Comparison

a vs Supanator

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, transfer files, and edit them. It supports programming languages like Python and JavaScript, along with network utilities and image/video conversion tools.

Highlights
  • Local Unix terminal emulator
  • File transfer (scp, curl)
  • Text editing (vim, ed)
  • Programming languages (Python, Lua, JavaScript)
  • Network utilities (nslookup, ping)
  • Image and video conversion (ffmpeg)
  • Shortcuts integration
Features
Read full description

a-Shell mini is a complete local terminal emulator, allowing to run most Unix commands on you iOS device. You can transfer files using scp and curl, edit them with vim and ed, process them using grep, awk and sed. Work with git repositories using lg2. Most commands are compiled for iOS native Arm64 format, making them fast and well integrated with iOS underlying BSD Unix. a-Shell mini includes Python, Lua, JavaScript and webAssembly for programming and scripting. It also includes native ffmpeg and convert for fast image and video conversion. 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 mini 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 mini uses iPadOS 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. a-Shell mini is a minimalist terminal, designed to have a very small footprint (less than 250 MB). If you need more commands, please consider a-Shell, which has more Python packages, more JavaScript modules, Perl, make, a C and C++ compiler and TeX.

About

Supanator

Manage Supabase projects on the go with a native iOS client. Browse data, run SQL, monitor health, and manage storage, auth, and functions. Includes an AI assistant for SQL and schema design.

Highlights
  • Database browsing and editing
  • SQL editor and query builder
  • AI-powered SQL and schema assistance
  • Realtime monitoring and push notifications
  • Storage management
  • Auth and security monitoring
  • Edge function and API management
Features
Read full description

Supanator is a native Supabase client for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Browse tables, run SQL on your PostgreSQL database, monitor every project and get a push notification the moment something goes down. DATABASE MANAGEMENT Browse schemas, tables and columns. View, add, edit and delete rows with an editor that understands data types and constraints. Explore table relationships in an interactive diagram and manage Row Level Security policies to keep your data secure. SQL EDITOR & QUERY BUILDER Run SQL directly against your database, from simple reads to complex updates. Save snippets, export results to CSV and get a warning before destructive operations. Prefer a visual approach? Use the built-in query builder instead of writing raw SQL. AGENTIC AI Get help writing SQL, designing schemas and creating RLS policies. The AI assistant understands your project structure and gives suggestions based on your actual database. REALTIME & MONITORING Watch live inserts, updates and deletes from your tables in real time. Track project health, database activity, API usage, CPU, memory, connections and logs. Review security and performance advisors. PUSH NOTIFICATIONS Get an alert when your project goes down, recovers or reports an unhealthy status. Choose which categories notify you: project health, database, auth, edge functions and storage. Monitoring runs on our servers, so alerts arrive even when the app is closed. STORAGE MANAGEMENT Browse buckets and folders, upload files from Files or Photos, preview images, PDFs and videos, and manage bucket permissions. AUTH & SECURITY Monitor users, manage identity settings and configure OAuth providers. View roles and privileges, and sign in with OAuth or a management token. Credentials are stored in the Keychain, with optional Face ID or Touch ID protection. SELF-HOSTED SUPPORT Connect to self-hosted Supabase alongside Supabase Cloud or instead of it. Works with the official Docker setup, Kubernetes, the Supabase CLI and custom Postgres. Advanced settings cover reverse proxies, self-signed certificates and basic auth. Your data stays where it is. EDGE FUNCTIONS, APIS & MORE Manage edge functions, secrets and environment variables. Browse triggers and database functions, read generated REST API docs with cURL and Swift examples, manage API keys and access backups with point-in-time recovery. APPLE WATCH Follow requests, auth, storage, database size and edge function invocations from your wrist. Browse tables and switch accounts, with offline caching. BUILT FOR IPHONE, IPHONE DUO, IPAD AND APPLE WATCH Adaptive layouts use the full inner display on iPhone Duo and the big screen on iPad. Add Home Screen widgets, customize dashboards and switch between projects and accounts in a tap. FREE FEATURES • Browse database tables, storage and edge functions • SQL editor • API keys • Analytics and project health • Project advisors and SSL enforcement • Widgets SUPANATOR PRO • Multiple accounts (up to 5) • Create tables, add, edit and delete rows • SQL snippets, logs and advanced analytics • AI assistant and SQL generator • Query builder • Create and invite auth users • Create storage buckets and upload files • Management API access • Realtime monitoring • Auth users and RLS policy management Supanator is an unofficial client and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Supabase Inc. An existing Supabase account or self-hosted environment is required. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://supanator.com/privacy.txt Production Agreement: https://supanator.com/production-agreement.txt

Screenshots

a4 screens
Supanator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: a at 78% against Supanator's 33%. a also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (123 vs 23). Supanator's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.6) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, ads, chart position 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. Supanator sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. a asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Supanator holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a has 123 ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of a's written reviews are positive against 33% of Supanator's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

a ships an update monthly, Supanator every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
a versus Supanator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteraSupanator
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (123 ratings)4.8 (23 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.0% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings123 — better23
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#30#27 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.5
Further details — not scored
Size383 MB56 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNicolas HolzschuchLayton Labs AB

Customer experience

a

All ratings123 ratings
Positive90.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative7.3%
Written reviews91 reviews
Positive78.0%
Neutral5.5%
Negative16.5%

Supanator

All ratings23 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Bugs and requests

a

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • 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
Show 7 more
  • Command not found errors for all commands
  • App crashes on launch after update
  • Cannot get own absolute path
  • Cannot execute own programs
  • App messes up .txt file association
  • Trouble selecting characters to copy and paste
  • No module named requests in shortcuts

Requested features

8 requests
  • Option to use old keyboard buttons
  • Add openssl support
  • Add libx265 codec for ffmpeg
  • Support telnet command
  • Add possibility to compile from source
Show 3 more
  • Make Ubuntu default
  • Add expansion of keys (e.g., echo {a..z})
  • Adjustable font size

Supanator

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

a

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Supanator

Subscriptions3
  • Supanator Pro (1 month)$2.991 Month
  • Supanator Pro (6 months)$19.996 Months
  • Supanator Pro (12 months)7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is a free?
a is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Supanator free?
Supanator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, a or Supanator?
Supanator is rated higher. a averages 4.6 out of 5 from 123 ratings, while Supanator averages 4.8 from 23 ratings.
Do a or Supanator have ads?
Neither a nor Supanator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, a or Supanator?
a ships an update monthly, and Supanator every 2 weeks. Most recently, a was updated on November 3, 2026 and Supanator on October 30, 2026.
Which is more popular, a or Supanator?
a currently peaks at #30 in the App Store charts, and Supanator at #27. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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