Comparison

Textastic Code Editor vs Desktop Browser

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

Desktop Browser

Experience a full desktop web on your mobile device. This browser simulates a large, resizable screen to display desktop versions of websites, avoiding mobile-optimized layouts. Enjoy features like zoom control, full-screen mode, and privacy-focused data collection.

Highlights
  • Desktop website rendering
  • Zoomable screen (1x-3x)
  • Full screen mode
  • Portrait/landscape transitions
  • Favorites management
  • UI customization
  • Multiple tabs (Pro)
  • Theme customization (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Zoomable is a browser that provides a full desktop web experience. It simulates a large and resizable screen and shows the desktop version of websites, so you can stay away from those bad mobile web experiences. • Zoom freely between 1x and 3x. • Seamless transitions between portrait and landscape mode. • Supports full screen mode. • Save and manage favorites. • Lightning fast and super small install size. • Supports UI customization for both portrait and landscape mode. • Respects user privacy; the app only collects anonymous diagnostic data unrelated to browsing, and you can opt out. • [Pro] Multiple tabs. • [Pro] Customize themes. The app is designed for everyone, it works great with many websites. However, it is particularly useful for developers. For example, accessing App Store Connect and Firebase Console works great in this app because of the screen scale feature.

Screenshots

Textastic Code Editor4 screens
Desktop Browser4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Desktop Browser at free with in-app purchases against Textastic Code Editor's subscription. Textastic Code Editor's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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 Desktop Browser sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. 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 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.5K and 3.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Textastic Code Editor's written reviews are positive against 65% of Desktop Browser's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 3 weeks, Desktop Browser every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Textastic Code Editor versus Desktop Browser: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTextastic Code EditorDesktop Browser
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.5K ratings) — better4.5 (3.3K ratings)
Positive reviews68.9% of reviews — better64.7% of reviews
Number of ratings2.5K3.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#15 — better#31
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB15 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperAlexander BlachActowise LLC

Customer experience

Textastic Code Editor

All ratings2,537 ratings
Positive93.1%
Neutral1.5%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews601 reviews
Positive68.9%
Neutral8.7%
Negative22.5%

Desktop Browser

All ratings3,300 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral3.7%
Negative8.8%
Written reviews224 reviews
Positive64.7%
Neutral5.4%
Negative29.9%

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)

Desktop Browser

From 3.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 👍 Intuitive user interface
  • 🔍 Effective desktop mode
  • 💡 Useful zoom feature
  • 🔒 Secure browsing

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and reloads
  • 🔍 Inconsistent desktop mode performance
  • 📱 Incompatible with some mobile apps
  • 💸 Paid version required for full functionality
  • 🔌 High battery consumption

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

Desktop Browser

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Issues connecting to local IP addresses
  • Inability to use Google account login
  • Blank pages when resizing or zooming
  • Redirects to search engine instead of desired site

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ad-blocking capabilities
  • Implement local network access
  • Allow setting as default browser
  • Introduce a virtual trackpad mode
  • Improve bookmark management

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
3 purchases

Desktop Browser

One-time3
  • 2 Extra Tabs$2.99
  • Pro Lifetime$9.99
  • Pro Lifetime$14.99

Questions

Is Textastic Code Editor free?
Textastic Code Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Desktop Browser free?
Desktop Browser is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Textastic Code Editor or Desktop Browser?
Textastic Code Editor is rated higher. Textastic Code Editor averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while Desktop Browser averages 4.5 from 3.3K ratings.
Do Textastic Code Editor or Desktop Browser have ads?
Neither Textastic Code Editor nor Desktop Browser shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Textastic Code Editor or Desktop Browser?
Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 3 weeks, and Desktop Browser every 5 weeks. Most recently, Textastic Code Editor was updated on October 15, 2026 and Desktop Browser on October 15, 2026.
Which is more popular, Textastic Code Editor or Desktop Browser?
Textastic Code Editor currently peaks at #15 in the App Store charts, and Desktop Browser at #31. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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