 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, a or 小码盒?

a ships an update monthly, and 小码盒 every 6 weeks. Most recently, a was updated on October 29, 2026 and 小码盒 on October 28, 2026.

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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.*