# Codea vs iEditor

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: iEditor at none against Codea's 3. iEditor also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.6). Codea's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (90% vs 56%). On price, ratings volume 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. iEditor asks for nothing beyond the download.

Codea holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 126 and 189 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Codea's written reviews are positive against 56% of iEditor's.

Codea ships an update every 2 weeks, iEditor every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Codea | iEditor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (126 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/codea/id439571171/reviews)** | [4.1 (189 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ieditor-text-code-editor/id562162723/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 126 | **189** |
| Positive reviews | **89.6% of reviews** | 56.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 217 MB | 57 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Two Lives Left](https://appshunter.io/developer/335953314) | [ComcSoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/413971334) |

## 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


### iEditor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ieditor-text-code-editor/id562162723)

A fast and simple text and source code editor for iPhone and iPad. It allows users to create, import, edit, and manage various file types with features like syntax highlighting, search/replace, and export options.

**Highlights:** Create and import text/source code files, Syntax highlighting for C, Java, HTML, Search and replace functionality, Export files to PDF or JPEG, File management (add, delete, rename, sort), View multiple file formats

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 💡 Ability to convert text to PDF
- 🚀 Quick file opening and editing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and data loss issues
- 🔍 Confusing UI and navigation
- 💰 Aggressive upselling for paid version
- 🔍 Limited formatting options

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to save edited files
- Text disappearing during editing
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Autosave functionality
- Support for more file formats
- Syntax highlighting for code
- Cloud/iCloud integration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Codea free?

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

### Is iEditor free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Codea or iEditor?

Codea is rated higher. Codea averages 4.5 out of 5 from 126 ratings, while iEditor averages 4.1 from 189 ratings.

### Do Codea or iEditor have ads?

iEditor shows ads; Codea does not.

### Which is updated more often, Codea or iEditor?

Codea ships an update every 2 weeks, and iEditor every 7 months. Most recently, Codea was updated on October 2, 2026 and iEditor on October 4, 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.*