# Hand BASIC vs Periodic Table Watch

The clearest difference is price: Hand BASIC at Free against Periodic Table Watch's $0.99. Hand BASIC also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 9 months) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 26.0). Periodic Table Watch's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Hand BASIC is free to download; Periodic Table Watch costs $0.99 up front. Hand BASIC sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Periodic Table Watch asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hand BASIC ships an update every 5 weeks, Periodic Table Watch every 9 months. Both last shipped on September 30, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hand BASIC | Periodic Table Watch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[4.4 (45 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hand-basic-cbm-flavor/id394924289/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **45** | — |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 2 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ahmad Hawwash](https://appshunter.io/developer/382404352) | [Jim Haungs](https://appshunter.io/developer/1498282259) |

## 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


### Periodic Table Watch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/periodic-table-watch/id1551884849)

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hand BASIC free?

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

### Is Periodic Table Watch free?

Periodic Table Watch costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Hand BASIC or Periodic Table Watch have ads?

Neither Hand BASIC nor Periodic Table Watch shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hand BASIC or Periodic Table Watch?

Hand BASIC ships an update every 5 weeks, and Periodic Table Watch every 9 months. Most recently, Hand BASIC was updated on September 30, 2026 and Periodic Table Watch on September 30, 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.*