Comparison

Text editor vs WebPen

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Text editor

This app is a powerful text editor designed for source code, HTML, and general text input on iOS devices. It offers advanced editing features like syntax highlighting, symbol pads, and undo/redo, with cloud storage integration and an optional online compiler.

Highlights
  • Syntax highlighting
  • Symbol input and cursor pads
  • Undo/Redo functionality
  • Line number display
  • Search and replace
  • Cloud storage integration
  • HTML/Markdown preview
Features
Read full description

A text editor optimized for source code editing on iPhone and iPad. In addition to source code, it supports editing of HTML, Markdown, notes, and various other text formats. ■ Online Compilation Compile your code by integrating with an online compiler. Powered by Sphere Engine A Sphere Engine account is required Supported languages vary — please refer to the official website https://sphere-engine.com/ ■ Editor Features Syntax highlighting Symbol input and cursor control pad (toggleable) Undo / Redo (iPhone supported) Line numbers Search and replace Character / line count display (toggleable) Multiple file editing Invisible character display (line breaks, tabs, spaces) ■ File Management File / directory listing Create / delete / copy / move View file details (path, size, creation date, etc.) Local grep search ■ Cloud Integration Requires an account for each service iCloud Dropbox Google Drive OneDrive Box Google Drive is currently available only to a limited number of users ■ Other Features HTML / Markdown preview Font customization (type and size) FTP support Image / PDF viewer Feedback and feature requests are always welcome. Follow development updates on X (Twitter): @devpweditor Contact: devpweditor@gmail.com

About

WebPen

Write, test, and run HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code directly on your mobile device. This app offers a clean editor with live preview and the ability to instantly execute AI-generated code. Save your projects and share them easily.

Highlights
  • Code Editor for HTML/CSS/JS
  • Instant AI Code Execution
  • Live Code Preview
  • Save and Store Projects
  • Customizable User Interface
  • Quick Code Sharing
Features
Read full description

Want to write or test HTML, CSS, and JavaScript right on your phone? This app makes it simple: edit your code and see the result instantly. Even better—you can paste in AI-generated code and run it with just one tap! Key Features: Code Editor: Clean, easy-to-use editor for HTML/CSS/JS. AI Code Ready: Instantly run code generated by AI tools. Live Preview: Write and see the result immediately. Save Your Work: Store projects and pick up anytime. Customizable UI: Change fonts and themes to fit your style. Quick Sharing: Copy or share your code with ease. Perfect for learning, coding practice, or testing AI-generated web code on the go!

Screenshots

Text editor4 screens
WebPen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Text editor at none against WebPen's shown. Text editor also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (113 vs 7). WebPen's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (60% vs 48%). On price, rating, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Text editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and WebPen sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Text editor holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Text editor has 113 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 48% of Text editor's written reviews are positive against 60% of WebPen's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Text editor ships an update weekly, WebPen every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Text editor versus WebPen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterText editorWebPen
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (113 ratings) — better3.7 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews47.6% of reviews60.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings113 — better7
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.615.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size80 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMasatsugu Futamata伟强 周

Customer experience

Text editor

All ratings113 ratings
Positive71.7%
Neutral9.7%
Negative18.6%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive47.6%
Neutral9.5%
Negative42.9%

WebPen

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

Bugs and requests

Text editor

Reported bugs

22 issues
  • Font size always 1 pixel
  • Cannot export files
  • Files stuck on iPad
  • Google Drive not working
  • Files not showing in Files app
Show 17 more
  • Cannot access local files
  • Crashes on opening
  • Doesn't save changes
  • Randomly resets
  • App doesn't open
  • Mismatched file names with cloud storage
  • Export error: 'No subdirectory in directory info list'
  • Incorrect UTF-8 encoding and line endings
  • Messed up HTML by replacing characters (dashes to underscores)
  • Replaces straight double quotes with curly ones
  • Cursor does not always position correctly
  • App doesn't read editor correctly (e.g., 'type' attribute)
  • Transparently substitutes multi-character Unicode for straight text
  • Forgot password, no reset option
  • App closes immediately after starting
  • Irritating reset problem still exists
  • Resets when hitting Save

Requested features

10 requests
  • Option to turn off ads (paid version)
  • Dark mode option
  • Share sheet integration
  • Local version of Dropbox files
  • Ability to search within a file while editing
Show 5 more
  • Improve dark mode with dark keyboard
  • Ability to write file contents before naming/saving
  • Fix Google Drive integration
  • Improve UI to be more modern
  • Show up in share sheet menu to open files directly

WebPen

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Text editor

One-time1
  • Hide ads$0.99
1 purchases

WebPen

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99

Questions

Is Text editor free?
Text editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WebPen free?
WebPen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Text editor or WebPen?
Text editor is rated higher. Text editor averages 3.9 out of 5 from 113 ratings, while WebPen averages 3.7 from 7 ratings.
Do Text editor or WebPen have ads?
WebPen shows ads; Text editor does not.
Which is updated more often, Text editor or WebPen?
Text editor ships an update weekly, and WebPen every 8 months. Most recently, Text editor was updated on October 17, 2026 and WebPen on October 3, 2026.

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