Comparison

a vs TinyWalk

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

TinyWalk

Features
Read full description

TinyWalk is a developer utility for generating synthetic HealthKit test data on a real device. Building or QA-testing an app that reads step counts, walking distance, or workouts? Populating a test dataset by hand in the Health app is slow, and the iOS Simulator cannot reproduce device-only HealthKit behavior. TinyWalk writes well-formed sample data in one tap so you can exercise your read paths, charts, aggregation windows, and permission flows against realistic input. [What it writes] • HKQuantityTypeIdentifierStepCount — as one sample per write, or split into per-minute samples • HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDistanceWalkingRunning — derived at 0.75 m/step, and optional • HKWorkout (.walking) — wraps the per-minute samples in a single session, so your workout-reading code has something to parse [Features] • Seven dataset options: presets at 100, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 steps, plus a custom target — type any step count up to 100,000, or set a duration up to 4 hours and let it run until time is up. • Provenance control: write samples tagged HKMetadataKeyWasUserEntered (as the Health app does for hand-typed values) or untagged like device-recorded data. Most apps branch on this flag, so testing that branch needs both. • Back-dated generation: spread a dataset minute-by-minute across a past time range, so you can test how your app aggregates historical data without waiting in real time. • Live generation: write progressively over a countdown, to test how your app reacts to HealthKit data arriving while it runs. • Background continuation: a live run keeps writing after you switch apps or lock the screen, and notifies you when it finishes (requires iOS 26 or later). • Realistic variance: samples carry ±12% per-minute variation and a configurable cadence (walk / jog / run) so your charts and averages are tested against non-uniform input instead of a flat series. • Local log of every dataset written, so you can find and clean up what you generated. • No account required. Core data generation runs entirely on your device — with in-app feedback (Settings → Feedback) available if you choose to send a message or screenshot to our support channel. [Important] The data TinyWalk writes is synthetic. It is intended for developing and testing your own software. Do not use it to represent real activity, and do not use it in fitness challenges, insurance or workplace wellness programs, games, or any other context where step counts earn rewards. Samples written by TinyWalk can be deleted at any time from the Health app. [Pro Lifetime Unlock] The 100-step and 1,000-step presets are free. A single one-time purchase permanently unlocks the 2,000 / 3,000 / 5,000 / 10,000-step presets, custom step and duration targets, and background continuation, and removes daily generation limits. Privacy Policy: https://certaindaniel.github.io/en/tinywalk/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

a4 screens
TinyWalk4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: a at none against TinyWalk's shown. a also leads on chart position (#60 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). TinyWalk's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price and in-app purchases 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, TinyWalk weekly. Both last shipped on September 29, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
a versus TinyWalk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteraTinyWalk
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (120 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews77.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings120 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#60 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size373 MB5 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNicolas HolzschuchLu Cheng Wei

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

TinyWalk

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

a

No in-app purchases

None

TinyWalk

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is a free?
a is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is TinyWalk free?
TinyWalk is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do a or TinyWalk have ads?
TinyWalk shows ads; a does not.
Which is updated more often, a or TinyWalk?
a ships an update every 2 weeks, and TinyWalk weekly. Most recently, a was updated on September 29, 2026 and TinyWalk on September 29, 2026.

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