# a vs Cron Lab

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: a at none against Cron Lab's 1. a also leads on ratings volume (553 vs 2) and chart position (#18 vs unranked). Cron Lab's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 78%). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cron Lab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. a asks for nothing beyond the download.

Cron Lab 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 2, 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 100% of Cron Lab's.

a ships an update monthly, Cron Lab fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | a | Cron Lab |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (553 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell/id1473805438/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cron-lab-crontab-editor/id6783486115/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **553** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 78.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#18** | — |
| Size | 1.9 GB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nicolas Holzschuch](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450994948) | [John Haas](https://appshunter.io/developer/356064826) |

## What reviewers say

### a

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

**Currently charting:** #18 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


### Cron Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cron-lab-crontab-editor/id6783486115)

Translate complex cron schedule expressions into plain English and visualize their meaning. Get insights into next run times, potential issues, and a visual builder for creating schedules. Offers offline functionality and privacy by design.

**Highlights:** Plain-English translation of cron expressions, Next run time previews, Visual cron schedule builder, Schedule error detection, Cron expression conversion, Offline functionality

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cron Lab Pro | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is a free?

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

### Is Cron Lab free?

Cron Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, a or Cron Lab?

Cron Lab is rated higher. a averages 4.6 out of 5 from 553 ratings, while Cron Lab averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do a or Cron Lab have ads?

Neither a nor Cron Lab shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, a or Cron Lab?

a ships an update monthly, and Cron Lab fortnightly. Most recently, a was updated on October 12, 2026 and Cron Lab on September 22, 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.*