Textastic Code Editor vs Jayson
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Textastic Code Editor
A powerful text and code editor for mobile devices, offering syntax highlighting for over 80 languages, code completion, and formatting tools. It allows connection to various servers and cloud storage for seamless file management and editing.
- Syntax highlighting for 80+ languages
- SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, and Dropbox client
- Built-in SSH terminal
- Code completion and formatting
- External keyboard and trackpad support
- Split View and Slide Over multitasking
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Textastic is a comprehensive and versatile text and code editor for iPad and iPhone. It supports syntax highlighting for more than 80 programming and markup languages. Connect to SFTP, FTP, and WebDAV servers or to your Dropbox account. Use the built-in SSH terminal to work directly on your server. Features: - Syntax highlighting for more than 80 languages, including HTML, JavaScript, CSS, C++, Swift, Objective-C, Rust, XML, Markdown, PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, Lua, YAML, JSON, SQL, shell scripts, and many more (full list available on the website) - Compatible with Sublime Text 3 and TextMate 1 syntax definitions and themes - Code completion for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, C, Objective-C, and PHP - SFTP (SSH), FTP, FTPS (FTP over SSL), WebDAV, and Dropbox clients - SSH terminal connections - Code formatter for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and JSON - Git repositories from the Git client app Working Copy can be opened as external folders in Textastic - Emmet support - JavaScript console - iCloud Drive file synchronization - WebDAV server for easy file transfer between Textastic and your Mac or PC over Wi-Fi - Symbol list for quick navigation within a file - Full support for external keyboards, trackpads, and mice - Configurable keyboard shortcuts - Additional keys above the virtual keyboard for frequently used programming characters - Cursor navigation wheel for easy text selection - Move the cursor using swipe gestures - Split View and Slide Over multitasking on iPad - Open multiple files in tabs - Multiple windows on iPadOS - Dark Mode support - Support for common text encodings such as UTF-8, UTF-16, and ISO-8859-1 - Support for different tab widths and soft tabs (spaces instead of tabs) - Custom fonts - Find and Replace, including regular expression search - Find in multiple files - File information such as character and word counts - Local and remote web preview for HTML and Markdown files Pricing: Textastic requires a monthly or yearly subscription or a one-time purchase. Each subscription includes a 7-day free trial with full access to all features. Privacy Policy: https://www.textasticapp.com/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Jayson
This app allows you to view and edit JSON files directly on your device. It offers features like tabbed browsing, split-screen comparisons, and integration with Siri Shortcuts and the Share Sheet for easy JSON parsing and management.
- Browse JSON files
- Table or syntax highlighted text view
- Tabbed interface
- Multiple splits for comparison
- Siri Shortcuts integration
- Share Sheet Actions
- URL schemes
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Jayson is a JSON viewer and editor for iPhone and iPad. Browse JSON as a structure, edit values, and save your changes back to the file. Whether you're inspecting an API response, checking a config file, or making a quick fix on the go, Jayson turns raw JSON into something you can actually read and change. BROWSE AND EDIT - Open JSON files stored on your device or in iCloud Drive. - Toggle between a structured table view and syntax highlighted text. - Add new values and keys, and save your changes back to the file. - Parse text or the contents of a URL from your clipboard into JSON. - Highlight a key from a child of an array to get a quick overview of your data. TABS, SPLITS, AND WINDOWS - Switch between files, or different objects in a single file, using tabs. - Compare JSON in a single file or across files using multiple splits. - Open multiple windows on the iPad. WORKS WITH SHORTCUTS Jayson integrates with Shortcuts, which comes in handy for debugging API calls, previewing JSON files, and building workflows around JSON. - Pass a response from Get Contents of URL to Jayson to see how it is structured. - Open JSON as a document you keep working on, or as a temporary preview. - Format JSON and hand the result to the next action, using spaces or tabs. FREE, WITH AN OPTIONAL UPGRADE Jayson's core functionality is free. Browsing, editing, saving, splits, Shortcuts, and working with up to two tabs at a time cost nothing. A one-time in-app purchase enables having more than two tabs open at once, switching between light and dark themes, and personalizing the app icon, accent color and type icons. One purchase, no subscription.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Jayson at free with in-app purchases against Textastic Code Editor's subscription. Jayson also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 69%). Textastic Code Editor's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (2.5K vs 425). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. Textastic Code Editor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Jayson sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Textastic Code Editor holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Textastic Code Editor has 2.5K ratings behind it against 425, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 69% of Textastic Code Editor's written reviews are positive against 81% of Jayson's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, Jayson every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Textastic Code Editor | Jayson |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2.5K ratings) — better | 4.5 (425 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 68.9% of reviews | 80.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.5K — better | 425 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #16 — better | #91 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alexander Blach | Simon B. Støvring |
Customer experience
Textastic Code Editor
Jayson
User reviews
Textastic Code Editor
From 2.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Highly performant
- 👍 Versatile and feature-rich
- 💡 Excellent integration with other apps (e.g. Working Copy)
- 👍 Customizable and intuitive UI
- 👍 Reliable and stable
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🔒 Restrictive paywall for basic functionality
- 👎 Confusing file management and upload/download workflow
- 👎 Lack of modern code editing features (e.g. auto-indent, code folding)
Jayson
From 425 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Elegant and intuitive JSON editing interface
- 🎯 Perfect for FNF mod development and updates
- 📱 Excellent iOS implementation with native feel
- 🔧 Powerful JSON manipulation capabilities
- ⚡ Great Shortcuts and URL scheme integration
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and instability issues
- 🔋 High battery consumption and device heating
- ❌ Missing search functionality
- 📵 Safari browser support issues
- 🔒 Limited free features, paywall for advanced options
Bugs and requests
Textastic Code Editor
Reported bugs
3 issues- Issues with SSH/SFTP connectivity and authentication
- Problems with handling large files or files with certain extensions
- Inconsistent text selection and editing behavior
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for more cloud storage providers (e.g. Google Drive, OneDrive)
- Implement a more seamless remote file editing and syncing workflow
- Improve code editing features like code folding, multi-cursor support, and code beautification
- Add a built-in terminal or ability to run code directly within the app
Jayson
Reported bugs
6 issues- App crashes when opening large JSON files (89MB+)
- Crashes on regular use despite functionality
- Device freezing for extended periods
- Safari compatibility broken in recent updates
- Navigation back through JSON structure is unreliable
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Accidental file exit when attempting to navigate
Requested features
9 requests- Search/find functionality within files
- JSON editing and modification capabilities
- XML format support
- Split-view for comparing different arrays
- Export functionality for edited JSON
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Comment recognition in JSON files
- Plain text editor option
- Improved file size handling for large documents
- Better navigation controls on mobile devices
In-app purchases
Textastic Code Editor
- Textastic Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Textastic Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Textastic Pro (One-Time)$69.99
Jayson
- Unlock Everything$4.99
Questions
Is Textastic Code Editor free?
Is Jayson free?
Which has better reviews, Textastic Code Editor or Jayson?
Do Textastic Code Editor or Jayson have ads?
Which is updated more often, Textastic Code Editor or Jayson?
Which is more popular, Textastic Code Editor or Jayson?
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