Comparison

Buffer Editor vs phpwin

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Buffer Editor

A powerful code and text editor for on-the-go development. Connect to various cloud services and Git repositories, with built-in terminal and extensive syntax highlighting. Offers advanced editing features for enhanced productivity.

Highlights
  • Connect to cloud services and Git
  • Git operations and visual merge tool
  • Built-in SSH terminal
  • Extensive syntax highlighting
  • Live remote file editing
  • Code autocompletion and snippets
Features
Read full description

Buffer Editor is a POWERFUL code and text editor that lets you easily develop software, view code or take notes on the go. Enjoy an editing experience that is both versatile and intuitive, and take your productivity to the next level. • Connect to GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket, Custom Git, Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, SFTP, SSH, and FTP servers • Git Operations for easy repository management • Git Visual Merge Tool to resolve merge conflicts. • Git Visual Branch and Commits History. • Live editing—open, edit, and save files directly to remote services • Network monitoring for remote services (FTP, SFTP, SSH) • Built-in Terminal (SSH Client) with multiple terminals in tabs. • Syntax highlighting & code autocomplete: ASP, AWK, ActionScript, Ada, Arduino, Bash, C, C++, C#, Clojure, Cobol, CSS, D, Dart, Dockerfile, Erlang, F#, Fortran, Gherkin, Go, HAML, Haskell, HTML (4 & 5), INI, Java, JavaScript, Julia, Kotlin, LaTeX, Common Lisp, Lua, Markdown, MATLAB, MQL (4 & 5), NSIS, Objective-C, Org Mode, Pascal, Perl, PHP, PowerShell, Progress, Prolog, Pug, Puppet, Python, Q/kdb+, R, reStructuredText, Ruby, Rust, Scala, Solidity, SQL, Stata, Swift, Terraform, TypeScript, TypeScript React, Verilog, VHDL, Visual Basic, Vue, x86 ASM, XML • Vim mode support • Symbol navigator / document outline • Code autocompletion, with custom snippets. • Find & replace with regular expression support • Recursive file and content search—match and jump to any file at a specific line • Find references in file and jump to any file • Bracket matching and highlighting • Line and word wrapping • Unicode support • Multiple windows, Split View, and Slide Over support • Tabs with automatic restore—quickly switch between files and terminals • Full screen mode • Extended keyboard with coding keys • Bluetooth keyboard support with shortcuts manager • Customizable fonts, font sizes, and over 300 dark and light themes • Full iOS Files integration—link external folders, open multiple files, import from any supported cloud provider • Local and Remote Preview for websites(HTML,JS,CSS) • Preview images, PDFs, movies, and documents • Send files by email • iOS "Open In" support (to and from other apps) • Touch ID / Face ID protection SUBSCRIPTION: - You can subscribe for Pro access to all app’s features. - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. By using the app, you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service: https://www.buffereditor.com/privacy https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

phpwin

Develop and debug PHP files offline with a built-in web server and Git client. This app provides a comprehensive environment for managing PHP projects, including code editing, file management, and support for popular frameworks.

Highlights
  • PHP 8 with extensions
  • Offline web server
  • Git client
  • Code editor with auto-complete
  • File manager
  • Standalone web app support
Features
Read full description

Turn your device into a web server with php support. With phpwin, you can develop, debug and manage PHP files offline without an internet connection using Scintilla script editor phpwin is a complete web server environment with PHP including POST/GET, sessions,openssl, libxml, curl, cookies... App features: - PHP 8 with most extensions (such as MySQL, SQLite, Curl, OpenSSL, SOAP, ImageMagick, PostgreSQL...) - Custom URL rules - Set iCloud drive as document root - Git client - Code editor - Auto-Complete - Image editor - Latest version of Composer - In-App Safari Web browser - html/js/css beautifiers in script editor - Multi-tabbed script/image editor - File manager - Set as standalone web application (Wordpress and Laravel supported) - Remote file manager (access multiple accounts) - FTP/SFTP/FTPS/iCloud managers - phpMyAdmin to access remote MySQL - phpLiteAdmin - Eruda (Console for Mobile Browsers) - Profiler - Syntax validator for PHP, HTML, JS & CSS - PHP lessons - "PHP: The Right Way" Book - Split screen on iPad - Multitasking on iPad Standalone web application feature allows you to use your web application in fullscreen at startup, similar to PhoneGap but with the support of PHP. Note: phpwin doesn't include MySQL server, only phpMyAdmin. For more information & inquiries please contact me through phpwin's website

Screenshots

Buffer Editor4 screens
phpwin4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: phpwin at free with in-app purchases against Buffer Editor's subscription. phpwin also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.9) and review sentiment (75% vs 56%). Buffer Editor's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. Buffer Editor sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and phpwin sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

phpwin holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 157 and 37 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Buffer Editor's written reviews are positive against 75% of phpwin's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Buffer Editor ships an update every 4 days, phpwin every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Buffer Editor versus phpwin: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuffer Editorphpwin
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (157 ratings)4.4 (37 ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.1% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings157 — better37
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015 — better
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB172 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlakzero OyFiras Moussa

Customer experience

Buffer Editor

All ratings157 ratings
Positive69.4%
Neutral10.8%
Negative19.7%
Written reviews221 reviews
Positive56.1%
Neutral14.9%
Negative29.0%

phpwin

All ratings37 ratings
Positive86.5%
Neutral5.4%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews116 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral8.6%
Negative16.4%

Bugs and requests

Buffer Editor

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when switching between apps
  • Losing work due to save issues
  • Incorrect parameter errors when editing files
  • Broken Bitbucket/GitHub authentication

Requested features

6 requests
  • Integrated terminal/Linux shell
  • GitHub/GitLab workflow integration
  • Ability to run/compile code
  • Better file management options
  • More keyboard shortcuts and customization
Show 1 more
  • Improved syntax highlighting and auto-complete

phpwin

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Buffer Editor

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Yearly3 Days trial$34.991 Year
2 purchases

phpwin

One-time2
  • Unlock all features$4.99
  • Standalone Web Application$9.99

Questions

Is Buffer Editor free?
Buffer Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is phpwin free?
phpwin is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Buffer Editor or phpwin?
phpwin is rated higher. Buffer Editor averages 3.9 out of 5 from 157 ratings, while phpwin averages 4.4 from 37 ratings.
Do Buffer Editor or phpwin have ads?
phpwin shows ads; Buffer Editor does not.
Which is updated more often, Buffer Editor or phpwin?
Buffer Editor ships an update every 4 days, and phpwin every 6 weeks. Most recently, Buffer Editor was updated on September 24, 2026 and phpwin on September 21, 2026.

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