Comparison

Textastic Code Editor vs Karafuru

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

Karafuru

This app is an offline-first color tool for designers and developers. It allows you to identify colors, build palettes, check accessibility, and export code snippets for various platforms without needing an internet connection.

Highlights
  • Offline color identification
  • Build and organize color palettes
  • Accessibility contrast scoring
  • Export code for CSS, Sass, Tailwind, JSON, SwiftUI, UIKit, AppKit, Dart
  • Extract colors from photos
  • Generate color harmonies
  • Create gradients and wallpapers
Features
Read full description

Karafuru is a fast, offline-first color companion for designers and developers. Identify colors, build beautiful palettes, check accessibility, and export production-ready code, all without an internet connection and without sending your work to a server. WHY KARAFURU Most color tools are either too simple or buried inside a giant design suite. Karafuru focuses on the everyday color workflow: capture a color, refine it, organize it, and ship it as code. It opens fast, feels native, and respects your privacy by working completely offline. IDENTIFY & PICK • Enter any HEX or RGB value and see it instantly • Extract dominant colors from your photos • Search and refine colors with precise controls • Read live HEX, RGB, HSL and more for every color BUILD PALETTES • Save colors into organized collections • Browse colors in clean grids and detailed inspectors • Generate harmonies: complementary, analogous, triadic, shades and tints • Compare colors side by side CHECK ACCESSIBILITY • WCAG contrast scoring for any color pair • Instantly know whether text will be readable • Build palettes that pass accessibility from the start EXPORT FOR CODE One palette, every platform. Export ready-to-use code and tokens for: • CSS variables and SCSS/Sass • Tailwind config • JSON • SwiftUI and UIKit • AppKit • Dart CREATIVE TOOLS • Build smooth gradients and save them as wallpapers • Turn any palette into shareable assets OFFLINE & PRIVATE Karafuru works entirely on your device. No account, no tracking of your colors, no cloud requirement. Your palettes stay yours. KARAFURU PRO Upgrade once to unlock the full workflow: • Unlimited collections and colors • Batch image extraction • Full export packs for every platform • Palette studio save and export • Premium workflow tools Free includes the picker, basic formats, limited collections and basic image extraction, so you can try the core experience before upgrading.

Screenshots

Textastic Code Editor4 screens
Karafuru3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Karafuru at freemium against Textastic Code Editor's subscription. Karafuru also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 69%) and device support (4 vs 2). Textastic Code Editor's advantage is chart position (#11 vs unranked). 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

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 Karafuru sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.29 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, Karafuru every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Textastic Code Editor versus Karafuru: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTextastic Code EditorKarafuru
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.6K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews68.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.6K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
Best chart rank#11 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander BlachYefga Torra Prima

Customer experience

Textastic Code Editor

All ratings2,552 ratings
Positive93.1%
Neutral1.5%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews603 reviews
Positive68.8%
Neutral8.6%
Negative22.6%

Karafuru

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
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

Karafuru

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
3 purchases

Karafuru

Subscriptions2
  • Karafuru PRO - Monthly$2.291 Month
  • Karafuru PRO Annually7 Days trial$10.991 Year
One-time1
  • Karafuru Pro - Lifetime$19.99

Questions

Is Textastic Code Editor free?
Textastic Code Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Karafuru free?
Karafuru is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Textastic Code Editor or Karafuru have ads?
Neither Textastic Code Editor nor Karafuru shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Textastic Code Editor or Karafuru?
Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, and Karafuru every 3 weeks. Most recently, Textastic Code Editor was updated on November 2, 2026 and Karafuru on November 5, 2026.

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