Comparison

Textastic Code Editor vs Code App

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

Code App

This app offers a desktop-class code editing experience on iPadOS. It includes built-in runtimes for popular languages like Node.js, Python, and Java, along with advanced features such as autocompletion and Git integration.

Highlights
  • Desktop-class code editor
  • Built-in Node.js, Python, C, C++, PHP, Java runtimes
  • Autocompletion and language features
  • Local file system support
  • SSH/FTP remote connection
  • Embedded terminal
  • Git version control
Features
Read full description

Code App is a MIT-licensed desktop-class code editor for iPadOS with built-in Node.js, Python, C, C++, PHP and Java runtime. We built it because there is nothing else on the App Store provides all these features in one app: * A robust, high-performance text editor (Monaco Editor from Visual Studio Code) * Autocomplete, static code analysis and other language features for Python & Java * First class local file system support * Extensive local language support * SSH / FTP remote connection support (Files and terminal) * Embedded emulated terminal * Git Version Control * Package manager support (pip and npm) * Markdown, themes, server-side snippet execution and more Read Code App's documentation: code.thebaselab.com See the project's source code, roadmap, discussion on GitHub: github.com/thebaselab/codeapp Send us an email: support@thebaselab.com Privacy Policy: thebaselab.com/privacypolicies Terms of Use (EULA): www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Textastic Code Editor4 screens
Code App2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Textastic Code Editor at Free against Code App's $6.99. Textastic Code Editor also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (2.5K vs 301). Code App's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and device support 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

Textastic Code Editor is free to download; Code App costs $6.99 up front. Textastic Code Editor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Code App asks for nothing beyond the download.

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 301, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Textastic Code Editor's written reviews are positive against 64% of Code App's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, Code App monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Textastic Code Editor versus Code App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTextastic Code EditorCode App
PriceFree — better$6.99
Rating4.7 (2.5K ratings) — better4.0 (301 ratings)
Positive reviews68.9% of reviews — better63.9% of reviews
Number of ratings2.5K — better301
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
Best chart rank#11 — better#35
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB963 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander Blachthebaselab Ltd

Customer experience

Textastic Code Editor

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

Code App

All ratings301 ratings
Positive73.4%
Neutral8.3%
Negative18.3%
Written reviews349 reviews
Positive63.9%
Neutral12.3%
Negative23.8%

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

Code App

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
None

Code App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Textastic Code Editor free?
Textastic Code Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Code App free?
Code App costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Textastic Code Editor or Code App?
Textastic Code Editor is rated higher. Textastic Code Editor averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while Code App averages 4.0 from 301 ratings.
Do Textastic Code Editor or Code App have ads?
Neither Textastic Code Editor nor Code App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Textastic Code Editor or Code App?
Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, and Code App monthly. Most recently, Textastic Code Editor was updated on September 29, 2026 and Code App on October 1, 2026.
Which is more popular, Textastic Code Editor or Code App?
Textastic Code Editor currently peaks at #11 in the App Store charts, and Code App at #35. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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