Comparison

a vs MTD SafeBrowsing Tester

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

a

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
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

MTD SafeBrowsing Tester

Features
Read full description

MTD SafeBrowsing Tester is a lightweight diagnostic tool that evaluates how a mobile device responds when accessing different web URLs. The app performs standard HTTPS requests using Apple's networking APIs and records the outcome of each request. This allows developers, IT administrators, and security professionals to better understand how network policies and mobile security solutions respond to different types of URLs. Key Features • Test batches of URLs using standard HTTPS requests • View results showing Allowed, Blocked, or Error outcomes • Monitor response timing and request status • Simple dashboard with scan statistics and recent results • Export test results for analysis or documentation How It Works The application performs normal HTTPS requests using Apple’s URLSession networking framework and records the connection result. No traffic interception, packet capture, or network manipulation occurs. Privacy MTD SafeBrowsing Tester does not collect, store, or transmit personal data. All testing results remain on the device during the active session and are cleared when the app closes. Intended Use This tool is designed for security testing, network diagnostics, and demonstration purposes.

Screenshots

a4 screens
MTD SafeBrowsing Tester3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: a at every 2 weeks against MTD SafeBrowsing Tester's every 5 months. a also leads on chart position (#53 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

a ships an update every 2 weeks, MTD SafeBrowsing Tester every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
a versus MTD SafeBrowsing Tester: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteraMTD SafeBrowsing Tester
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (120 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews77.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings120 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#53 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size373 MB3 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNicolas HolzschuchFrank Srp

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

MTD SafeBrowsing Tester

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

a

No in-app purchases

None

MTD SafeBrowsing Tester

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is a free?
a is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MTD SafeBrowsing Tester free?
MTD SafeBrowsing Tester is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do a or MTD SafeBrowsing Tester have ads?
Neither a nor MTD SafeBrowsing Tester shows ads.
Which is updated more often, a or MTD SafeBrowsing Tester?
a ships an update every 2 weeks, and MTD SafeBrowsing Tester every 5 months. Most recently, a was updated on October 14, 2026 and MTD SafeBrowsing Tester on September 30, 2026.

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