Comparison

RETRO FORTH vs Pythonica

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

Pythonica

Develop and debug Python web applications directly on your iOS device. This app provides a full Python environment with PIP support, a script editor with advanced features, and a built-in Git client. It also allows you to run your applications as standalone web apps.

Highlights
  • Full Python environment with PIP
  • Integrated Git client
  • Multi-tabbed script editor
  • Auto-complete and syntax validation
  • Standalone web app functionality
  • Remote file management (FTP/SFTP/FTPS/iCloud)
  • Offline Python documentation
Features
Read full description

Full-fledged Python on iOS with PIP support. Pythonica is designed for Python developers. With Pythonica, you can build, modify, run and debug web applications using Python and Webkit on your iOS device or any other device on the same network. Pythonica also turns your device into a complete standalone web application with Python support to run on startup. App features: - Full Python without internet connection - Git client - Script editor - html/js/css/json beautifiers in script editor - Auto-Complete - Image editor - Multi-tabbed script/image editor - PIP - Panel to capture logs - Supports in-app browser / in-app Safari - Multi-tabbed file manager - Set as standalone web application - Remote file manager (access app's files from another device) - FTP/SFTP/FTPS/iCloud managers - phpLiteAdmin to edit sqlite files - Firebug Lite - Syntax validator for HTML, JS & CSS - Offline Python documentation - Enable/Disable sharing with Files app - Split screen on iPad - Multitasking on iPad Note: Pythonica does not support c extensions. For more information & inquiries please contact us.

Screenshots

RETRO FORTH4 screens
Pythonica4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pythonica at 100% against RETRO FORTH's 33%. Pythonica also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4). RETRO FORTH's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, device support and iOS requirement 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. Pythonica sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. RETRO FORTH asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pythonica holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of RETRO FORTH's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pythonica's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RETRO FORTH ships an update monthly, Pythonica every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
RETRO FORTH versus Pythonica: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRETRO FORTHPythonica
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (5 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5 — better2
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.4 — better13.4
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB237 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCharles ChildersFiras Moussa

Customer experience

RETRO FORTH

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

Pythonica

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

RETRO FORTH

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Pythonica

One-time2
  • Unlock all features$4.99
  • Standalone Web Application$9.99

Questions

Is RETRO FORTH free?
RETRO FORTH is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pythonica free?
Pythonica is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, RETRO FORTH or Pythonica?
Pythonica is rated higher. RETRO FORTH averages 4.4 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Pythonica averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do RETRO FORTH or Pythonica have ads?
Pythonica shows ads; RETRO FORTH does not.
Which is updated more often, RETRO FORTH or Pythonica?
RETRO FORTH ships an update monthly, and Pythonica every 3 months. Most recently, RETRO FORTH was updated on October 16, 2026 and Pythonica on October 3, 2026.

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