# Runestone Text Editor vs UCoW

The clearest difference is price: Runestone Text Editor at Free against UCoW's $3.99. Runestone Text Editor also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.8) and ratings volume (2K vs 12). UCoW's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Runestone Text Editor is free to download; UCoW costs $3.99 up front. Runestone Text Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. UCoW asks for nothing beyond the download.

Runestone Text Editor holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Runestone Text Editor has 2K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Runestone Text Editor's written reviews are positive against 54% of UCoW's.

Runestone Text Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, UCoW every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Runestone Text Editor | UCoW |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/runestone-text-editor/id1548193893/reviews)** | [3.8 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ucow-ultimate-code-wrapper/id1551344923/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2K** | 12 |
| Positive reviews | **76.1% of reviews** | 54.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#33** | #126 |
| Size | 64 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.5** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Simon B. Støvring](https://appshunter.io/developer/423532907) | [Christoph Gogolin](https://appshunter.io/developer/511901280) |

## What reviewers say

### Runestone Text Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/runestone-text-editor/id1548193893)

**Currently charting:** #33 Top Grossing · Developer Tools, #47 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

A powerful plain text and code editor for iPhone and iPad. Offers syntax highlighting, line numbers, find and replace, and extensive customization options for developers and writers.

**Highlights:** Syntax highlighting for many languages, Customizable themes and fonts, Advanced find and replace, Line numbers and cursor location, Code formatting with Prettier.js, Multiple windows on iPad

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

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

**What reviewers like**

- 💎 Excellent text editor
- 🚀 Smooth and responsive
- 🎨 Customizable themes and appearance
- 🔒 Secure file storage and sync
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🔍 Difficulty navigating files/folders
- 📝 Limited functionality without premium
- 🔌 Performance issues on older devices
- 🔒 Difficulty accessing files in cloud storage

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing files
- Difficulty pasting text
- Scroll position not saved
- Hangs on startup
- Trouble opening large files

**Requested features**

- Markdown preview
- Code folding
- Syntax highlighting for more languages
- Ability to run/execute code
- Multiple file/window support


### UCoW

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ucow-ultimate-code-wrapper/id1551344923)

**Currently charting:** #126 Top Paid · Developer Tools (US App Store)

This app provides a unified interface to access various online code editing and development environments. It enhances usability with custom keybars, shortcut access, and improved cursor control for mobile devices.

**Highlights:** Unified access to online code instances, Customizable keybar with cursor control, Full keyboard shortcut support, Optimized performance for iPad, Quick switching between instances, Multi-instance and window support

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Runestone Text Editor free?

Runestone Text Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is UCoW free?

UCoW costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Runestone Text Editor or UCoW?

Runestone Text Editor is rated higher. Runestone Text Editor averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2K ratings, while UCoW averages 3.8 from 12 ratings.

### Do Runestone Text Editor or UCoW have ads?

Neither Runestone Text Editor nor UCoW shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Runestone Text Editor or UCoW?

Runestone Text Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, and UCoW every 3 weeks. Most recently, Runestone Text Editor was updated on September 23, 2026 and UCoW on September 23, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Runestone Text Editor or UCoW?

Runestone Text Editor currently peaks at #33 in the App Store charts, and UCoW at #126. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*