Codea vs Occam SI
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 2D and 3D renderer
- Touch-based visual editors
- Lua programming language
- Export to Xcode
- Physics engines
- GLSL shader editor
- Import assets from Dropbox
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"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.
Occam SI
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Make sense of a difficult question with Occam's Razor. Build an AI-assisted mind map, examine the assumptions behind it, and decide what to investigate next. Use it to plan a project, compare options, explore a research question, or structure what you are learning. SEE HOW IT WORKS Explore a prepared example before signing in. Tap through the factors behind a release decision, challenge an assumption, and see a practical next step. The example works without a cloud request. MAP YOUR QUESTION Start with a rough sentence. Organize factors, constraints, unknowns, and relationships in a connected graph. Open individual nodes to explore the details or add your own notes. TEST YOUR THINKING Look for weak assumptions, missing information, and cases that could change your conclusion. Import source material and keep track of what has actually been tested. AI suggestions are not verified evidence. ASK ABOUT YOUR STUDY Chat with AI using the context of your map. Review proposed additions before adding them to the graph. TURN INSIGHT INTO ACTION Develop possible solutions, research tests, small experiments, or a written draft. Share your work and keep building on it. START FREE Sign in with Apple or Google to create and back up your studies. Free accounts receive 5 cloud run credits per month. Optional Pro, Advanced, and Commercial subscriptions provide larger allowances and additional cloud reasoning capabilities. Deeper requests can use multiple credits; usage limits apply. Prices appear in the app before purchase. Subscriptions renew monthly until cancelled in your Apple Account settings. Cloud AI sends study context to our service and AI provider. Signed-in study backup uses cloud storage. Privacy: https://agentscix.com/occam/privacy Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Occam SI at none against Codea's 3. Codea's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (18.5 vs 26.0). 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
Both are free to download. Codea sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Occam SI asks for nothing beyond the download.
Codea ships an update every 2 weeks, Occam SI every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Codea | Occam SI |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (126 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 88.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 126 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 230 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Two Lives Left | Dakota Bullard |
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
Occam SI
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Codea
- Codea Pro (Monthly)$4.991 Month
- Codea Pro (Yearly)$29.991 Year
- Codea Pro Lifetime$99.99
Occam SI
No in-app purchases









