# App Designer vs Swift IDE

The clearest difference is price: Swift IDE at Free against App Designer's $2.99. Swift IDE also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3). App Designer's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Swift IDE is free to download; App Designer costs $2.99 up front. App Designer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Swift IDE asks for nothing beyond the download.

App Designer ships an update weekly, Swift IDE monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | App Designer | Swift IDE |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | — | **[4.9 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swift-ide-swiftpad-compiler/id6761880276/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **17** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 40 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Norbert Grieger](https://appshunter.io/developer/1437060665) | [Devashy Rangpariya](https://appshunter.io/developer/1890994316) |

## What reviewers say

### App Designer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/app-designer/id1483630994)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Pro Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| Pro Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |


### Swift IDE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swift-ide-swiftpad-compiler/id6761880276)

Write, run, and test Swift code directly on your iOS device. This app is perfect for beginners, students, and developers who want to code anytime, anywhere, with features like syntax highlighting and file management.

**Highlights:** Swift code editor, Instant Swift code execution, Syntax highlighting, File management, Dark and light themes, Code practice and testing

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is App Designer free?

App Designer costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Swift IDE free?

Swift IDE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do App Designer or Swift IDE have ads?

Neither App Designer nor Swift IDE shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, App Designer or Swift IDE?

App Designer ships an update weekly, and Swift IDE monthly. Most recently, App Designer was updated on October 29, 2026 and Swift IDE on October 28, 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.*