Comparison

a vs Rowden

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

Rowden

Read full description

Rowden puts your Postgres and Supabase projects in your pocket. Browse and edit tables, inspect rows, check auth users, manage storage buckets, run SQL and watch analytics — from iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Vision Pro. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Browse tables and rows in fast native lists • Edit and insert rows inline (Premium) • Run any SQL in a full editor (Premium) • View auth users and their metadata • Manage storage buckets and upload files (Premium) • See project analytics at a glance • Connect multiple projects (Premium) • Home Screen widgets for key metrics (Premium) SECURE BY DESIGN Your keys stay in the device Keychain. Rowden talks straight to your project API — no middle server, no telemetry on your data. FREE VS PREMIUM Free: connect 1 project, read-only browsing. Premium unlocks: • Multiple projects • Write and edit rows • Full SQL editor • Storage upload • Home Screen widgets Pricing: Monthly $4.99 · Annual $29.99 (7-day free trial) · Lifetime $79.99. Prices may vary by region. Unofficial client. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Supabase. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://lastoneparis.github.io/rowden-site/privacy.html

Screenshots

a4 screens
Rowden3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: a at none against Rowden's 3. a also leads on chart position (#18 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). Rowden's advantage is device support (5 vs 3). On price, update cadence and ads 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. Rowden sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. a asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

a ships an update monthly, Rowden every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
a versus Rowden: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteraRowden
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (553 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings553 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#18 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB5 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNicolas HolzschuchHUGO ANATOLE PAUL MORICEAU

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

Rowden

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

a

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Rowden

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Premium Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$79.99

Questions

Is a free?
a is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Rowden free?
Rowden is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do a or Rowden have ads?
Neither a nor Rowden shows ads.
Which is updated more often, a or Rowden?
a ships an update monthly, and Rowden every 6 weeks. Most recently, a was updated on October 4, 2026 and Rowden on October 1, 2026.

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