Comparison

a vs iPerf Pulse

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

iPerf Pulse

Measure raw network throughput between devices on your local network without internet servers. Diagnose Wi-Fi issues, benchmark routers, or verify Ethernet links with live charts and detailed historical data. Supports TCP and UDP testing.

Highlights
  • Client and Server modes
  • Bonjour discovery
  • TCP and UDP testing
  • Live real-time charts
  • Bidirectional testing
  • Configurable test parameters
  • Local test history
Features
Read full description

iPerf Pulse brings the industry-standard iperf3 network throughput tool to iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro wrapped in a fast, modern interface designed for everyday speed-testing on your local network. Whether you're diagnosing a Wi-Fi dead spot, benchmarking a new mesh router, or verifying the bandwidth of an Ethernet link, iPerf Pulse measures the real, raw throughput between two devices without relying on any internet speed-test server. KEY FEATURES • Client and Server modes - run a test against any iperf3 server, or turn your device into one so other devices can test against it. • Bonjour discovery - nearby iPerf Pulse servers appear automatically on your local network. No IP-typing required. • TCP and UDP - measure reliable throughput with TCP, or push UDP to test jitter and packet loss. • Live charts - watch bandwidth update in real time during the test. • Bidirectional - measure upload and download simultaneously. • Configurable - parallel streams, custom duration, MSS, window size, congestion control, DSCP, and more. • UDP rate control - unlimited by default, with an in-app field to cap the rate when you want to. • History - every test is saved locally with full interval data, so you can compare runs later. • Universal app - one purchase covers iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro. • Private by design - no analytics, no tracking, no accounts. The app never contacts any server you didn't choose. HOW TO USE 1. Run an iperf3 server somewhere on your network (another device with iPerf Pulse, or `iperf3 -s` on a Mac/Linux box). 2. Open iPerf Pulse, pick the server from the Bonjour list or enter its IP. 3. Tap Start. ABOUT IPERF3 iPerf Pulse embeds iperf3, the open-source network measurement tool maintained by ESnet and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. iperf3 is the same engine used by network engineers worldwide; iPerf Pulse exposes its full feature set behind a clean, touch-first UI. Distributed under the BSD 3-Clause license - see the About screen inside the app for the full notice. REQUIREMENTS iPerf Pulse is designed for the latest Apple operating systems and uses Local Network access to discover and connect to iperf3 servers. No internet connection is required for testing on your own network.

Screenshots

a4 screens
iPerf Pulse3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: iPerf Pulse at free against a's paid. iPerf Pulse also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 78%). a's advantage is chart position (#19 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
a versus iPerf Pulse: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteraiPerf Pulse
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (553 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings553 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#19 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Vision Pro
Requires iOS14.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB3 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNicolas HolzschuchDilan Paradis

Customer experience

a

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

iPerf Pulse

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

iPerf Pulse

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

a

No in-app purchases

None

iPerf Pulse

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is a free?
a is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is iPerf Pulse free?
iPerf Pulse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do a or iPerf Pulse have ads?
Neither a nor iPerf Pulse shows ads.

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