Comparison

a vs RoqueOS

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

RoqueOS

A modern, web-based operating system designed for intuitive interaction across mobile, tablet, and desktop devices. It offers a powerful and simple ecosystem for digital platform engagement.

Highlights
  • Modern web-based operating system
  • Intuitive user interface
  • Cross-device compatibility (mobile, tablet, desktop)
  • Simple and fast ecosystem
  • Redefines digital platform interaction
Features
Read full description

RoqueOS is a modern web-based operating system designed to redefine how you interact with digital platforms on mobile, tablet, and desktop devices. Built with simplicity, speed, and innovation in mind, RoqueOS gives you a powerful ecosystem that feels intuitive from the very first tap.

Screenshots

a4 screens
RoqueOS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: RoqueOS at free against a's paid. RoqueOS also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 79%). a's advantage is ratings volume (553 vs 1) and chart position (#18 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RoqueOS 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 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of a's written reviews are positive against 100% of RoqueOS's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

a ships an update monthly, RoqueOS every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
a versus RoqueOS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteraRoqueOS
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (553 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings553 — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#18 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB21 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperNicolas HolzschuchRoque Ribeiro

Customer experience

a

All ratings553 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral4.5%
Negative7.4%
Written reviews294 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral10.2%
Negative11.2%

RoqueOS

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 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

RoqueOS

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

a

No in-app purchases

None

RoqueOS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is a free?
a is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RoqueOS free?
RoqueOS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, a or RoqueOS?
RoqueOS is rated higher. a averages 4.6 out of 5 from 553 ratings, while RoqueOS averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do a or RoqueOS have ads?
Neither a nor RoqueOS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, a or RoqueOS?
a ships an update monthly, and RoqueOS every 3 weeks. Most recently, a was updated on September 29, 2026 and RoqueOS on September 28, 2026.

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