Comparison

Buffer Editor vs DraftCode for PHP IDE

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

DraftCode for PHP IDE

Develop and run PHP, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS locally on your mobile device or Mac without an internet connection. Supports complex applications like WordPress and phpMyAdmin, with flexible workspace options and a comprehensive PHP stack.

Highlights
  • Offline PHP, JS, HTML, CSS execution
  • Run complex apps like WordPress
  • Custom workspace folder support
  • Session Inspector and error display
  • PHP and JS syntax coloring
  • Composer support for dependency management
Features
Read full description

Develop and run PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS locally on your iPad or iPhone (or an Apple Silicon Mac), without requiring an internet connection. Run Apps as complex as WordPress or phpMyAdmin right on your device. Freely choose your workspace location on your device, either inside DraftCode, or in the folder of a Git Client like WorkingCopy, on iCloud or other services that offer selectable folder locations. Access your PHP Web App from other Apps on your iPad while in Split Screen mode, for example Mobile Safari or Brave. DraftCode includes the standard PHP stack including PHP extensions typically available on a server: MySQL, SQLite, PDO, Curl, OpenSSL, FTP, XML, JSON, SOAP, GD and more. DraftCode can run different versions of PHP and you can switch between them: - Includes PHP 7.3, PHP 8.0, PHP 8.1 and PHP 8.2 - Available (via in-App Purchase): PHP 8.5 DraftCode Features: - Execute PHP/JS/HTML/CSS without requiring an internet connection - Run Apps as complex as WordPress on your device for offline development - Support for selecting a custom workspace folder in supported other Apps (like Git clients) or iCloud - Includes a Session Inspector showing state of current session variables - Shows PHP errors - PHP and JavaScript syntax colouring - Internal keyboard support with coding accessory - External keyboard support with additional keyboard shortcuts - Multitasking and split-screen support on iPad - Includes PHP packages: WordPress, phpMyAdmin, Composer and more - File workspace including support to zip, unzip, copy, move or duplicate files or folders - Code import/export from iCloud Drive, other Apps or iTunes file sharing - Kiosk mode that runs you PHP code fullscreen - Script mode to run PHP scripts without a web context or timeout INCLUDED PHP PACKAGES WORDPRESS 6.8 With just one tap you can run WordPress offline (using the included WordPress SQLite plugin) and develop themes and plugins for the popular platform. PHPMYADMIN Connect to EXTERNAL MySQL databases (MySQL is NOT included). PHPLITEADMIN Work with local SQLite databases. COMPOSER Use Composer v.2.1.12 to efficiently manage your dependencies. The package also includes an example project. For more information and answers to frequently asked questions please visit DraftCode's website. (Please follow the "Developer Website" link below.) Please note: - Included packages might not yet support all PHP versions available (check their website) - DraftCode's runtime currently does not support re-write rules - A MySQL database is NOT included. (We recommend using SQLite when working completely offline.) - A phpinfo() output of the current available runtime configurations is available on the DraftCode website, please follow the "Developer Website" link below. - In-App purchase pricing can be reviewed on this App Store page under "Information" by tapping the triangle next to 'In-App Purchases"

Screenshots

Buffer Editor4 screens
DraftCode for PHP IDE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Buffer Editor at Free against DraftCode for PHP IDE's $4.99. Buffer Editor also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months). DraftCode for PHP IDE's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 3.9) and chart position (#72 vs unranked). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases 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

Buffer Editor is free to download; DraftCode for PHP IDE costs $4.99 up front. Buffer Editor sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and DraftCode for PHP IDE sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DraftCode for PHP IDE holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 157 and 88 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Buffer Editor's written reviews are positive against 66% of DraftCode for PHP IDE's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Buffer Editor ships an update every 4 days, DraftCode for PHP IDE every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Buffer Editor versus DraftCode for PHP IDE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuffer EditorDraftCode for PHP IDE
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating3.9 (157 ratings)4.5 (88 ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.1% of reviews65.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings157 — better88
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#72 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB184 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperBlakzero OySolesignal Limited

Customer experience

Buffer Editor

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

DraftCode for PHP IDE

All ratings88 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral3.4%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews155 reviews
Positive65.8%
Neutral14.8%
Negative19.4%

User reviews

Buffer Editor

From 157 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great mobile development platform
  • 👍 Functional and good editor
  • 🚀 Responsive and performant
  • 👍 Supports Vim keybindings
  • 👍 Customizable themes and fonts

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Git integration issues
  • 🐛 Buggy SSH/SFTP/FTP connections
  • 🐛 Undo/redo functionality problems
  • 🐛 Laggy navigation through directories

DraftCode for PHP IDE

From 88 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Full PHP runtime on iOS device
  • 👍 Intuitive and simple user interface
  • 💻 Ability to run WordPress locally on iPad
  • 🔌 Works offline without internet connection
  • 📱 Enables mobile web development workflow

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Scrolling snaps back to starting position
  • 🐛 Undo function jumps arbitrary steps
  • 🐛 Text editor lacks modern features
  • ❌ Cannot access served content from Safari
  • ❌ No FTP or cloud storage integration

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

DraftCode for PHP IDE

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • Scrolling snaps back to original position
  • Undo function deletes arbitrary number of steps
  • App freezes after entering characters
  • Crashes on iOS 9 and older versions
  • JavaScript console viewer always empty
Show 10 more
  • Cannot navigate to specific lines efficiently
  • Scroll position jumps when switching files
  • File deletion is buggy when deleting multiple files
  • Dropbox conflicted copy files created by autosave
  • iCloud file sync not automatic
  • Keyboard layout makes coding difficult
  • App loses work after tapping run
  • Address bar shows 'about:blank' and 'Not Found'
  • Cannot paste projects from Dropbox (helper app error)
  • Syntax highlighting slow on large files

Requested features

20 requests
  • Search and find/replace functionality
  • FTP and Dropbox integration
  • Updated PHP versions
  • Multiple syntax highlighting themes
  • Git/GitHub integration
Show 15 more
  • Ability to access localhost from external browsers
  • Font size adjustment controls
  • Code completion and snippets
  • Multi-project support
  • Drupal and CraftCMS support
  • MySQL full support
  • SSH/SFTP access
  • Swipe gestures throughout UI
  • Light theme option
  • Extended keyboard with more shortcuts
  • Undo/redo improvements
  • Split-screen multitasking support
  • phpMyAdmin updates
  • Manual save option instead of autosave
  • GD library support

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Buffer Editor

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

DraftCode for PHP IDE

One-time6
  • PHP 7.2 RuntimeFree
  • PHP 7.3 RuntimeFree
  • PHP 8.2 RuntimeFree
Show 3 more
  • PHP 8.1 RuntimeFree
  • PHP 8.0.28 RuntimeFree
  • PHP 8.5 Runtime$4.99

Questions

Is Buffer Editor free?
Buffer Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DraftCode for PHP IDE free?
DraftCode for PHP IDE costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Buffer Editor or DraftCode for PHP IDE?
DraftCode for PHP IDE is rated higher. Buffer Editor averages 3.9 out of 5 from 157 ratings, while DraftCode for PHP IDE averages 4.5 from 88 ratings.
Do Buffer Editor or DraftCode for PHP IDE have ads?
Neither Buffer Editor nor DraftCode for PHP IDE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Buffer Editor or DraftCode for PHP IDE?
Buffer Editor ships an update every 4 days, and DraftCode for PHP IDE every 3 months. Most recently, Buffer Editor was updated on September 24, 2026 and DraftCode for PHP IDE on September 20, 2026.

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