Comparison

Codea vs UE Remote

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Codea

Create interactive games and visual ideas using a touch-friendly code editor. Build projects with 2D/3D rendering, physics, and export them to create real apps. Supports Lua and GLSL.

Highlights
  • 2D and 3D renderer
  • Touch-based visual editors
  • Lua programming language
  • Export to Xcode
  • Physics engines
  • GLSL shader editor
  • Import assets from Dropbox
Features
Read full description

"It’s kind of like the Garage Band of coding." – Wired "Codea for iPad is a super slick way to write and run programs on your iPad." – Gizmodo Codea lets you create games and simulations — or just about any visual idea you have. Turn your thoughts into interactive creations that make use of iPad features like Multi-Touch and the accelerometer. We think Codea is the most beautiful code editor you'll use, and it's easy. Codea is designed to let you touch your code. Want to change a color, or an image? Tapping will bring up visual editors that let you choose exactly what you want. Codea is built on the Lua programming language. A simple, elegant language that doesn't rely too much on symbols — a perfect match for iPad. Here's how you use it: type your code. Press play to watch it run. Interact with it. Get creative. FEATURES • A fully featured 2D and 3D renderer • Lots of great example projects to learn from, including games • Touch your code: tap colors, images and sounds to adjust them • Export your finished projects to Xcode to produce real apps • Complete in-line reference documentation accessible from keyboard • Intelligent syntax highlighting and auto-completing code editor • Import your own assets from Dropbox • Full 2D and 3D physics engines for complex motion • Add parameters so you can tweak variables at runtime • Interact with accelerometer and multi-touch on your device • Generate retro-game sound effects • GLSL Shader Language support with live shader editor • Bluetooth keyboard support and keyboard shortcuts • Air Code: code live from your PC using WiFi • Much, much more IMPORTANT INFORMATION • Join the forums at https://talk.codea.io to ask questions, share ideas and get help when you need it • If you need help or wish to get in contact with us, please use the support link on this page • Privacy policy https://codea.io/privacy • Terms https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ SUBSCRIPTION • Codea is free to use for projects up to 500 lines, after which you can subscribe to Codea Pro for access to advanced features and unlimited project size • Monthly and yearly plans available • Lifetime one-time purchase also available • Pricing may vary by region. Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings.

About

UE Remote

Test your Unreal Engine 4 projects directly on your development computer using your iOS device. View and control your game's development with touch and motion controls. It also supports virtual camera functionality for Unreal Engine projects.

Highlights
  • Real-time project testing on iOS
  • Touch and motion control input
  • Gameplay and input feature iteration
  • Virtual Camera plugin support
  • Network-based connection
Features
Read full description

Unreal Engine Remote lets you quickly and easily test your Unreal Engine 5 and Unreal Editor for Fortnite projects directly on your development computer using your mobile device's touch controls. Stream your preview session directly to your iOS device and iterate on gameplay and input features in real time. Now powered by Pixel Streaming 2, Unreal Engine Remote delivers a faster, higher-quality streaming experience and full compatibility with Unreal Engine 5 and Unreal Editor for Fortnite. How to use Unreal Engine Remote with an Unreal Engine 5 project: * Open your Unreal Engine 5 project. * Launch Unreal Engine Remote on your iOS device. * Enable the Remote Session plugin in your Unreal Engine 5 project. * Make sure your development computer and mobile device are on the same network. * Launch Play In Editor session. * When the session is launched, enter your computer's IP address in the Unreal Engine Remote running on your mobile device and tap Connect. How to use Unreal Engine Remote with an Unreal Editor for Fortnite project: * Open your Unreal Editor for Fortnite project. * Launch Unreal Engine Remote on your iOS device. * Make sure your development computer and mobile device are on the same network. * Launch a Mobile Preview session. * When the session is launched, enter your computer's IP address in the Unreal Engine Remote running on your mobile device and tap Connect. Your preview session will appear on your iOS device, and all touch input on your iOS device will be processed as standard touch input.

Screenshots

Codea4 screens
UE Remote2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Codea at 90% against UE Remote's 31%. Codea also leads on rating (4.5 vs 1.0) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 months). UE Remote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Codea sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. UE Remote asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Codea holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Codea has 126 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Codea's written reviews are positive against 31% of UE Remote's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Codea ships an update every 2 weeks, UE Remote every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Codea versus UE Remote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCodeaUE Remote
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (126 ratings) — better1.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews89.6% of reviews — better30.6% of reviews
Number of ratings126 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size217 MB118 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTwo Lives LeftUnreal Engine

Customer experience

Codea

All ratings126 ratings
Positive86.5%
Neutral4.0%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews309 reviews
Positive89.6%
Neutral4.9%
Negative5.5%

UE Remote

All ratings2 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive30.6%
Neutral11.3%
Negative58.1%

Bugs and requests

Codea

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes when switching between documents
  • Xcode export not working with latest version of Xcode
  • Keyboard and cursor issues when using Bluetooth keyboard

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add ability to import sounds and 3D models
  • Improve documentation and provide more tutorials
  • Add support for more programming languages beyond Lua

UE Remote

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Codea

Subscriptions2
  • Codea Pro (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Codea Pro (Yearly)$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Codea Pro Lifetime$99.99
None

UE Remote

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Codea free?
Codea is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is UE Remote free?
UE Remote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Codea or UE Remote?
Codea is rated higher. Codea averages 4.5 out of 5 from 126 ratings, while UE Remote averages 1.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Codea or UE Remote have ads?
Neither Codea nor UE Remote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Codea or UE Remote?
Codea ships an update every 2 weeks, and UE Remote every 6 months. Most recently, Codea was updated on October 2, 2026 and UE Remote on October 1, 2026.

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