# R Programming Compiler vs R Discovery

The clearest difference is rating: R Discovery at 4.8 against R Programming Compiler's 3.4. R Discovery also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (925 vs 94). R Programming Compiler's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. R Programming Compiler sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and R Discovery sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

R Discovery holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: R Discovery has 925 ratings behind it against 94, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of R Programming Compiler's written reviews are positive against 58% of R Discovery's.

R Programming Compiler ships an update every 2 weeks, R Discovery monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | R Programming Compiler | R Discovery |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (94 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/r-programming-compiler/id1158038782/reviews) | **[4.8 (925 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/r-discovery-academic-research/id1508182175/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 94 | **925** |
| Positive reviews | 53.4% of reviews | **57.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 17 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ketan Appa](https://appshunter.io/developer/576435759) | [CACTUS COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES PTE. LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1817173784) |

## What reviewers say

### R Programming Compiler

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/r-programming-compiler/id1158038782)

Write and execute R code directly on your mobile device. Ideal for learning, testing code snippets, and statistical computing. Features include syntax highlighting, package management, and plotting capabilities.

**Highlights:** Compile and run R programs, Supports plotting and graphing, Advanced source code editor, Custom keyboard for R characters, Install and manage R packages, Language reference guide

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| 6 Months Subscription | $19.99 | per 6 months |
| 1 Year Subscription | $29.99 | per year |


### R Discovery

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/r-discovery-academic-research/id1508182175)

Access and discover over 300 million research papers with AI-powered tools. Understand findings, chat with PDFs, and organize your academic library. Stay current in your field with personalized feeds and alerts.

**Highlights:** Discover 300M+ research papers, AI-powered research workflows, Chat with PDFs, Listen to research papers, Personalized research feeds, Organize academic library, Translate research papers

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $11.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $24.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $25.00 | per month |
| Yearly | $69.00 | per year |
| Yearly | $139.99 | per year |
| Yearly | $143.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Wonderful site for research professionals
- 🚀 Fantastic app for researchers
- 💡 Provides relevant paper recommendations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Slow and choppy performance
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable features
- 🐛 Difficult to use certain core functions
- 🐛 Downloading PDFs doesn't work

**Reported bugs**

- Home screen takes a long time to load
- Audio translation feature doesn't work
- Buttons are extremely slow
- Switching between dark and light mode is glitchy

**Requested features**

- Add option to view author information in preview
- Enable screen rotation for iPad users
- Add more advanced search functionality
- Allow canceling of export in progress
- Improve integration with Zotero


## Frequently asked questions

### Is R Programming Compiler free?

R Programming Compiler is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is R Discovery free?

R Discovery is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, R Programming Compiler or R Discovery?

R Discovery is rated higher. R Programming Compiler averages 3.4 out of 5 from 94 ratings, while R Discovery averages 4.8 from 925 ratings.

### Do R Programming Compiler or R Discovery have ads?

R Programming Compiler shows ads; R Discovery does not.

### Which is updated more often, R Programming Compiler or R Discovery?

R Programming Compiler ships an update every 2 weeks, and R Discovery monthly. Most recently, R Programming Compiler was updated on October 26, 2026 and R Discovery on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*