Textastic Code Editor vs Packet Sender
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/
Packet Sender
This network utility allows users to send UDP, TCP, and SSL packets with mixed ASCII or HEX input. It also supports sending HTTP GET/POST requests and receiving unsolicited packets on chosen ports. Data can be copied and pasted in various formats, and desktop packets can be transferred via cloud.
- Send UDP, TCP, SSL packets
- Mixed ASCII or HEX input
- Send HTTP GET/POST requests
- Receive unsolicited packets
- Copy/Paste data in ASCII/HEX/RAW
- Transfer desktop packets via cloud
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The core features of the award-winning Packet Sender has been rewritten from scratch to provide the best possible experience on your mobile device. - Send UDP, TCP, SSL packets using mixed ASCII notation or direct HEX input. - Send HTTP GET/POST requests. - Receive unsolicited UDP or TCP from the built-in servers on the port of your choosing. - Copy/Paste the incoming data in ASCII/HEX/RAW formats - Transfer your desktop packets using Packet Sender Cloud
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Textastic Code Editor at Free against Packet Sender's $1.99. Textastic Code Editor also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (69% vs 43%). Packet Sender's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On rating, ads, chart position 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
Textastic Code Editor is free to download; Packet Sender costs $1.99 up front. Textastic Code Editor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Packet Sender asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Textastic Code Editor against 4.8 for Packet Sender. 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 are what separate them: 69% of Textastic Code Editor's written reviews are positive against 43% of Packet Sender's.
Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 3 weeks, Packet Sender every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Textastic Code Editor | Packet Sender |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (2.5K ratings) | 4.8 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 68.9% of reviews — better | 42.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.5K — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Paid — better |
| Best chart rank | #10 — better | #12 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alexander Blach | NagleCode, LLC |
Customer experience
Textastic Code Editor
Packet Sender
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
Packet Sender
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
Packet Sender
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Textastic Code Editor free?
Is Packet Sender free?
Which has better reviews, Textastic Code Editor or Packet Sender?
Do Textastic Code Editor or Packet Sender have ads?
Which is updated more often, Textastic Code Editor or Packet Sender?
Which is more popular, Textastic Code Editor or Packet Sender?
Other comparisons
