Textastic Code Editor vs Dev Keyboard
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/
Dev Keyboard
A terminal-styled keyboard designed for programmers, offering quick access to essential symbols and a PC-style layout. It supports multiple programming languages and prioritizes user privacy by not requiring full access.
- PC-style modifier row
- One-tap developer symbols
- Long-press for extra symbols
- Multiple language packs
- Terminal aesthetic
- Privacy-first design
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Dev Keyboard is a terminal-styled coding keyboard that puts the symbols you actually type one tap away. A PC-style layout (Esc, Ctrl, Shift, Alt, Cmd, Tab, Caps) sits above quick rows of developer symbols and brackets. FEATURES - PC-style modifier row and key layout - One-tap brackets and symbols: {} [] () => ; / \ | and more - Long-press letters for extra developer symbols - Language packs: JavaScript / TypeScript, Python, Java, C / C++, Kotlin - Terminal aesthetic: monospace, dark, distraction-free - Privacy-first: no Full Access required, nothing leaves your device Type code faster in any app - notes, chat, editors, terminals.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Textastic Code Editor at 4.7 against Dev Keyboard's 1.0. Textastic Code Editor also leads on ratings volume (2.5K vs 1) and chart position (#11 vs unranked). Dev Keyboard's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). On price, review sentiment, 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
Both are free to download. Textastic Code Editor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Dev Keyboard sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Textastic Code Editor holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. 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 point the same way: 69% of Textastic Code Editor's written reviews are positive against 67% of Dev Keyboard's.
Textastic Code Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, Dev Keyboard every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Textastic Code Editor | Dev Keyboard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2.5K ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 68.9% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.5K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #11 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alexander Blach | Anshika Maurya |
Customer experience
Textastic Code Editor
Dev Keyboard
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
Dev Keyboard
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
Dev Keyboard
- Remove Ads$1.99
Questions
Is Textastic Code Editor free?
Is Dev Keyboard free?
Which has better reviews, Textastic Code Editor or Dev Keyboard?
Do Textastic Code Editor or Dev Keyboard have ads?
Which is updated more often, Textastic Code Editor or Dev Keyboard?
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