Comparison

a vs SSH Easy Terminal

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

a

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
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

SSH Easy Terminal

Features
Read full description

SSH Easy Terminal is a fast, native SSH client for people who manage their own servers and are tired of renting their tools. 3-DAY FREE TRIAL, THEN MONTHLY Start with a 3-day free trial. After that it continues as a monthly subscription. Every feature — including the on-device AI copilot — is included, and you can cancel anytime. AN AI COPILOT THAT STAYS ON YOUR PHONE Explain a command, or describe what you want and get a command to run — powered by Apple's on-device models. Nothing is sent to a server. It works offline, with no inference cost and no account. A built-in guard flags destructive commands before you run them. (Requires an Apple Intelligence device; the SSH client works fully without it.) PRIVATE BY CONSTRUCTION Private keys are generated and stored in the iOS Keychain and never leave your device. No telemetry, no analytics SDKs, no cloud. The only network activity is the SSH connections you start. BUILT FOR REAL TERMINAL WORK - Full VT100/xterm terminal with vim, htop, and tmux support - Keyboard accessory bar: Esc, Ctrl, Tab, arrows, pipe, function keys - Ed25519 and ECDSA keys — generate on device or import your OpenSSH keys - Host-key verification with trust-on-first-use and a clear warning if a key changes - SFTP file browser: upload, download, rename, delete - Command snippets, jump host (ProxyJump), and optional Face ID lock - Themes, adjustable font size, and scrollback Localized in 19 languages. Universal — iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

a4 screens
SSH Easy Terminal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SSH Easy Terminal at every 2 days against a's monthly. a's advantage is chart position (#20 vs #199) and iOS requirement (15.0 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

a ships an update monthly, SSH Easy Terminal every 2 days. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
a versus SSH Easy Terminal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteraSSH Easy Terminal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (570 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews78.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings570 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank#20 — better#199
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size2.1 GB10 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNicolas HolzschuchKaan Taskiner

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

SSH Easy Terminal

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

a

No in-app purchases

None

SSH Easy Terminal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is a free?
a is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SSH Easy Terminal free?
SSH Easy Terminal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do a or SSH Easy Terminal have ads?
Neither a nor SSH Easy Terminal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, a or SSH Easy Terminal?
a ships an update monthly, and SSH Easy Terminal every 2 days. Most recently, a was updated on November 10, 2026 and SSH Easy Terminal on November 10, 2026.
Which is more popular, a or SSH Easy Terminal?
a currently peaks at #20 in the App Store charts, and SSH Easy Terminal at #199. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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