Comparison

Buffer Editor vs Lua 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

Lua IDE

This app provides a comprehensive environment for learning and coding in Lua. It features a code editor, file manager, and an integrated interpreter for testing and running scripts.

Highlights
  • Standalone Lua interpreter
  • Feature-rich code editor
  • Intuitive file manager
  • Interactive learning environment
  • Multi-file project support
  • Terminal integration
  • ANSI escape code support
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Lua IDE: Unleash Your Lua Coding Potential! Dive into the world of Lua coding with Lua IDE, your all-in-one Lua Integrated Development Environment (IDE) on iOS. With a standalone interpreter, feature-rich code editor, and an intuitive file manager, Lua IDE is the ultimate toolkit for Lua enthusiasts and learners alike. Why Choose Lua IDE? Learn and Experiment: Lua IDE is the perfect playground for Lua enthusiasts. Whether you're testing code snippets from books or unleashing your creativity, our interactive learning environment lets you experiment and refine your Lua skills effortlessly. Project Mastery: Elevate your coding game by organizing complex projects effortlessly. Lua IDE's built-in File Manager allows you to create, manage, and run multi-file Lua projects with ease. The terminal integration lets you execute your creations seamlessly. What's on the Horizon? Package Management Magic: Stay tuned for Lua IDE's Package Manager, a game-changer for library integration. It's like having LuaRocks at your fingertips, making library management a breeze. Debugging Join the Lua IDE Community: Your Voice Matters: Have a suggestion or a brilliant idea? Reach out to us at amadman380743909@gmail.com or visit https://www.iamadman.com, or twitter: andy38074, Reddit: iamadmancom. Your input is what propels Lua IDE forward. Learn on Your Terms: Lua IDE is not just an app; it's a journey. Learn programming wherever, whenever, and whatever you desire. Unleash your coding potential with Lua IDE today! This is Lua IDE with a standalone interpreter, a Code Editor and File Manager and many useful resources for learning Lua. Lua REPL: Lua official standalone interpreter integrated. You can input Lua code interactively with it. And you can also use it to run a Lua file in Terminal. Terminal: ##Cursor Operations: - supports various cursor operations, including cursor positioning, hiding, showing, and blinking. ##Colors: - ANSI escape codes for text styling and colors are fully supported. You can set foreground and background colors, as well as apply other text styles. ##Escape Sequences: ##256-Color Mode: ##True Color (24-Bit Color): ##Text Selection and Copy-Paste: - Users can select text within the terminal, and xterm.js provides built-in functionality for copying and pasting text to and from the clipboard. ##Input Handling: - handles keyboard input, allowing users to type commands and interact with the terminal interface using the keyboard. ##UTF-8 and Multilingual Support: #Shell Commands ##Support many useful shell commands "ifconfig","ping","export","readlink","chmod","scp","telnet","host","du","link","dig","cksum","bc","date","egrep","gzip","nslookup","fgrep","mv","open","md5","say","ssh-keygen","xargs","diff","cd","tee","lua","sh","touch","dc","tar","chflags","rm","sort","uniq","awk","printenv","find","mkdir","tail","unalias","pwd","ed","gunzip","compress","nc","uptime","sed","openurl","setenv","stat","alias","sum","head","uname","wc","cat","echo","unsetenv","unlink","pbpaste","rmdir","uncompress","curl","ln","cp","whoami","rlogin","sftp","tr","env","ssh","whois","pbcopy","wol","grep","ls" ##Custom commands "code", "help", "clear", "files" Code Editor: ## Syntax Highlight Syntax highlighting for Lua and many other languages like: C, C++, Swift, JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, HTML, Markdown, JSON, Python, YAML, Bash (you can view Makefile as bash file). ## Line Number Show/Hide line number gutter. ## Wrap Line ## Invisible Characters ## Themes Currently support four themes that cover both Light and Dark Mode Docs ##Bundled Source Code and Documentations ###Lua source code Lua 5.3.4, 5.3.6, 5.4.6 source code, docs, and tests (written in Lua, they are very good resources for learning Lua) ##Online Documentations ###Lua.org ###Lua-users.org ###LuaRocks.org ###Awesome-lua File Manager You can create/delete/view/copy/paste files and folders. Source code files are syntax highlighted.

Screenshots

Buffer Editor4 screens
Lua IDE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Lua IDE at freemium against Buffer Editor's subscription. Lua IDE also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). Buffer Editor's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 weeks) and rating (3.9 vs 3.5). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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 Lua IDE sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Buffer Editor holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Buffer Editor has 157 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Buffer Editor's written reviews are positive against 50% of Lua IDE's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Buffer Editor ships an update every 4 days, Lua IDE every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Buffer Editor versus Lua IDE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuffer EditorLua IDE
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (157 ratings) — better3.5 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews56.1% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings157 — better11
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
Best chart rank#122 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB95 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlakzero Oy盼军 崔

Customer experience

Buffer Editor

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

Lua IDE

All ratings11 ratings
Positive54.5%
Neutral9.1%
Negative36.4%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative37.5%

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

Lua IDE

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
4 purchases

Lua IDE

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • Buy me a coffee$2.99
  • Lifetime Pro$14.99

Questions

Is Buffer Editor free?
Buffer Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lua IDE free?
Lua IDE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Buffer Editor or Lua IDE?
Buffer Editor is rated higher. Buffer Editor averages 3.9 out of 5 from 157 ratings, while Lua IDE averages 3.5 from 11 ratings.
Do Buffer Editor or Lua IDE have ads?
Neither Buffer Editor nor Lua IDE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Buffer Editor or Lua IDE?
Buffer Editor ships an update every 4 days, and Lua IDE every 6 weeks. Most recently, Buffer Editor was updated on October 8, 2026 and Lua IDE on October 3, 2026.

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