# a vs Tasks.md

The clearest difference is review sentiment: a at 78% against Tasks.md's 0%. a also leads on price (Free vs $2.99) and update cadence (monthly vs every 12 months). Tasks.md's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

a is free to download; Tasks.md costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Tasks.md holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a has 123 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of a's written reviews are positive against 0% of Tasks.md's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

a ships an update monthly, Tasks.md every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | a | Tasks.md |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | [4.6 (123 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell-mini/id1543537943/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tasksmd/id6753879372/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **123** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **78.0% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 12 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#31** | — |
| Size | 383 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nicolas Holzschuch](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450994948) | [Mason Earl](https://appshunter.io/developer/1138029742) |

## What reviewers say

### a

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

**Currently charting:** #31 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

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:** 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


### Tasks.md

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tasksmd/id6753879372)

Manage your to-do list using plain text markdown files. This app offers smart task management, organization by categories and tags, and recurring task support. It emphasizes data ownership and privacy, with no subscriptions or ads.

**Highlights:** Markdown file integration, Smart task management, Customizable categories and tags, Recurring tasks, iCloud sync, Native iOS and macOS apps, Privacy-focused, no tracking

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is a free?

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

### Is Tasks.md free?

Tasks.md costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, a or Tasks.md?

Tasks.md is rated higher. a averages 4.6 out of 5 from 123 ratings, while Tasks.md averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do a or Tasks.md have ads?

Neither a nor Tasks.md shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, a or Tasks.md?

a ships an update monthly, and Tasks.md every 12 months. Most recently, a was updated on November 3, 2026 and Tasks.md on October 30, 2026.

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