Comparison

Textastic Code Editor vs Text Editor

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
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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/

About

Text Editor

A powerful text and code editor for mobile devices. It offers cloud and server file editing via FTP and SSH, real-time HTML/Markdown preview, and Git version control. Includes ChatGPT integration for enhanced coding assistance.

Highlights
  • Multi-tab editing
  • Split-screen view
  • Real-time search with regex
  • Cloud and server file editing (FTP/SSH)
  • Git version control
  • HTML/Markdown preview
  • ChatGPT integration
Features
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LiquidLogic is a text editor that allows you to edit text files, web pages, and source code on your iPad/iPhone. The highly functional editor is equipped with a filer and FTP to edit files in the cloud and on servers. The dedicated browser can also be used to check web pages and preview HTML. SSH terminal and Git version management functions are also included. All-in-one text editing is possible. MAIN FEATURES • Multiple files can be displayed and edited by switching tabs. • Supports multitasking, allowing you to launch multiple LiquidLogic applications. • Split screen to view and edit two files at the same time. • Real-time search with support for Perl regular expressions. • Equipped with grep find and replace function. • Supports 15 languages including HTML, Markdown, XML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Perl, Ruby, and C++. • Syntax highlighting according to language. • Edit Bar for cursor movement and input of symbols, parentheses, numbers, etc. • Supports 34 character codes including Unicode, Shift JIS, EUC, etc., and can change character codes and line feed codes. • Equipped with a filer. Multiple openings and various file operations are possible. • Files in iCloud, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive can be edited. • Supports SMB connection. Directly edit files on servers and NAS devices. • FTP/FTPS/SFTP included. Supports download/upload and direct file editing. • Equipped with SSH terminal. Files can be downloaded and edited from there. • File comparison functionality that allows you to compare two files side by side and clearly show the differences between them. • Git version control functionality. • Built-in ChatGPT functionality. • Preview HTML/Markdown files in real time. • Download the HTML source from the browser and edit it in the editor. • Supports keyboard shortcuts. • Available for Apple Silicon-equipped Mac. ONLINE MANUAL https://www.megasoft.co.jp/support/liquidlogic/manual/index_en.php

Screenshots

Textastic Code Editor4 screens
Text Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Textastic Code Editor at 4.7 against Text Editor's 4.0. Textastic Code Editor also leads on ratings volume (2.5K vs 4) and chart position (#14 vs unranked). Text Editor's advantage is monetization model (freemium vs subscription). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Textastic Code Editor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Text Editor sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Textastic Code Editor holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Textastic Code Editor has 2.5K ratings behind it against 4, 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 75% of Text Editor's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Textastic Code Editor versus Text Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTextastic Code EditorText Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.5K ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews68.9% of reviews74.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.5K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
Best chart rank#14 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.7
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB95 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperAlexander BlachMEGASOFT Inc.

Customer experience

Textastic Code Editor

All ratings2,510 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral1.6%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews599 reviews
Positive68.9%
Neutral8.7%
Negative22.4%

Text Editor

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive74.5%
Neutral15.7%
Negative9.8%

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

Text Editor

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Textastic Code Editor

Subscriptions2
  • Textastic Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Textastic Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Textastic Pro (One-Time)$69.99
4 purchases

Text Editor

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Payment$1.991 Month
  • Annual Payment3 Days trial$8.991 Year
One-time2
  • ChatGPT 100 times$0.99
  • ChatGPT 1,000 times$9.99

Questions

Is Textastic Code Editor free?
Textastic Code Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Text Editor free?
Text Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Textastic Code Editor or Text Editor?
Textastic Code Editor is rated higher. Textastic Code Editor averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while Text Editor averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Textastic Code Editor or Text Editor have ads?
Neither Textastic Code Editor nor Text Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Textastic Code Editor or Text Editor?
Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, and Text Editor every 2 weeks. Most recently, Textastic Code Editor was updated on September 26, 2026 and Text Editor on September 25, 2026.

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