Comparison

PHP Recipes vs Pythonica

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

Head to head
About

PHP Recipes

Access a curated collection of standard PHP and SQL code examples for quick reference. This app provides tested, ready-to-use "recipes" to save developers time, and is useful for exam preparation and interviews. All content is available offline and searchable.

Highlights
  • Directory of PHP and SQL operations
  • Tested code "recipes"
  • Offline access
  • Quick search by code or topic
  • Useful for exams and interviews
  • Cross-platform iOS and MacOS support
Features
Read full description

Tap Run and the real output appears right under the code, so you know what it does before it goes into your project. No PHP to install, no IDE, no setup, no account. 360+ short examples, one task each. Over 95% run on PHP 8.5. You know what you need, but not the exact syntax: • How do I pass values into an SQL query without concatenating strings? • How do I add a month to a date? • How do I build a random string from a given set of characters? Each has a working example here. • 21 sections, including arrays, classes and interfaces, enums, closures, exception handling, regular expressions, files, JSON and XML, databases, algorithms, and design patterns. • What changed from PHP 7.0 to 8.4, with before-and-after code: match expressions, named arguments, constructor property promotion, readonly properties, property hooks. • Reference, 150+ entries: keywords, magic methods, superglobals, and functions for strings, arrays, and files. Tap a word in the code to look it up. • 200+ SQL queries: JOIN, GROUP BY, subqueries, window functions; more than half run on a practice database. • Search looks inside the code: type array_map to find every example that uses it. • Edit an example and run your version, or write your own. • Works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. • Everything except running code works offline. Free version: 200+ PHP examples and 120+ SQL queries, the full reference, and 12 runs and 12 edits a day (PHP and SQL runs share one limit). Full version: all examples and queries, unlimited edits and examples of your own, and up to 30 PHP and 80 SQL runs a day. One-time purchase, no subscription. Built by a developer for developers. The project behind it has been in active development since 2015.

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

PHP Recipes4 screens
Pythonica4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: PHP Recipes at none against Pythonica's shown. Pythonica's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 6 months) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. PHP Recipes sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Pythonica 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for PHP Recipes against 5.0 for Pythonica. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PHP Recipes ships an update every 6 months, Pythonica every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 27, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PHP Recipes versus Pythonica: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPHP RecipesPythonica
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.013.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB237 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFedor ObraztsovFiras Moussa

Customer experience

PHP Recipes

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Pythonica

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

In-app purchases

4 purchases

PHP Recipes

One-time4
  • Оperations with example$0.99
  • PHP Samples$0.99
  • SQL queries$0.99
Show 1 more
  • Full version (no restrictions)$2.99
2 purchases

Pythonica

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

Questions

Is PHP Recipes free?
PHP Recipes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pythonica free?
Pythonica is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PHP Recipes or Pythonica?
PHP Recipes and Pythonica are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do PHP Recipes or Pythonica have ads?
Pythonica shows ads; PHP Recipes does not.
Which is updated more often, PHP Recipes or Pythonica?
PHP Recipes ships an update every 6 months, and Pythonica every 3 months. Most recently, PHP Recipes was updated on October 27, 2026 and Pythonica on October 27, 2026.

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