a vs Rowden
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Rowden
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Rowden sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. a asks for nothing beyond the download.
a ships an update monthly, Rowden every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | a | Rowden |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (553 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 553 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | #18 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.9 GB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nicolas Holzschuch | HUGO 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
a
No in-app purchases
Rowden
- Premium Monthly$4.991 Month
- Premium Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Premium Lifetime$79.99









