# Hand BASIC vs Little Man Computer

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Little Man Computer at none against Hand BASIC's 2. Hand BASIC's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 50%) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 45 months). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hand BASIC sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Little Man Computer asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Hand BASIC against 4.3 for Little Man Computer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hand BASIC has 45 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Hand BASIC's written reviews are positive against 50% of Little Man Computer's.

Hand BASIC ships an update every 5 weeks, Little Man Computer every 45 months. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and June 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hand BASIC | Little Man Computer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (45 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hand-basic-cbm-flavor/id394924289/reviews)** | [4.3 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/little-man-computer/id1174092777/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **45** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | **83.3% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 45 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 2 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ahmad Hawwash](https://appshunter.io/developer/382404352) | [SparrowTek LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1174092776) |

## What reviewers say

### Hand BASIC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hand-basic-cbm-flavor/id394924289)

Learn and program in BASIC language on your mobile device. This app offers a compatible version of Commodore's BASIC, ideal for students, scientists, and productivity workers. It includes a text editor, file management, and optional graphics extensions.

**Highlights:** Commodore 64 BASIC V2 compatible, Full-speed execution on device, Load/save files with directory creation, Full-featured iPhone text editor, Optional graphics extension with GML, In-app help and sample code

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Graphics Extension | $9.99 | one-time |
| Graphics Extension for iPad | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Faithful C64 BASIC implementation
- 🎮 Nostalgic and fun retro experience
- 📚 Comprehensive documentation and help resources
- ⚡ Fast execution compared to original hardware
- 💾 Save and load functionality works reliably

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Infinite loops cause app to hang with no break mechanism
- ⌨️ On-screen keyboard difficult to use on iPad
- 📋 No copy/paste functionality in older versions
- 🔧 Missing PEEK and POKE commands
- ❌ Cannot delete unwanted programs

**Reported bugs**

- Infinite loops freeze the app with no way to stop execution
- Graphics mode (SCREEN 1) pops up briefly then disappears
- On-screen keyboard functions dance around screen on iPad with external keyboard
- Low Power Mode cuts program speed in half on iPhone
- Program runs original version instead of edited version

**Requested features**

- Run/Stop button to break out of infinite loops
- Bluetooth keyboard support
- Changeable font options
- Copy/paste functionality
- PEEK and POKE command support


### Little Man Computer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/little-man-computer/id1174092777)

Explore the fundamentals of computer architecture and assembly language with this educational tool. It simulates the von Neumann architecture, offering a hands-on way to grasp how computers process information. Ideal for students and anyone curious about computing.

**Highlights:** Computer architecture simulation, Assembly language learning, Von Neumann architecture model, Educational tool, Historical computing concepts

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hand BASIC free?

Hand BASIC is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Little Man Computer free?

Little Man Computer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Hand BASIC or Little Man Computer?

Hand BASIC is rated higher. Hand BASIC averages 4.4 out of 5 from 45 ratings, while Little Man Computer averages 4.3 from 6 ratings.

### Do Hand BASIC or Little Man Computer have ads?

Neither Hand BASIC nor Little Man Computer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hand BASIC or Little Man Computer?

Hand BASIC ships an update every 5 weeks, and Little Man Computer every 45 months. Most recently, Hand BASIC was updated on September 8, 2026 and Little Man Computer on June 10, 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.*