a vs FrameIt
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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.
FrameIt
Read full descriptionHide full description
Transform raw screenshots into high-converting, studio-quality App Store promotional graphics in seconds. FrameIt is built natively for iOS—giving you complete design freedom without clunky web editors or recurring monthly fees. WHY INDIE DEVELOPERS & DESIGNERS CHOOSE FRAMEIT • NO SUBSCRIPTIONS Say goodbye to $15/month SaaS tools. FrameIt offers a simple, honest lifetime access model. Pay once, own it forever. • 100% OFFLINE & PRIVATE All 3D spatial renders, gradient processing, and 4K exports happen directly on your iPhone. Your unreleased UI and confidential product designs never touch a cloud server. • STUNNING 3D SPATIAL LAYOUTS Break free from flat, boring mockups. Angle your screenshots with dynamic 3D tilt, depth angles, and peek layouts to instantly capture attention on the App Store. • FLOATING CALLOUT CARDS (POP-OUT EFFECT) Highlight core features effortlessly. Add floating detail cards, zoom inserts, or badge overlays that pop right off the device screen for maximum visual impact. • DYNAMIC BACKGROUNDS & CUSTOM CANVAS Choose from curated aesthetic gradients, organic glassmorphism blurs, or upload your own custom backdrop images to match your app's brand identity. • GRANULAR TYPOGRAPHY CONTROL Fine-tune main titles and subtitles with native color pickers, preset palettes, custom font sizes, text weight toggles, and drop-shadow depth controls. • INSTANT 4K EXPORTS Export pixel-perfect, ultra-high-resolution PNGs tailored exactly to Apple’s official 6.5" and 6.9" App Store display specifications. KEY FEATURES AT A GLANCE: - Official Apple device frames (iPhone & iPad) - 3D perspective, tilt, and peek spatial engines - Custom floating callout cards with depth shadow - Native color picker & curated gradient backdrops - Custom image backdrop support - Precision typography & text styling controls - Ultra-fast local 4K rendering engine Craft screenshots that convert views into downloads. Download FrameIt today!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: a at none against FrameIt's 1. a also leads on chart position (#35 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads 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
Both are free to download. FrameIt sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. a asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | a | FrameIt |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (123 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 123 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | #35 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 383 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nicolas Holzschuch | chee wen Lai |
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- Make Ubuntu default
- Add expansion of keys (e.g., echo {a..z})
- Adjustable font size
FrameIt
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
a
No in-app purchases
FrameIt
- FrameIt Pro$9.99







