Comparison

Runestone Text Editor vs Python Editor App

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

Python Editor App

Code and run Python 3 scripts directly on your iOS device with a feature-rich editor. Enjoy syntax highlighting, auto-indentation, code completion, and AI-powered code assistance. Optimize your workflow with multi-window support and background script execution.

Highlights
  • Create, edit, and run Python 3 scripts
  • Syntax highlighting, auto-indentation, code completion
  • AI-powered code assistant
  • Multi-window support
  • Background script execution
  • Reusable code snippets
Features
Read full description

Introducing the ultimate Python editor for iOS! Enjoy a powerful, easy-to-use environment for coding in Python right from your iPhone or iPad. Whether you’re new to coding or an experienced developer, you’ll love the intuitive interface and feature-packed design that makes programming simple and efficient. With our Python editor, you can create, edit, and run Python scripts directly on iOS. Features include syntax highlighting, auto-indentation, and code completion, helping you write clean, error-free code. A built-in library of reusable snippets—plus the option to create your own—makes development faster than ever. Designed to take full advantage of iOS, the app supports Liquid Glass API for a fluid, responsive coding experience, along with multi-window support, letting you work on multiple files or scripts side by side. Use touch gestures to navigate, split your screen to view code and console simultaneously, and keep scripts running in the background while you multitask. And now, with the integrated Code Assistant, you can generate, refine, and debug Python code with AI-powered suggestions—directly inside the editor. After a 3-day free trial, a subscription unlocks the complete experience: - DeelSeek Integration (with your API key) - DeelSeek Code Assistant - Liquid Glass API & Multi-window support - Editor customization - Beautiful themes - Complete Python guidebook - Python learning resources Privacy Policy: https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/85758827 Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

Screenshots

Runestone Text Editor4 screens
Python Editor App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Runestone Text Editor at 76% against Python Editor App's 20%. Runestone Text Editor also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.1) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). Python Editor App's advantage is ratings volume (6.5K vs 2K). On price, ads, 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. Runestone Text Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Python Editor App sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. 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 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2K and 6.5K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Runestone Text Editor's written reviews are positive against 20% of Python Editor App's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Runestone Text Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, Python Editor App every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Runestone Text Editor versus Python Editor App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRunestone Text EditorPython Editor App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2K ratings) — better4.1 (6.5K ratings)
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews — better19.8% of reviews
Number of ratings2K6.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#35#18 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB403 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSimon B. StøvringAndromeda Corp LTD

Customer experience

Runestone Text Editor

All ratings1,962 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral2.3%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews353 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral9.6%
Negative14.2%

Python Editor App

All ratings6,456 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral2.9%
Negative19.3%
Written reviews651 reviews
Positive19.8%
Neutral4.1%
Negative76.0%

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

Python Editor App

From 6.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Great mobile Python IDE
  • 📚 Helpful built-in learning resources
  • 👍 Simple and easy to use

Room to improve

  • 💰 Aggressive paywall/subscription model
  • 🔒 No free trial or limited functionality
  • 🙅‍♀️ Inability to close subscription popup
  • 🚫 Unusable without paid subscription

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

Python Editor App

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes on launch for some users
  • Typing issues and keyboard problems
  • Inability to run certain file types

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add support for third-party modules
  • Improve cursor control and editing capabilities
  • Provide option to disable review prompts

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Runestone Text Editor

One-time1
  • Premium$9.99
3 purchases

Python Editor App

Subscriptions3
  • Code Premium Pro W$2.997 Days
  • Py Editor Pro3 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • Code Premium$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Runestone Text Editor free?
Runestone Text Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Python Editor App free?
Python Editor App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Runestone Text Editor or Python Editor App?
Runestone Text Editor is rated higher. Runestone Text Editor averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2K ratings, while Python Editor App averages 4.1 from 6.5K ratings.
Do Runestone Text Editor or Python Editor App have ads?
Neither Runestone Text Editor nor Python Editor App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Runestone Text Editor or Python Editor App?
Runestone Text Editor ships an update every 2 weeks, and Python Editor App every 5 weeks. Most recently, Runestone Text Editor was updated on September 30, 2026 and Python Editor App on October 1, 2026.
Which is more popular, Runestone Text Editor or Python Editor App?
Runestone Text Editor currently peaks at #35 in the App Store charts, and Python Editor App at #18. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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