Textastic Code Editor vs Regex Lab +
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/
Regex Lab +
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Regex Lab is the fastest way to build, test, and understand regular expressions on iPhone and iPad. Whether you're a seasoned developer hunting down a tricky pattern or a student learning regex for the first time, Regex Lab turns every keystroke into instant, color-coded feedback so you can see exactly what your pattern matches — and why. KEY FEATURES • LIVE TESTER — Type your pattern and test string side-by-side. Matches highlight in real time with color-coded backgrounds, plus full capture-group inspection for every match. Jump between matches with prev/next navigation. • PATTERN EXPLAINER — Tap "Explain" and Regex Lab breaks your pattern down token by token. Anchors, quantifiers, character classes, groups, lookaround, escape sequences, and backreferences are each annotated with a plain-English description. • REPLACE TOOL — Build search-and-replace expressions with full $0, $1, $2… capture-group references. See input and output side-by-side with a live replacement counter, plus one-tap copy of the result. • SNIPPETS LIBRARY — Save patterns with names, notes, categories, and favorites. Search by name or pattern, filter by category, swipe to copy or delete, and load any snippet straight into the tester. Long-press for a quick-action menu. • BUILT-IN TEMPLATES — Twelve battle-tested patterns ready to use: email addresses, HTTP/HTTPS URLs, IPv4 addresses, US phone numbers, ISO 8601 dates, credit cards, hex colors, HTML tags, whitespace, whole words, numbers, and URL slugs. • REGEX CHEATSHEET — A searchable, categorized reference for anchors, quantifiers, character classes, groups, lookaround, special characters, and flags. Every symbol is tap-to-copy. • FLAGS & OPTIONS — Toggle case-insensitive (i), multiline (m), dot-matches-newlines (s), and extended syntax (x) and watch your matches update instantly. • POWERED BY NSREGULAREXPRESSION — Built on Apple's native engine, so what you test in Regex Lab behaves identically in your Swift, Objective-C, and Foundation code. DESIGNED FOR iOS • Native SwiftUI experience with full Dark Mode support • Adaptive layouts for iPhone and iPad • Monospaced typography tuned for code • 100% offline — no accounts, no analytics, no tracking Whether you're parsing log files, validating user input, writing migrations, building a scraper, or just trying to remember what \b does — Regex Lab keeps your regex toolbox in your pocket. Download Regex Lab today and write your next regular expression with confidence. Thank you for your support. Please visit nitrio.com for more apps for your iOS devices.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Textastic Code Editor at Free against Regex Lab +'s $2.99. Textastic Code Editor also leads on chart position (#13 vs unranked). Regex Lab +'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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; Regex Lab + costs $2.99 up front. Textastic Code Editor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Regex Lab + asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Textastic Code Editor | Regex Lab + |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (2.6K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 68.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.6K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Best chart rank | #13 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alexander Blach | Nitrio |
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
Regex Lab +
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
Regex Lab +
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Textastic Code Editor free?
Is Regex Lab + free?
Do Textastic Code Editor or Regex Lab + have ads?
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