# a vs TextNova

The clearest difference is price: a at Free against TextNova's $1.99. a also leads on chart position (#52 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). TextNova's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 78%) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 weeks). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

a is free to download; TextNova costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

a ships an update every 2 weeks, TextNova every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | a | TextNova |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| 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 | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#52** | — |
| Size | 373 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nicolas Holzschuch](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450994948) | [HWAN LEE](https://appshunter.io/developer/1867174500) |

## 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


### TextNova

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/textnova/id6759902048)

A powerful text transformation tool for developers, offering over 107 built-in transformers for encoding, decoding, formatting, and hashing text. It features on-device AI for text manipulation and a developer-friendly editor with advanced functionalities.

**Highlights:** 107+ text transformers, On-device AI for text manipulation, Developer-friendly editor, Bidirectional transforms, Command palette for quick access, Universal app for Mac, iPhone, iPad

**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 TextNova free?

TextNova costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do a or TextNova have ads?

Neither a nor TextNova shows ads.

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

a ships an update every 2 weeks, and TextNova every 6 days. Most recently, a was updated on September 29, 2026 and TextNova on September 21, 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.*