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
Read full description

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 versatile text editor for managing files on your device and in the cloud. Supports various text formats, rich text editing, and custom fonts. Offers cloud integration and sharing capabilities.

Highlights
  • Browse and edit cloud files
  • Supports TXT, RTF, HTML, CSS, JS
  • Rich text editing
  • Custom font and style viewing
  • Dark Mode support
  • File sharing
Features
Read full description

This is a simple yet powerful text editor that let you browse and edit any kind of text on your device and on the cloud (including iCloud, Google Drive, Box and more). FEATURES: ————— ◆ Browse and edit all kinds of text on your device and on the cloud ◆ Support TXT, RTF or any file that can be read as text like HTML, CSS, JS ◆ View text in any font and style ◆ Rich Text editing ◆ Edit multiple files in separate tabs ◆ Share your files anywhere ◆ Dark Mode support Text Editor+: • You can subscribe to unlock dark mode and unlimited usage. • Subscription auto-renew at the end of current period, unless cancelled 24-hours in advance prior to the end of the current period. The subscription fee is charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. You may manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Per Apple policy, no cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Once purchased, refunds will not be provided for any unused portion of the term. Terms of use: https://tapuniverse.com/terms/ Privacy policy: https://tapuniverse.com/policy/

Screenshots

Textastic Code Editor4 screens
Text Editor.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Textastic Code Editor at 69% against Text Editor.'s 26%. Textastic Code Editor also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Text Editor.'s advantage is monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks). On price, ratings volume, 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

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 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. 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 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.5K and 4.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Textastic Code Editor's written reviews are positive against 26% of Text Editor.'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, Text Editor. daily. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 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) — better4.4 (4.3K ratings)
Positive reviews68.9% of reviews — better25.5% of reviews
Number of ratings2.5K4.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
Best chart rank#19 — better#27
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander BlachTAPUNIVERSE LLC

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 ratings4,280 ratings
Positive85.6%
Neutral3.3%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews321 reviews
Positive25.5%
Neutral3.1%
Negative71.3%

User reviews

Textastic Code Editor

From 2.5K App Store ratings

What 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)

Text Editor.

From 4.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great for direct editing
  • 👍 Wonderful for writing
  • 👍 Smooth and modern
  • 👍 Reads and edits well

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🔒 Locks access to files
  • 🔒 Requires subscription to use
  • 🐛 Crashes when opening files
  • 🐛 Inconsistent file saving

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.

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Dark mode not working properly
  • Deletes unsaved work
  • Crashes the Files app

Requested features

3 requests
  • Horizontal text scrolling
  • Free version with no limitations
  • One-time purchase option

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
2 purchases

Text Editor.

Subscriptions2
  • Text Editor+3 Days trial$0.997 Days
  • Text Editor+3 Days trial$9.991 Year

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 4.4 from 4.3K 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. daily. Most recently, Textastic Code Editor was updated on September 23, 2026 and Text Editor. on September 22, 2026.
Which is more popular, Textastic Code Editor or Text Editor.?
Textastic Code Editor currently peaks at #19 in the App Store charts, and Text Editor. at #27. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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