Comparison

GitHub vs BASIC

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

Head to head
About

GitHub

Manage your code projects, review changes, and collaborate with your team on the go. This app allows you to stay updated with notifications, respond to issues, and browse files and code from anywhere.

Highlights
  • Browse notifications
  • Read, react, and reply to Issues and Pull Requests
  • Review and merge Pull Requests
  • Organize Issues with labels and assignees
  • Browse files and code
  • Discover trending repositories
Read full description

There’s a lot you can do on GitHub that doesn’t require a complex development environment – like sharing feedback on a design discussion, or reviewing a few lines of code. GitHub for iOS lets you move work forward wherever you are. Stay in touch with your team, triage issues, and even merge, right from the app. We’re making these tasks easy for you to perform, no matter where you work, with a beautifully native experience. You can use GitHub for iOS to: • Browse your latest notifications • Read, react, and reply to Issues and Pull Requests • Review and merge Pull Requests • Organize Issues with labels, assignees, projects, and more • Browse your files and code • Discover new and trending repositories ——— Terms of Service: https://docs.github.com/en/github/site-policy/github-terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://docs.github.com/en/github/site-policy/github-privacy-statement

About

BASIC

Create and publish your own applications directly on your iOS device using an extended BASIC programming language. Features include a rich interface, advanced graphics, sound capabilities, and hardware support.

Highlights
  • Create standalone apps for App Store
  • Rich user interface elements
  • Advanced graphics and animation
  • Comprehensive sound and music support
  • Hardware sensor integration
  • Networking and file management
  • Customizable IDE with documentation
Features
Read full description

This is "smart BASIC" - an extended version of popular Minimal BASIC programming language. With "smart BASIC" you can create your own programs right on your iOS device. BASIC programs, written in "smart BASIC", can be published in the App Store as standalone applications using the "smart BASIC" SDK for Xcode. The "smart BASIC" programming language has many powerful features. INTERFACE: - buttons, text boxes, sliders, switches, browsers - pages for grouping your interface objects - support for additional TTF fonts - clipboard support - multitouch up to 11 simultaneous touches GRAPHIC: - advanced graphics functions - animated sprites, sprite sheet support MUSIC and SOUND: - play MP3, AIFF, WAV, MIDI, MOV and MP4 files - programmable MIDI synthesizer with 128 built-in instruments - support for additional sound fonts SF2 and DLS - speech synthesizer HARDWARE support: - GPS, compass - accelerometer - photo and video recording and more: - files - networking - integrated mathematics of complex numbers - customizable IDE - built-in documentation - ready-to-use examples of programs Visit the support forum to get assistance and to share your BASIC programs with other users.

Screenshots

GitHub4 screens
BASIC4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: GitHub at Free against BASIC's $11.99. GitHub also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). BASIC's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On review sentiment, ads 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

GitHub is free to download; BASIC costs $11.99 up front. GitHub sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. BASIC asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GitHub holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GitHub has 37K ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 63% of GitHub's written reviews are positive against 68% of BASIC's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GitHub ships an update weekly, BASIC every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
GitHub versus BASIC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGitHubBASIC
PriceFree — better$11.99
Rating4.8 (37K ratings) — better4.2 (17 ratings)
Positive reviews63.3% of reviews68.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings37K — better17
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#2 — better#109
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size175 MB135 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperGitHubNikolay Denislamov

Customer experience

GitHub

All ratings37,128 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral1.7%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews913 reviews
Positive63.3%
Neutral9.1%
Negative27.6%

BASIC

All ratings17 ratings
Positive76.5%
Neutral5.9%
Negative17.6%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive68.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative28.0%

Bugs and requests

GitHub

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Login issues and inability to switch accounts
  • Inconsistent behavior when navigating between app and website
  • Notifications not always loading correctly
  • Inability to view all files in large pull requests
  • Crashes when trying to perform certain actions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for multiple accounts
  • Improve search and filtering capabilities
  • Implement code editing and file management
  • Integrate GitHub Actions and Insights
  • Allow viewing and managing GitHub projects

BASIC

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

GitHub

Subscriptions4
  • GitHub Pro$3.991 Month
  • Copilot Pro$10.001 Month
  • Copilot Pro+$39.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Copilot Max$99.001 Month
None

BASIC

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GitHub free?
GitHub is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BASIC free?
BASIC costs $11.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, GitHub or BASIC?
GitHub is rated higher. GitHub averages 4.8 out of 5 from 37K ratings, while BASIC averages 4.2 from 17 ratings.
Do GitHub or BASIC have ads?
Neither GitHub nor BASIC shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GitHub or BASIC?
GitHub ships an update weekly, and BASIC every 2 months. Most recently, GitHub was updated on September 25, 2026 and BASIC on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, GitHub or BASIC?
GitHub currently peaks at #2 in the App Store charts, and BASIC at #109. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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