# Runestone Text Editor — Edit plain text and code

> Powerful plain text and code editor for iOS with advanced features. (iPhone/iPad app by Simon B. Støvring.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/runestone-text-editor/id1548193893 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Simon B. Støvring](https://appshunter.io/developer/423532907)
- Category: Developer Tools
- Price: Free with in-app purchases (on sale, was $4.99)
- Rating: 4.70/5 from 1,894 App Store ratings · 341 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 64 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2022-05-05
- Data updated: 2026-08-26
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/runestone-text-editor/id1548193893/reviews.md

## What is Runestone Text Editor?

A plain text editor with syntax highlighting, line numbers, search and replace, page guide, and much more. It's like TextEdit but more powerful and optimised for iPhone and iPad.

Runestone is made by a single person with a love for text editors and a vision of building the most lightweight text editor for iPhone and iPad that still has the core features for editing code.

Features:
- Syntax highlighting of many languages including HTML, JavaScript, JSON, Markdown, Swift, Python, PHP, YAML, and many more.
- Select one of the twelve standard themes including popular themes like Tomorrow, Dracula, Solarized, and One Dark Pro.
- Innovative find and replace for searching and modifying text while still viewing your file.
- Choose font and font size, including support for custom fonts imported using another third-party app.
- Show the line and column the cursor is located on.
- Uses the standard document browser for an experience similar to the Files app.
- Quickly navigate to a specific line.
- Automatically close opening brackets and quotes.
- Multiple windows on the iPad.
- Format code using Prettier.js. Supported languages include CSS,HTML, JavaScript, JSON, PHP and more.
- Choose text encoding between popular encodings like UTF-8, UTF-16, ISO Latin 1, and many more.
- Enable or disable autocorrection, autocapitalization, and smart punctuation.
- Set default file extension of new files.
- Open files in Runestone from the Share Sheet.
- Print documents.

Premium features:
- Choose between eight app icons.
- Show line numbers.
- Highlight the selected line.
- Increase line height and letter spacing.
- Disable line wrapping to allow horizontal scrolling.
- Show tabs, spaces, and line breaks using a selected symbol.
- Enable page guide at a specific column to easily tell when lines are getting too long.
- Add vertical and horizontal overscroll.
- Remember the selected language per file.
- Save file extensions and filenames that should always be treated as plain text files.
- Enable soft tabs and choose the width of the tab character.
- Specify whether pressing the tab key should insert a tab or indent the line.
- Adjust the scaling of Markdown headings and disable highlighting of code blocks in Markdown.

Runestone was built on the open-source framework with the same name. Find more information on the Runestone framework at github.com/simonbs/runestone

## Key features

- Syntax highlighting for many languages
- Customizable themes and fonts
- Advanced find and replace
- Line numbers and cursor location
- Code formatting with Prettier.js
- Multiple windows on iPad

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $9.99 | one-time |


## Chart rankings

- #44 in Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)
- #24 in Top Grossing · Developer Tools (US App Store)

## What do users think of Runestone Text Editor?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 💎 Excellent text editor
- 🚀 Smooth and responsive
- 🎨 Customizable themes and appearance
- 🔒 Secure file storage and sync
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 💰 Good value for premium version
- 🤖 Helpful developer

**Cons**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🔍 Difficulty navigating files/folders
- 📝 Limited functionality without premium
- 🔌 Performance issues on older devices
- 🔒 Difficulty accessing files in cloud storage

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Disappearing files
- Difficulty pasting text
- Scroll position not saved
- Hangs on startup
- Trouble opening large files
- Issues after iOS updates

**Most requested features**

- Markdown preview
- Code folding
- Syntax highlighting for more languages
- Ability to run/execute code
- Multiple file/window support
- Improved undo/redo functionality

## Recent user reviews (10 of 341)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/runestone-text-editor/id1548193893/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Best Text Editor Around

*2026-08-16, version 1.6.1*

This app is such a bargain. You get a really good editor for free, or, even better, the perfect editor for just a few bucks. If there were a Mac version, it would be my default editor alongside vim. This app offers syntax highlighting for every file format I could ever need, even including LaTeX. And the interface, including the file browser, is clean and simple. I wish I had found this app earlier.

### 5/5 — I love this app

*2026-07-24, version 1.6.1*

I have fallen in love with this app. It is my go-to text app for writing. 

I do have one feature on my wish list: word count. 

Can you please add a word count option on the status line? That would take this app over the top for writers. 

Please?

### 5/5 — Simple and clean

*2026-07-04, version 1.6.1*

I like the simplicity of the app. Would it be possible to add a preview view for html or markdown?  Let know if it’s in premium purchase and I’ll get it asap.

### 1/5 — Asked me to rate.

*2026-07-03, version 1.6.1*

Title

### 5/5 — Fun to learn

*2026-06-26, version 1.6.1*

Works fast and you don’t get stuck on a tor browser in another language

### 2/5 — too much money

*2026-06-25, version 1.6.1*

every basic feature require premium which is so expensive.

bütün temel özellikler için premium lazım ve çok da pahalı

### 5/5 — Saved my family

*2026-06-25, version 1.6.1*

huge help back in ‘21. thank you Runestone!

### 4/5 — Good app, needs code preview

*2026-06-20, version 1.6.1*

I use Runestone to view and edit code, and to view plain text documents. When it comes to code, the feature set is ok. I subscribed to premium. I appreciate the one time purchase as opposed to subscription. The only feature I really want that isn’t included is a preview of the code. A side-by-side view, code/preview, would be awesome.

### 2/5 — Linebreaks copy paste bug

*2026-06-09, version 1.6.1*

Editor is inserting 7 additional linebreaks for each linebreak when copy pasting a section that includes linebreaks, needs fix. Also the app is very unstable(it became more so recently?), editing existing text almost always crashes the app if it involves multiple lines at once or is done too fast. Great design but leaves much to be desired in stability

### 5/5 — Amazing!

*2026-06-01, version 1.6.1*

Great app and highly recomended. Thank you for making this app! One of the first coding apps I found that works offline, and dose not require you to pay for anything important, and works fin. The only issue i found is that copy, past, and cut do not work geat. PLS fix.

## Frequently asked questions about Runestone Text Editor

### What does Runestone Text Editor do?

Runestone Text Editor is a powerful plain text and code editor designed for iPhone and iPad. It provides features like syntax highlighting for numerous programming languages, line numbers, advanced search and replace, and extensive customization options to enhance the editing experience for both code and plain text.

### What are the key features of Runestone Text Editor?

Key features include syntax highlighting for over a dozen languages, a selection of twelve themes, innovative find and replace functionality, customizable fonts and sizes, line and column cursor indicators, and the ability to use multiple windows on iPad. It also supports code formatting with Prettier.js and various text encodings.

### Is Runestone Text Editor free to use?

The app is free to download and use with many core features. However, it offers premium features that can be unlocked through in-app purchases. These premium features include options like choosing custom app icons, showing line numbers, highlighting selected lines, and disabling line wrapping.

### What devices is Runestone Text Editor compatible with?

Runestone Text Editor is optimized for iPhone and iPad. It leverages iOS features such as the standard document browser, similar to the Files app, and supports multiple windows on iPad for a more productive workflow.

### Who would benefit from using Runestone Text Editor?

This app is ideal for developers who need a robust code editor on their mobile devices, writers who prefer a distraction-free plain text environment, and anyone looking for a more powerful alternative to basic text editors. Its extensive customization and feature set cater to a wide range of text editing needs.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.6.1 — 2025-09-15

Fixes an issue where the "Always Open" option in the Unsupported File Type dialog would be disabled even after purchasing Premium.

### 1.6 — 2025-09-10

Brings a fresh new design for devices on the latest iOS and iPadOS and keeps the app running smoothly.

### 1.5.2 — 2024-10-01

Replaces the Tintable app icon with a Dynamic app icon. The new Dynamic app icon adjusts accordingly to match the appearance of your Home Screen.

### 1.5.1 — 2024-09-30

Fixes a performance issue introduced in the document browser in version 1.5.

### 1.5.0 — 2024-09-27

- Introduces a new launch experience for iOS 18.
- Enables quick access to creating temporary files from the new launch experience.
- Adds the Tintable app icon, suitable for tinting on the Home Screen on iOS 18.

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## More apps by Simon B. Støvring

- [Sticky Draw](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sticky-draw/id1153364367)
- [Scriptable](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scriptable/id1405459188)
- [Jayson](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jayson/id1447750768)
- [Data Jar](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/data-jar/id1453273600)
- [Re: Toot](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/re-toot/id1661697436)

All apps by Simon B. Støvring: https://appshunter.io/developer/423532907

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*