Textastic Code Editor vs Swifty Compiler
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/
Swifty Compiler
Write, run, and experiment with Swift code on your mobile device. This app functions as a personal playground for testing algorithms, prototyping ideas, and enhancing coding skills with a variety of editing tools.
- Write and run Swift code
- Import Swift and Playground files
- Code completion and error highlighting
- Code formatting and syntax correction
- Code snapshots (PNG, JPEG, PDF)
- Dark and light mode support
- Unlimited credits (Premium)
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Write and run Swift code effortlessly, anywhere and anytime. Swifty Compiler is the perfect tool to test algorithms, prototype ideas, or experiment with Swift code on the go. Use it as your personal playground to explore concepts and improve your coding skills. Free Features: • Daily credits⁽¹⁾: 10 credits per day • Import Swift files • Open Playground files and import their Swift files • Share Swift files, Playground files, or text directly to the app • Code Snapshot (PNG, JPEG, HEIC, or PDF) • Adjustable font size and line spacing • Auto-indentation • Code completion suggestions • Auto-closing brackets and quotes • Error highlighting • Bracket and line highlighting • Code block selection • Cursor position indicator • Code snippets • Extra keyboard buttons • Comment/uncomment selection • Markdown comments • Duplicate code • Move line up/down • Indent/Outdent (Shift right/left) • Jump to line or selection • Keyboard shortcuts • Multitasking support on iPad • Dark and light mode support • Share extension support • No ads Premium Features: • Unlimited credits⁽¹⁾ • Share as Swift file • Save Swift files to the Files app (iCloud or local storage) • Auto-save last input • Unlimited Undo/Redo • Code formatting • Add documentation • Syntax correction • Optical Character Recognition (OCR) • Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) • Multiple Swift versions • Font pack • Show invisible characters • Create/Edit custom snippets • Create/Edit custom keyboard buttons • No watermark on code snapshots 1. 1 Credit = 1 Code Execution Feel free to reach us out if have any suggestions or ideas. - Email: taleb.apps@gmail.com - X: @hassantaleb90 - Telegram: @hassantaleb If you enjoy Swifty Compiler, please leave a review to support us!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Swifty Compiler at freemium against Textastic Code Editor's subscription. Swifty Compiler also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 69%). Textastic Code Editor's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (2.6K vs 203). 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 Swifty Compiler sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. 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 2.6K ratings behind it against 203, 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 84% of Swifty Compiler'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, Swifty Compiler fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Textastic Code Editor | Swifty Compiler |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2.6K ratings) — better | 4.5 (203 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 68.8% of reviews | 84.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.6K — better | 203 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Freemium — better |
| Best chart rank | #12 — better | #37 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 70 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alexander Blach | Hassan Taleb |
Customer experience
Textastic Code Editor
Swifty Compiler
User reviews
Textastic Code Editor
From 2.6K 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)
Swifty Compiler
From 203 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast code execution
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 💡 Great for on-the-go coding
- ✨ Good for learning Swift
- ✅ Useful for testing logic
Room to improve
- 💰 High cost for features
- ⚠️ Limited free usage
- 💸 Subscription model criticized
- 🚫 No offline mode
- 🤔 Unreasonable charging logic
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
Swifty Compiler
Reported bugs
10 issues- Refund screenshots are not correct
- Kept loading without doing anything
- Issues related to JSON parsing
- Cannot save projects without paying
- Cannot use Date or Calendar as types
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Misleading screenshots about Swift version
- Cannot overwrite files in iCloud
- Console does not print anything
- Limited code execution per day
- Cannot call a function before it's created
Requested features
18 requests- Support for newer Swift versions
- Ability to import projects online
- Cache 'premium' pop-up
- Support multithreading (GCD)
- Fix console printing bug
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Ability to add frameworks
- Support for SwiftUI
- Offline mode support
- Autofill feature
- Highlighting lines with warnings/errors
- Show which compiler is used
- Ability to change Swift version without paying
- More than one Swift version option
- Import own fonts
- Call basic modules like SwiftUI
- Use input and output as command tool
- Overwrite existing files in iCloud
- Korean language version
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
Swifty Compiler
- Premium Weekly Subscription$4.997 Days
- Premium Monthly Subscription$12.991 Month
- Premium Yearly Subscription$79.991 Year
- Premium Lifetime$99.00
Questions
Is Textastic Code Editor free?
Is Swifty Compiler free?
Which has better reviews, Textastic Code Editor or Swifty Compiler?
Do Textastic Code Editor or Swifty Compiler have ads?
Which is updated more often, Textastic Code Editor or Swifty Compiler?
Which is more popular, Textastic Code Editor or Swifty Compiler?
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