Comparison

RETRO FORTH vs OCaml

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

Head to head
About

RETRO FORTH

A compact and adaptable concatenative programming language designed for ease of learning and customization. It features a code editor, interactive listener, and support for Gopher servers, allowing for flexible development.

Highlights
  • Concatenative programming language
  • Code editor with Markdown subset
  • Literate programming style
  • Interactive listener interface
  • Gopher server data fetching
  • File manager
  • Documentation browser
Features
Read full description

RETRO FORTH is a concatenative programming language with roots in Forth. Designed to be compact, learnable, and easy to adapt to specific needs, it has been developed and refined through continual use by a small community over more than a decade. Forth is a stack based programming language created in the late 1960's by Chuck Moore. Over the intervening decades it has evolved through use, with many dialects along the way. The Retro dialect was created in the late 1990's, and has been continually developed and supported for over 15 years. It is a structured, imperative stack-based language with modern facilities including quotations and reflection. It features: - latest version of the RETRO language - a code editor using Markdown subset - literate programming style - code is extracted from fenced blocks in Markdown source allowing easy mixing of code and commentary - allows use of unicode & emoji in source & commentary - interactive listener interface for quick interactions - simple console output and text input - editor provides quick access to numbers and symbols - support for fetching textual data from Gopher servers - file manager - documentation browser It also includes documentation and several optional examples.

About

OCaml

Learn and practice OCaml programming with an integrated editor and interactive top-level interpreter. This app provides offline functionality and step-by-step learning modules for variables, conditions, and loops, with new content added regularly.

Highlights
  • Integrated OCaml editor
  • Interactive top-level interpreter
  • Offline code execution
  • Step-by-step learning chapters
  • Customizable editor settings
  • Save and open .ml files
Features
Read full description

The all-in-one OCaml bundle for iOS, iPadOS and macOS! Learn the language and practice with a powerful editor and interactive top level available in the app, working offline. CODE - Write OCaml code directly from the app, and execute it with an interactive top level - Save your code in .ml files to open again them later - No need to install additional tools, OCaml is shipped with the app, and works offline - Customize the editor settings to make it yours LEARN - Learn OCaml step by step with chapters about variables, conditions, loops, … - New chapters are added frequently - It’s quick and easy! Don’t wait, start learning and playing with OCaml for free now! Application developed by Nathan Fallet © 2021 Groupe MINASTE

Screenshots

RETRO FORTH4 screens
OCaml3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RETRO FORTH at none against OCaml's 3. RETRO FORTH also leads on iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.0). OCaml's advantage is review sentiment (64% vs 33%) and ratings volume (17 vs 5). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. OCaml sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. RETRO FORTH asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

OCaml holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 17 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of RETRO FORTH's written reviews are positive against 64% of OCaml's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
RETRO FORTH versus OCaml: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRETRO FORTHOCaml
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (5 ratings)4.6 (17 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews64.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings517 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS12.4 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCharles ChildersGroupe MINASTE

Customer experience

RETRO FORTH

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral66.7%
Negative0.0%

OCaml

All ratings17 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive64.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative32.0%

In-app purchases

None

RETRO FORTH

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

OCaml

One-time3
  • Donation 1$0.99
  • Donation 2$2.99
  • Donation 3$4.99

Questions

Is RETRO FORTH free?
RETRO FORTH is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is OCaml free?
OCaml is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, RETRO FORTH or OCaml?
OCaml is rated higher. RETRO FORTH averages 4.4 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while OCaml averages 4.6 from 17 ratings.
Do RETRO FORTH or OCaml have ads?
Neither RETRO FORTH nor OCaml shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RETRO FORTH or OCaml?
RETRO FORTH ships an update monthly, and OCaml monthly. Most recently, RETRO FORTH was updated on October 16, 2026 and OCaml on October 16, 2026.

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