# Hand BASIC vs Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Hand BASIC at 83% against Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler's 25%. Hand BASIC also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.4) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hand BASIC sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hand BASIC holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 45 and 11 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Hand BASIC's written reviews are positive against 25% of Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler's.

Hand BASIC ships an update every 5 weeks, Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and August 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hand BASIC | Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (45 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hand-basic-cbm-flavor/id394924289/reviews)** | [3.4 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/visual-basic-vbnet-compiler/id1451474197/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **45** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | **83.3% of reviews** | 25.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 2 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ahmad Hawwash](https://appshunter.io/developer/382404352) | [Ketan Appa](https://appshunter.io/developer/576435759) |

## 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


### Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/visual-basic-vbnet-compiler/id1451474197)

Write and execute VB.NET code on your mobile device. Ideal for learning and testing code snippets with features like syntax highlighting and a custom keyboard. Requires an internet connection for compilation.

**Highlights:** Compile and run VB.NET programs, View program output and errors, Custom keyboard for special characters, Advanced source code editor, Syntax highlighting and line numbers, Import, export, and share files

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hand BASIC free?

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

### Is Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler free?

Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Hand BASIC or Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler?

Hand BASIC is rated higher. Hand BASIC averages 4.4 out of 5 from 45 ratings, while Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler averages 3.4 from 11 ratings.

### Do Hand BASIC or Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler have ads?

Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler shows ads; Hand BASIC does not.

### Which is updated more often, Hand BASIC or Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler?

Hand BASIC ships an update every 5 weeks, and Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler every 2 months. Most recently, Hand BASIC was updated on September 8, 2026 and Visual Basic (VB.NET) Compiler on August 16, 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.*