# a vs Proxyman

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: a at none against Proxyman's 5. a also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). Proxyman's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.6) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Proxyman sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. a asks for nothing beyond the download.

Proxyman holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Proxyman has 799 ratings behind it against 119, 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 81% of Proxyman's.

a ships an update every 2 weeks, Proxyman every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | a | Proxyman |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (119 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell-mini/id1543537943/reviews) | **[4.8 (799 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/proxyman-capture-https/id1551292695/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 119 | **799** |
| Positive reviews | 77.8% of reviews | **80.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | #58 | **#8** |
| Size | 373 MB | 71 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nicolas Holzschuch](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450994948) | [Proxyman LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1677092874) |

## What reviewers say

### a

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell-mini/id1543537943)

**Currently charting:** #58 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

Run Unix commands locally on your iOS device with a powerful terminal emulator. Supports file transfer, editing, scripting with Python and Lua, and network utilities. Integrates with Shortcuts and supports multiple windows for multitasking.

**Highlights:** Local Unix terminal emulator, SSH client, File transfer (scp, curl), Text editing (vim, ed), Scripting (Python, Lua, JavaScript), Network utilities (nslookup, ping), Shortcuts integration, Multi-window support

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app for shortcuts
- 🚀 Efficient and functional
- 💡 Useful for IT tasks
- ✨ Free and awesome
- 💻 Good for remote server connection

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Font size not adjustable
- 🐛 Keyboard icons too large
- 🐛 App deletes itself
- 🐛 Rotating screen scrambles display
- 🐛 Pasting text shows strange characters

**Reported bugs**

- Keyboard icons comically large
- App deletes itself
- Rotating iPhone/iPad scrambles display
- Pasting text results in strange characters
- App only uses half of the screen when editing files

**Requested features**

- Option to use old keyboard buttons
- Add openssl support
- Add libx265 codec for ffmpeg
- Support telnet command
- Add possibility to compile from source


### Proxyman

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/proxyman-capture-https/id1551292695)

**Currently charting:** #8 Top Grossing · Developer Tools, #60 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

This app acts as a web debugging proxy, allowing you to capture and inspect HTTP/HTTPS traffic directly from your iPhone or iPad. It decrypts requests and responses, offers advanced debugging tools, and ensures your sensitive data remains on your device.

**Highlights:** Capture & Inspect HTTP/HTTPS from iOS devices, Decrypt and view requests/responses, JSON syntax highlighting, Quick filtering by URL, header, body, Advanced debugging tools (SSL Proxying, Block List), Secure with FaceID/TouchID/Passcode

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly Subscription | $8.99 | per month |
| PROJECT PASS Quarterly Subscription | $19.99 | per 3 months |
| Premium Annual Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Proxyman Lifetime with Black Friday | $69.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Access | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Powerful networking tools
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
- 💡 Helpful for debugging and development
- 🤖 Great for reverse engineering APIs

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive premium version
- 🔋 High data usage reported by some users
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🤖 Confusing user experience for free version

**Reported bugs**

- Breakpoint functionality not working properly
- Losing session state when relaunching the app
- Incompatibility issues with certain apps and websites
- Crashes when trying to view large response bodies

**Requested features**

- Add support for Simplified Chinese
- Implement scripting capabilities like the desktop version
- Improve handling of WebSocket and MQTT traffic
- Allow grouping of related requests
- Add an option to change DNS settings within the app


## Frequently asked questions

### Is a free?

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

### Is Proxyman free?

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

### Which has better reviews, a or Proxyman?

Proxyman is rated higher. a averages 4.6 out of 5 from 119 ratings, while Proxyman averages 4.8 from 799 ratings.

### Do a or Proxyman have ads?

Neither a nor Proxyman shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, a or Proxyman?

a ships an update every 2 weeks, and Proxyman every 8 days. Most recently, a was updated on September 21, 2026 and Proxyman on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, a or Proxyman?

a currently peaks at #58 in the App Store charts, and Proxyman at #8. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*