Comparison

RETRO FORTH vs Framework Markup Language

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

Framework Markup Language

Features
Read full description

The FML app allows you to connect to one or more Application(s) hosting FML Templates. This can be used for showcasing, testing and development of Applications on iOS created with FML without the need to build the engine from the source code yourself. If you are interested in learning how to create your own applications please visit https://fml.dev to get started. Flutter and the related logo are trademarks of Google LLC. We are not endorsed by or affiliated with Google LLC.

Screenshots

RETRO FORTH4 screens
Framework Markup Language4 screens

Verdict

The call

RETRO FORTH and Framework Markup Language are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RETRO FORTH ships an update monthly, Framework Markup Language every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
RETRO FORTH versus Framework Markup Language: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRETRO FORTHFramework Markup Language
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.4 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB121 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperCharles ChildersJeff Olajos

In-app purchases

None

RETRO FORTH

No in-app purchases

None

Framework Markup Language

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RETRO FORTH free?
RETRO FORTH is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Framework Markup Language free?
Framework Markup Language is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do RETRO FORTH or Framework Markup Language have ads?
Neither RETRO FORTH nor Framework Markup Language shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RETRO FORTH or Framework Markup Language?
RETRO FORTH ships an update monthly, and Framework Markup Language every 3 weeks. Most recently, RETRO FORTH was updated on October 16, 2026 and Framework Markup Language on October 1, 2026.

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