# Codea vs Code Master

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Codea at 90% against Code Master's 28%. Codea also leads on rating (4.5 vs 2.7) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). Code Master's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 18.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Codea holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 126 and 55 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Codea's written reviews are positive against 28% of Code Master's.

Codea ships an update every 2 weeks, Code Master every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Codea | Code Master |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (126 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/codea/id439571171/reviews)** | [2.7 (55 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/code-master-source-code-editor/id502404926/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **126** | 55 |
| Positive reviews | **89.6% of reviews** | 28.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 217 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Two Lives Left](https://appshunter.io/developer/335953314) | [Justin Bush](https://appshunter.io/developer/490452369) |

## 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


### Code Master

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/code-master-source-code-editor/id502404926)

This app offers a visual interface for creating and editing source code for any language, with preview and publishing options. It provides a professional way to manage and share your coding projects on iOS devices, supporting over 170 languages and offering various themes and templates.

**Highlights:** Syntax highlighting for 170+ languages, 70+ syntax colored themes, HTML5 templates and website builder, Live code preview in browser, File upload and sharing, External keyboard support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app for rebuilding retro webpages
- 👍 Helpful for coding on the go
- 🚀 Impressive and technologically advanced

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🐛 Unstable and unreliable
- 🔒 Aggressive upgrade prompts
- 🔒 Unusable free version

**Reported bugs**

- Saved files disappearing or not loading correctly
- Syntax highlighting and language settings not persisting
- Keyboard blocking view of code
- Frequent crashes and freezes

**Requested features**

- Add blank page option for custom themes
- Implement cloud storage support (Dropbox, Google Drive)
- Improve keyboard functionality and text editing
- Introduce code execution and debugging capabilities
- Provide more language support beyond HTML/XML


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Codea free?

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

### Is Code Master free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Codea or Code Master?

Codea is rated higher. Codea averages 4.5 out of 5 from 126 ratings, while Code Master averages 2.7 from 55 ratings.

### Do Codea or Code Master have ads?

Neither Codea nor Code Master shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Codea or Code Master?

Codea ships an update every 2 weeks, and Code Master every 5 months. Most recently, Codea was updated on October 2, 2026 and Code Master on September 30, 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.*