# Hand BASIC vs pocket BASIC

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: pocket BASIC at none against Hand BASIC's 2. Hand BASIC's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Hand BASIC ships an update every 5 weeks, pocket BASIC monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hand BASIC | pocket BASIC |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| 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 | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 2 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ahmad Hawwash](https://appshunter.io/developer/382404352) | [Leonardo Del Nonno](https://appshunter.io/developer/1813215809) |

## 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


### pocket BASIC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-basic-simple-coding/id6749103964)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hand BASIC free?

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

### Is pocket BASIC free?

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

### Do Hand BASIC or pocket BASIC have ads?

Neither Hand BASIC nor pocket BASIC shows ads.

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

Hand BASIC ships an update every 5 weeks, and pocket BASIC monthly. Most recently, Hand BASIC was updated on September 30, 2026 and pocket BASIC on October 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.*