Comparison

Codea vs X

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

X

Manage your hydraulic components and machines with a digital twin. Organize machines into folders, perform inspections, and access data offline. Seamlessly syncs with a web application for office and field collaboration.

Highlights
  • Digital twin for hydraulic components
  • Machine organization in folders
  • Component breakdown
  • Regulatory inspection module
  • Offline data access and synchronization
  • App and web application integration
Features
Read full description

The X-CODE Manager helps you keep track of all your machines. At the centre is our X-CODE, a digital twin of your hydraulic components. **X-CODE in focus** Our X-CODE is the key element for all actions in the X-CODE Manager. Your X-CODEs and all functions are quickly and easily accessible.   **Your machines in focus** You can organise your machines in self-defined folder structures and divide each machine into components.    **Master of your machines** Keep full control of your machines. Organise your machines in folders and limit access to these folder by setting authorisations.   **Better safe than sorry** With our service module, you can carry out your inspections in accordance with DGUV and BetrSichV regulations.   **Easy navigation & search** Via the main menu you can access all areas of the app. The action button is always in reach and lets you access all actions. Our search options help you find what you are looking for. Quick filters help you keep your focus.   **Keep on working offline** When you log in for the first time, your data is saved locally in our X-CODE Manager. If your internet connection should fail in the meantime, you can simply continue working. As soon as the internet connection is available again, all changes are synchronised with our system and saved.   **Perfect symbiosis: app and web application** In addition to our app, you can also use our web application. Making the interaction between office employees and those working on the machines seamless.

Screenshots

Codea4 screens
X4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Codea at 4.5 against X's 1.0. Codea also leads on ratings volume (126 vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). X's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.5 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. X 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 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Codea ships an update every 2 weeks, X every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Codea versus X: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCodeaX
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (126 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews89.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings126 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size217 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTwo Lives LeftHANSA-FLEX AG

Customer experience

Codea

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

X

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

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

X

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

X

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Codea free?
Codea is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is X free?
X is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Codea or X?
Codea is rated higher. Codea averages 4.5 out of 5 from 126 ratings, while X averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Codea or X have ads?
Neither Codea nor X shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Codea or X?
Codea ships an update every 2 weeks, and X every 2 months. Most recently, Codea was updated on October 2, 2026 and X on September 23, 2026.

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