Comparison

Textastic Code Editor vs BASIC

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

BASIC

Create and publish your own applications directly on your iOS device using an extended BASIC programming language. Features include a rich interface, advanced graphics, sound capabilities, and hardware support.

Highlights
  • Create standalone apps for App Store
  • Rich user interface elements
  • Advanced graphics and animation
  • Comprehensive sound and music support
  • Hardware sensor integration
  • Networking and file management
  • Customizable IDE with documentation
Features
Read full description

This is "smart BASIC" - an extended version of popular Minimal BASIC programming language. With "smart BASIC" you can create your own programs right on your iOS device. BASIC programs, written in "smart BASIC", can be published in the App Store as standalone applications using the "smart BASIC" SDK for Xcode. The "smart BASIC" programming language has many powerful features. INTERFACE: - buttons, text boxes, sliders, switches, browsers - pages for grouping your interface objects - support for additional TTF fonts - clipboard support - multitouch up to 11 simultaneous touches GRAPHIC: - advanced graphics functions - animated sprites, sprite sheet support MUSIC and SOUND: - play MP3, AIFF, WAV, MIDI, MOV and MP4 files - programmable MIDI synthesizer with 128 built-in instruments - support for additional sound fonts SF2 and DLS - speech synthesizer HARDWARE support: - GPS, compass - accelerometer - photo and video recording and more: - files - networking - integrated mathematics of complex numbers - customizable IDE - built-in documentation - ready-to-use examples of programs Visit the support forum to get assistance and to share your BASIC programs with other users.

Screenshots

Textastic Code Editor4 screens
BASIC4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Textastic Code Editor at Free against BASIC's $11.99. Textastic Code Editor also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (2.5K vs 17). BASIC's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On review sentiment, 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; BASIC costs $11.99 up front. Textastic Code Editor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. BASIC asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Textastic Code Editor holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Textastic Code Editor has 2.5K ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 69% and 68% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, BASIC every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Textastic Code Editor versus BASIC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTextastic Code EditorBASIC
PriceFree — better$11.99
Rating4.7 (2.5K ratings) — better4.2 (17 ratings)
Positive reviews68.9% of reviews — better68.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2.5K — better17
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionPaid — better
Best chart rank#12 — better#103
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB135 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander BlachNikolay Denislamov

Customer experience

Textastic Code Editor

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

BASIC

All ratings17 ratings
Positive76.5%
Neutral5.9%
Negative17.6%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive68.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative28.0%

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

BASIC

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

BASIC

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Textastic Code Editor free?
Textastic Code Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BASIC free?
BASIC costs $11.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Textastic Code Editor or BASIC?
Textastic Code Editor is rated higher. Textastic Code Editor averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while BASIC averages 4.2 from 17 ratings.
Do Textastic Code Editor or BASIC have ads?
Neither Textastic Code Editor nor BASIC shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Textastic Code Editor or BASIC?
Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, and BASIC every 2 months. Most recently, Textastic Code Editor was updated on October 7, 2026 and BASIC on October 6, 2026.
Which is more popular, Textastic Code Editor or BASIC?
Textastic Code Editor currently peaks at #12 in the App Store charts, and BASIC at #103. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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