# a vs PL Analytics

The clearest difference is update cadence: PL Analytics at every 4 days against a's every 2 weeks. a's advantage is chart position (#56 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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, PL Analytics every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | a | PL Analytics |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 4 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | **#56** | — |
| Size | 373 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nicolas Holzschuch](https://appshunter.io/developer/1450994948) | [Luigi Caltarossa](https://appshunter.io/developer/922478504) |

## What reviewers say

### a

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

**Currently charting:** #56 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


### PL Analytics

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pl-analytics/id6771689073)

**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 PL Analytics free?

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

### Do a or PL Analytics have ads?

Neither a nor PL Analytics shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, a or PL Analytics?

a ships an update every 2 weeks, and PL Analytics every 4 days. Most recently, a was updated on September 29, 2026 and PL Analytics on September 19, 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.*