# a vs Test Passkeys

The clearest difference is update cadence: a at every 2 weeks against Test Passkeys's every 2 months. a also leads on chart position (#52 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

a ships an update every 2 weeks, Test Passkeys every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | a | Test Passkeys |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (120 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-shell-mini/id1543537943/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **120** | — |
| Positive reviews | 77.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | **#52** | — |
| Size | 373 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nicolas Holzschuch](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450994948) | [Nicolaas Celliers](https://appshunter.io/developer/1851221937) |

## What reviewers say

### a

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

**Currently charting:** #52 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


### Test Passkeys

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/test-passkeys/id6754980106)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is a free?

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

### Is Test Passkeys free?

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

### Do a or Test Passkeys have ads?

Neither a nor Test Passkeys shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, a or Test Passkeys?

a ships an update every 2 weeks, and Test Passkeys every 2 months. Most recently, a was updated on October 9, 2026 and Test Passkeys on October 5, 2026.

---

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