# Codea vs Scrap Paper

The clearest difference is price: Codea at Free against Scrap Paper's $1.99. Codea also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (126 vs 35). Scrap Paper's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Codea is free to download; Scrap Paper costs $1.99 up front. Codea sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Scrap Paper asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scrap Paper holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 126 and 35 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Codea's written reviews are positive against 95% of Scrap Paper's.

Codea ships an update every 2 weeks, Scrap Paper every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Codea | Scrap Paper |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | [4.5 (126 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/codea/id439571171/reviews) | **[4.8 (35 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scrap-paper/id1448441317/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **126** | 35 |
| Positive reviews | 89.6% of reviews | **95.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 217 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Two Lives Left](https://appshunter.io/developer/335953314) | [Erik Wegener](https://appshunter.io/developer/424482392) |

## What reviewers say

### Codea

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/codea/id439571171)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Codea Pro (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Codea Pro (Yearly) | $29.99 | per year |
| Codea Pro Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great for making games
- 👍 Lets me code when I feel the itch
- 💡 Powerful, Playful Development Environment
- 👍 Fantastic prototyping tool
- 👍 One of the best programming apps on iPad

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Assets don't work
- 🐛 Need Pencil scrolling slider. TOO MUCH ACCIDENTAL WRITING
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Bugs with keyboard and cursor issues

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

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


### Scrap Paper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scrap-paper/id1448441317)

This app provides a single, persistent note for quick text storage and retrieval, ideal for copying snippets from online forms or jotting down fleeting thoughts. It also offers basic math calculation capabilities.

**Highlights:** Single persistent note, Quick text storage, Jot down random thoughts, Copy text from online forms, Local math problem solver, Cross-device iCloud sync

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Extremely fast and lightweight app
- 📌 Convenient menu bar access with hotkey
- ☁️ Seamless iCloud sync across devices
- ✨ Minimalist, clutter-free design
- 📋 Perfect for quick notes and clipboard management

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Menu bar icon disappears after macOS updates
- 🐛 iCloud sync fails on Mac after updates
- 📱 Font installation difficult on iOS/iPadOS
- 💰 Changed from free to paid app
- ⚠️ Only supports single note at a time

**Reported bugs**

- Menu bar icon disappears after macOS updates
- iCloud sync stops working after macOS updates
- App fails to open (icon does nothing)
- Font configuration profiles not recognized on iOS/iPadOS
- Window size resets after reboot

**Requested features**

- Multiple notes/pages or tabs functionality
- Rich text formatting (bold, italic, bullet lists)
- Custom color picker beyond presets
- Remember window size on reboot
- Solid cursor option instead of blinking


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Codea free?

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

### Is Scrap Paper free?

Scrap Paper costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Codea or Scrap Paper?

Scrap Paper is rated higher. Codea averages 4.5 out of 5 from 126 ratings, while Scrap Paper averages 4.8 from 35 ratings.

### Do Codea or Scrap Paper have ads?

Neither Codea nor Scrap Paper shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Codea or Scrap Paper?

Codea ships an update every 2 weeks, and Scrap Paper every 6 weeks. Most recently, Codea was updated on October 2, 2026 and Scrap Paper on September 24, 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.*