# Hand BASIC vs Shaderific

The clearest difference is price: Hand BASIC at Free against Shaderific's $49.99. Hand BASIC also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (47 vs 4). Shaderific's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On rating, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Hand BASIC is free to download; Shaderific costs $49.99 up front. Hand BASIC sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Shaderific asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hand BASIC holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hand BASIC has 47 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of Hand BASIC's written reviews are positive against 91% of Shaderific's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Hand BASIC ships an update every 5 weeks, Shaderific every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hand BASIC | Shaderific |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $49.99 |
| Rating | **[4.4 (47 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hand-basic-cbm-flavor/id394924289/reviews)** | [4.3 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shaderific-opengl-editor/id510588451/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **47** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | **91.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 2 MB | 42 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 14.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ahmad Hawwash](https://appshunter.io/developer/382404352) | [Gryphos GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/457550333) |

## 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


### Shaderific

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shaderific-opengl-editor/id510588451)

Develop OpenGL shaders on your mobile device. Write and compile GLSL code, tweak parameters, and see immediate visual results. Includes a reference, code editor, and a library of built-in shaders and objects.

**Highlights:** GLSL shader development, Real-time parameter tweaking, Built-in GLSL reference, Code completion and syntax highlighting, Import/export shaders and objects, Particle systems, Video texture support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hand BASIC free?

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

### Is Shaderific free?

Shaderific costs $49.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Hand BASIC or Shaderific?

Hand BASIC is rated higher. Hand BASIC averages 4.4 out of 5 from 47 ratings, while Shaderific averages 4.3 from 4 ratings.

### Do Hand BASIC or Shaderific have ads?

Neither Hand BASIC nor Shaderific shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hand BASIC or Shaderific?

Hand BASIC ships an update every 5 weeks, and Shaderific every 3 months. Most recently, Hand BASIC was updated on October 23, 2026 and Shaderific on October 21, 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.*