# Hand BASIC vs gcc

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: gcc at none against Hand BASIC's 2. gcc also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 83%). Hand BASIC's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 7 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Hand BASIC holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hand BASIC has 45 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of Hand BASIC's written reviews are positive against 100% of gcc'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, gcc every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hand BASIC | gcc |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (45 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hand-basic-cbm-flavor/id394924289/reviews)** | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gcc-lab/id6475364774/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **45** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 2 MB | 364 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Ahmad Hawwash](https://appshunter.io/developer/382404352) | [Luis Acevedo-Arreguin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1642773653) |

## 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


### gcc

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gcc-lab/id6475364774)

Practice computer programming languages like C, C++, Fortran, and Modula-2. This tool is ideal for computer science students and high schoolers exploring software engineering. Easily reset the app if your code encounters errors.

**Highlights:** Practice C, C++, Fortran, Modula-2, Includes GCC versions 10.2.0 and 14.0.0, Code testing functionality, App reset feature, Suitable for students

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hand BASIC free?

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

### Is gcc free?

gcc is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Hand BASIC is rated higher. Hand BASIC averages 4.4 out of 5 from 45 ratings, while gcc averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Hand BASIC or gcc have ads?

Neither Hand BASIC nor gcc shows ads.

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

Hand BASIC ships an update every 5 weeks, and gcc every 7 months. Most recently, Hand BASIC was updated on September 30, 2026 and gcc on October 1, 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.*