# a vs SSH App

The clearest difference is ratings volume: a at 575 against SSH App's 4. a also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and chart position (#25 vs unranked). SSH App's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

a holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a has 575 ratings behind it against 4, 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 75% of SSH App's.

a ships an update monthly, SSH App weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | a | SSH App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (575 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell/id1473805438/reviews)** | [4.3 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ssh-app/id6785688380/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **575** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **78.4% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#25** | — |
| Size | 2.1 GB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nicolas Holzschuch](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450994948) | [Clarified Labs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1864433280) |

## What reviewers say

### a

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

**Currently charting:** #25 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

This app provides a local Unix terminal emulator for iOS devices, enabling users to run various Unix commands, edit files, and process data. It includes support for multiple programming languages and network utilities, with integration for iOS Shortcuts and multi-window functionality.

**Highlights:** Local Unix terminal emulator, Run Unix commands, File transfer (scp, curl), Text editing (vim, ed), Programming languages (Python, Lua, C), Network utilities (ping, nslookup), iOS Shortcuts integration

**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


### SSH App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ssh-app/id6785688380)

This open-source application provides a straightforward way to connect to SSH servers. It includes support for `tmux -CC` for enhanced terminal session management.

**Highlights:** Open source, SSH client, tmux -CC support, Simple interface

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is a free?

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

### Is SSH App free?

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

### Which has better reviews, a or SSH App?

a is rated higher. a averages 4.6 out of 5 from 575 ratings, while SSH App averages 4.3 from 4 ratings.

### Do a or SSH App have ads?

Neither a nor SSH App shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, a or SSH App?

a ships an update monthly, and SSH App weekly. Most recently, a was updated on November 11, 2026 and SSH App on October 31, 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.*