Comparison

Textastic Code Editor vs CodingKB

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

CodingKB

This app provides a specialized keyboard designed to streamline coding on mobile devices. It eliminates the need to frequently switch between character sets, offering direct access to essential symbols and numbers.

Highlights
  • Simplified coding workflow
  • Direct access to characters, numbers, and punctuation
  • Reduced need for keyboard switching
  • Enhanced mobile coding efficiency
Read full description

Tired of constantly switching between characters, numbers, and punctuation while coding on your phone? CodingKB is here to simplify your workflow and set you free!

Screenshots

Textastic Code Editor4 screens
CodingKB3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Textastic Code Editor at 69% against CodingKB's 0%. Textastic Code Editor also leads on price (Free vs $1.99) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months). CodingKB's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On 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; CodingKB costs $1.99 up front. Textastic Code Editor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. CodingKB asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CodingKB holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Textastic Code Editor has 2.5K ratings behind it against 1, 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 0% of CodingKB's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 3 weeks, CodingKB every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Textastic Code Editor versus CodingKB: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTextastic Code EditorCodingKB
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.7 (2.5K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2.5K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionPaid — better
Best chart rank#15 — better#141
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.1
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander Blach杰 瓮

Customer experience

Textastic Code Editor

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

CodingKB

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

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

CodingKB

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

CodingKB

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Textastic Code Editor free?
Textastic Code Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CodingKB free?
CodingKB costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Textastic Code Editor or CodingKB?
CodingKB is rated higher. Textastic Code Editor averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while CodingKB averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Textastic Code Editor or CodingKB have ads?
Neither Textastic Code Editor nor CodingKB shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Textastic Code Editor or CodingKB?
Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 3 weeks, and CodingKB every 6 months. Most recently, Textastic Code Editor was updated on October 10, 2026 and CodingKB on October 7, 2026.
Which is more popular, Textastic Code Editor or CodingKB?
Textastic Code Editor currently peaks at #15 in the App Store charts, and CodingKB at #141. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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