Comparison

Visual File Editor vs PLIST Editor Mobile

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

Head to head
About

Visual File Editor

Edit various file types, including source code and PDFs, with advanced search and import/export capabilities. Optimized for iPadOS with keyboard support to enhance productivity.

Highlights
  • Source code editing
  • PDF viewing and editing
  • Advanced search by name, type, date
  • Import/export via Share Sheet
  • Create new files
  • iPadOS optimization
  • Keyboard shortcuts
Features
Read full description

Effortlessly edit files using either App Processing or Regular Expressions to suit your needs. Take advantage of Advanced Search to find files by name, type, added date, or modified date. View and edit source code in a variety of file types with ease. Open and explore PDF content directly within the app. Search within documents to quickly find exactly what you’re looking for. Import files easily using the Visual File Editor or the Share Sheet from iOS or iPadOS, even from external locations. Create new files and start editing right away within the app. Share your modified files directly to external locations with just a few taps. Optimized for iPadOS, with full support for Smart/Magic Keyboard and fast keyboard shortcuts to boost your productivity.

About

PLIST Editor Mobile

Edit property list files in various formats, preserving dictionary order for source control. Offers core editing features for free, with a premium upgrade for advanced functions like saving and find/replace.

Highlights
  • Create, visualize, modify, and save .plist documents
  • Supports XML, Binary, and OpenStep/ASCII formats
  • Preserves dictionary element order for source control
  • Cut, copy, paste, duplicate, delete, and reorder elements
  • Find & Replace text within elements
  • Sort children or siblings by key, type, or value
  • Export files as JSON and PLIST formats
Features
Read full description

PLIST Editor allows you to create, visualize, modify and save property list (.plist) documents. PLIST Editor is probably the only "source control friendly" property list editor that you can find on the market (except Xcode, of course). For all plist types (XML, Binary and OpenStep/ASCII), it maintains the order of dictionary elements and the editing capabilities are on parity with Xcode, so you don't see a difference between a file edited in PLIST Editor and one edited in Xcode. IMPORTANT: PLIST Editor is available as free to download, but there are a few features not available: i.e. Save documents, Find & Replace, Sort. In order to get the most out of the app, and to enable the aforementioned features, "Premium" is recommended to be purchased ("Premium" is a one-time in-app purchase). Core features of the app: • Open and save property list files in XML, Binary and OpenStep/ASCII format. • Cut, copy, paste, duplicate, delete and reorder elements • "Source control" friendly - the order of dictionary elements is preserved, showing them in the same order as they are defined in the file. Similarly, when the property list is written to disk, the order of items from a dictionary written to disk is the same as the one seen on screen. This is especially useful when you keep the files in a repository, because only the relevant changes will be shown when diff-ing the edited files. • Find & Replace text in the property list elements. You can choose where the Find (and Replace) will take place: in "Key" column or "Value" column or both. • Find & Replace also lets you configure where in the text to look for matches: "Contains", "Equals To", "Starts With", "Ends With" and "Regular Expression" • Sort children or siblings by key, type, value or sub-key • Edit the elements of a property list by double tapping a key or value. • Open and edit the files created using NSKeyedArchiver without any loss of information • Copy elements as Swift objects • Copy elements as JSON data, both readable and compact JSON • Copy elements as XML, Binary (Base 64 encoded) and OpenStep/ASCII plists • Embed selected elements in array or dictionary • Shift elements to left or right • Move elements up or down by pressing a row and then moving it to the desired location • Resize the columns for better readability by dragging the separator • Open and edit the files created using NSKeyedArchiver without any loss of information • Export files as JSON (compact or readable) and PLIST (XML, Binary, OpenStep/ASCII) • Option, in Settings to choose the default font, along with the font size • Option, in Settings, to enable (or disable) Auto Save • Undo & Redo • Dark mode • Portrait & landscape • Split view and slide over for iPad • Keyboard support if you have an external keyboard connected or use “Universal control” If you're also interested in the Mac version of this app visit https://vdt-labs.com/plist-editor

Screenshots

Visual File Editor4 screens
PLIST Editor Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Visual File Editor at 83% against PLIST Editor Mobile's 0%. Visual File Editor also leads on ratings volume (25 vs 4) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). PLIST Editor Mobile's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Visual File Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PLIST Editor Mobile sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PLIST Editor Mobile holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Visual File Editor has 25 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of Visual File Editor's written reviews are positive against 0% of PLIST Editor Mobile's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Visual File Editor ships an update every 4 weeks, PLIST Editor Mobile every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Visual File Editor versus PLIST Editor Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVisual File EditorPLIST Editor Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (25 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings25 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTevon WallaceVDT LABS S.R.L.

Customer experience

Visual File Editor

All ratings25 ratings
Positive88.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

PLIST Editor Mobile

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Visual File Editor

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
2 purchases

PLIST Editor Mobile

One-time2
  • Tip$1.99
  • Premium$4.99

Questions

Is Visual File Editor free?
Visual File Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PLIST Editor Mobile free?
PLIST Editor Mobile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Visual File Editor or PLIST Editor Mobile?
PLIST Editor Mobile is rated higher. Visual File Editor averages 4.5 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while PLIST Editor Mobile averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Visual File Editor or PLIST Editor Mobile have ads?
Visual File Editor shows ads; PLIST Editor Mobile does not.
Which is updated more often, Visual File Editor or PLIST Editor Mobile?
Visual File Editor ships an update every 4 weeks, and PLIST Editor Mobile every 2 months. Most recently, Visual File Editor was updated on October 8, 2026 and PLIST Editor Mobile on October 9, 2026.

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