# Swifty Compiler vs SQL Play

The clearest difference is rating: Swifty Compiler at 4.5 against SQL Play's 3.4. Swifty Compiler also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Swifty Compiler sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and SQL Play sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Swifty Compiler holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Swifty Compiler has 194 ratings behind it against 38, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Swifty Compiler's written reviews are positive against 76% of SQL Play's.

Swifty Compiler ships an update fortnightly, SQL Play every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Swifty Compiler | SQL Play |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (194 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swifty-compiler-swift-ide/id1544749600/reviews)** | [3.4 (38 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sql-play-learn-sql/id1546888933/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **194** | 38 |
| Positive reviews | **84.3% of reviews** | 76.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#71** | — |
| Size | 70 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hassan Taleb](https://appshunter.io/developer/955305566) | [Shivam Kumar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1546888935) |

## What reviewers say

### Swifty Compiler

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swifty-compiler-swift-ide/id1544749600)

**Currently charting:** #71 Top Grossing · Developer Tools, #92 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

Write, run, and experiment with Swift code on your mobile device. This app functions as a personal playground for testing algorithms, prototyping ideas, and enhancing coding skills with a variety of editing tools.

**Highlights:** Write and run Swift code, Import Swift and Playground files, Code completion and error highlighting, Code formatting and syntax correction, Code snapshots (PNG, JPEG, PDF), Dark and light mode support, Unlimited credits (Premium)

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Weekly Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Monthly Subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Premium Lifetime | $99.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast code execution
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 💡 Great for on-the-go coding
- ✨ Good for learning Swift
- ✅ Useful for testing logic

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 High cost for features
- ⚠️ Limited free usage
- 💸 Subscription model criticized
- 🚫 No offline mode
- 🤔 Unreasonable charging logic

**Reported bugs**

- Refund screenshots are not correct
- Kept loading without doing anything
- Issues related to JSON parsing
- Cannot save projects without paying
- Cannot use Date or Calendar as types

**Requested features**

- Support for newer Swift versions
- Ability to import projects online
- Cache 'premium' pop-up
- Support multithreading (GCD)
- Fix console printing bug


### SQL Play

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sql-play-learn-sql/id1546888933)

Learn and practice SQL directly on your phone without installing complex software. This app provides built-in tables and over 45 syntaxes with examples to help you master SQL queries. It supports dark mode and allows data export to CSV.

**Highlights:** SQL runner on mobile, 10+ inbuilt practice tables, 45+ SQL syntaxes with examples, DDL, DML, DQL support, Dark mode theme, Export data to CSV, Query history and auto-complete

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SQL Play Premium | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good for learning SQL
- 👍 Helpful for beginners
- 👍 Simple interface
- 👍 Useful for practicing SQL
- 👍 Explains commands step-by-step

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Broken and unusable
- 🐛 Syntax errors on launch
- 🐛 Query box does not clear
- 🐛 Shows errors near SELECT
- 🐛 Tutorial impossible to use

**Reported bugs**

- Items smushed together on download
- Syntax errors on first launch
- Query box does not clear
- Errors near SELECT even with correct query
- Cannot open pro even after activation

**Requested features**

- Solid update required
- Hire better iOS developers
- Show databases function
- Show tables function
- Add 'desc' command


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Swifty Compiler free?

Swifty Compiler is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SQL Play free?

SQL Play is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Swifty Compiler or SQL Play?

Swifty Compiler is rated higher. Swifty Compiler averages 4.5 out of 5 from 194 ratings, while SQL Play averages 3.4 from 38 ratings.

### Do Swifty Compiler or SQL Play have ads?

SQL Play shows ads; Swifty Compiler does not.

### Which is updated more often, Swifty Compiler or SQL Play?

Swifty Compiler ships an update fortnightly, and SQL Play every 3 months. Most recently, Swifty Compiler was updated on September 23, 2026 and SQL Play on September 24, 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.*