Comparison

Runestone Text Editor vs GDevelop

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

Head to head
About

Runestone Text Editor

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
Read full description

A plain text editor with syntax highlighting, line numbers, search and replace, page guide, and much more. It's like TextEdit but more powerful and optimised for iPhone and iPad. Runestone is made by a single person with a love for text editors and a vision of building the most lightweight text editor for iPhone and iPad that still has the core features for editing code. Features: - Syntax highlighting of many languages including HTML, JavaScript, JSON, Markdown, Swift, Python, PHP, YAML, and many more. - Select one of the twelve standard themes including popular themes like Tomorrow, Dracula, Solarized, and One Dark Pro. - Innovative find and replace for searching and modifying text while still viewing your file. - Choose font and font size, including support for custom fonts imported using another third-party app. - Show the line and column the cursor is located on. - Uses the standard document browser for an experience similar to the Files app. - Quickly navigate to a specific line. - Automatically close opening brackets and quotes. - Multiple windows on the iPad. - Format code using Prettier.js. Supported languages include CSS,HTML, JavaScript, JSON, PHP and more. - Choose text encoding between popular encodings like UTF-8, UTF-16, ISO Latin 1, and many more. - Enable or disable autocorrection, autocapitalization, and smart punctuation. - Set default file extension of new files. - Open files in Runestone from the Share Sheet. - Print documents. Premium features: - Choose between eight app icons. - Show line numbers. - Highlight the selected line. - Increase line height and letter spacing. - Disable line wrapping to allow horizontal scrolling. - Show tabs, spaces, and line breaks using a selected symbol. - Enable page guide at a specific column to easily tell when lines are getting too long. - Add vertical and horizontal overscroll. - Remember the selected language per file. - Save file extensions and filenames that should always be treated as plain text files. - Enable soft tabs and choose the width of the tab character. - Specify whether pressing the tab key should insert a tab or indent the line. - Adjust the scaling of Markdown headings and disable highlighting of code blocks in Markdown. Runestone was built on the open-source framework with the same name. Find more information on the Runestone framework at github.com/simonbs/runestone

About

GDevelop

Discover and play a wide variety of indie games created by a global community. This platform also empowers users to design and publish their own 2D and 3D games using a no-code, AI-assisted engine, suitable for all skill levels.

Highlights
  • Unlimited indie game access
  • Create 2D/3D games
  • No-code development
  • AI-assisted game building
  • Game templates and assets
  • Publish and share games
  • Leaderboards and multiplayer
Features
Read full description

Play a growing world of quirky, joyful indie games. Discover, play and support games made by independent creators from around the world... and create your own! Play and help shape the next indie gem: - Unlimited indie games instantly in-app, no install needed - Sharing feedback with creators - Explore new games every week, from around the world Every game in the app was built with GDevelop: the no-code and AI powered, open-source game engine used by thousands of creators, artists, and independent developers. Start exploring. Play something small. Or weird. Or wonderful. Create your own games. Or play any game you're dreaming of! It's fast, easy, and no technical knowledge is required to get started. Try it, or get a GDevelop subscription to unlock every feature! - Explore dozens of game templates or start from scratch. - Use AI to help you build your game step by step. - Use your own characters, or choose from a library of pre-made objects such as characters, animations, sounds, and music. - Quickly add pre-made logic to your game objects with GDevelop's Behaviors. - Write game logic with GDevelop's innovative event system based on "if / then" actions and conditions. - Publish your game in a few seconds and share it with your friends, colleagues, or customers. - Allow players to submit their scores with ready-to-use leaderboards or make online multiplayer games. Dozens of thousands of games are made every month with GDevelop. Unleash your creativity, and create all kinds of games: platformers, shoot’em up, strategy, 8-bit, or hyper-casual games... the sky is the limit. GDevelop is a powerful game engine that will transform you into a game designer: - Add explosions and effects with particles. - Use visual effects ("shaders"). - Pathfinding and advanced movements (bounce, elliptic movement, screen wrap, projectiles...). - Advanced rendering engine that can handle pixel-art games, modern 2D games, 2.5D isometric games and 3D games. - Text objects for scores, dialogues, with optional typewriter effects. - Transitions and smooth movement for objects. - Leaderboards and Real-time Multiplayer. - Platformer engine. - Realistic 2D and 3D physics engine. - Sound effects and music handling. - Ready-to-use objects for your game interface: text input, buttons, joysticks, progress bars... - Complete documentation available for each feature. - Dozens of extensions that give new behaviors, new actions, and new conditions: checkpoints, object shaking, 3D flip effects... GDevelop makes game development easy, even for those with no prior experience. Download the app and join a community of 400k+ monthly creators: gamers, hobbyists, teachers, and professionals. GDevelop's unique design makes game creation fast and fun! Our Terms & Conditions: https://gdevelop.io/page/terms-and-conditions Our Privacy Policy: https://gdevelop.io/page/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Runestone Text Editor4 screens
GDevelop4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Runestone Text Editor at none against GDevelop's shown. Runestone Text Editor also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (76% vs 49%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Runestone Text Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and GDevelop sells 21 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Runestone Text Editor holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2K and 2.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Runestone Text Editor's written reviews are positive against 49% of GDevelop's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Runestone Text Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, GDevelop every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Runestone Text Editor versus GDevelop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRunestone Text EditorGDevelop
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2K ratings) — better4.3 (2.3K ratings)
Positive reviews76.1% of reviews — better49.1% of reviews
Number of ratings2K2.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 11 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#44#39 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB376 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperSimon B. StøvringGDEVELOP FRANCE

Customer experience

Runestone Text Editor

All ratings1,962 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral2.3%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews351 reviews
Positive76.1%
Neutral9.7%
Negative14.2%

GDevelop

All ratings2,335 ratings
Positive82.5%
Neutral6.0%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews344 reviews
Positive49.1%
Neutral9.0%
Negative41.9%

User reviews

Runestone Text Editor

From 2K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

GDevelop

From 2.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Powerful game engine
  • 🤑 Can make great games
  • 🤩 Awesome app
  • 🤖 Impressive no-code features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 💰 Subscription model too restrictive
  • 🤔 Limited free features
  • 🤯 Confusing and complex
  • 🤖 Mobile version not as capable as PC

Bugs and requests

Runestone Text Editor

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Disappearing files
  • Difficulty pasting text
  • Scroll position not saved
  • Hangs on startup
  • Trouble opening large files
Show 1 more
  • Issues after iOS updates

Requested features

6 requests
  • Markdown preview
  • Code folding
  • Syntax highlighting for more languages
  • Ability to run/execute code
  • Multiple file/window support
Show 1 more
  • Improved undo/redo functionality

GDevelop

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes when changing sprites
  • Keyboard issues on mobile
  • Saved projects not loading properly
  • Frequent crashes and loss of progress
  • Importing assets causes issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Sprite editor
  • More programming features (e.g. switches, loops)
  • Ability to organize code/actions better on mobile
  • Reduce subscription limits
  • Add daily rewards or free currency

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Runestone Text Editor

One-time1
  • Premium$9.99
21 purchases

GDevelop

Subscriptions6
  • GDevelop Silver3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • GDevelop Gold3 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • GDevelop Pro3 Days trial$39.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • GDevelop Silver - 1 year$49.991 Year
  • GDevelop Gold - 1 year3 Days trial$95.991 Year
  • GDevelop Pro - 1 year3 Days trial$399.991 Year
One-time15
  • Sci-Fi Space Village$3.99
  • Sci-Fi Space Characters$3.99
  • Sci-Fi Space Animals$3.99
Show 12 more
  • Pixel Dark Fantasy Level 3$4.99
  • Pixel Dark Fantasy$5.99
  • Pixel Dark Fantasy Level 2$5.99
  • 500 Credits$5.99
  • 1000 Credits$9.99
  • Platformer Bundle$14.99
  • GDevelop Mega Bundle$17.99
  • 2000 Credits$18.99
  • From Zero to Creator$24.99
  • From Zero to Creator$34.99
  • 5000 Credits$44.99
  • 10000 Credits$89.99

Questions

Is Runestone Text Editor free?
Runestone Text Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GDevelop free?
GDevelop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Runestone Text Editor or GDevelop?
Runestone Text Editor is rated higher. Runestone Text Editor averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2K ratings, while GDevelop averages 4.3 from 2.3K ratings.
Do Runestone Text Editor or GDevelop have ads?
GDevelop shows ads; Runestone Text Editor does not.
Which is updated more often, Runestone Text Editor or GDevelop?
Runestone Text Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, and GDevelop every 11 days. Most recently, Runestone Text Editor was updated on September 23, 2026 and GDevelop on September 25, 2026.
Which is more popular, Runestone Text Editor or GDevelop?
Runestone Text Editor currently peaks at #44 in the App Store charts, and GDevelop at #39. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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