# Touch Lua vs BASIC Programming Compiler

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Touch Lua at 83% against BASIC Programming Compiler's 0%. Touch Lua also leads on rating (3.7 vs 3.1) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Touch Lua sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and BASIC Programming Compiler sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Touch Lua holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Touch Lua's written reviews are positive against 0% of BASIC Programming Compiler's.

Touch Lua ships an update every 2 months, BASIC Programming Compiler every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 9, 2026 and August 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Touch Lua | BASIC Programming Compiler |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.7 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/touch-lua/id525273327/reviews)** | [3.1 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-programming-compiler/id1468883065/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **15** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | **82.9% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 14 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ahmad Hawwash](https://appshunter.io/developer/382404352) | [Ketan Appa](https://appshunter.io/developer/576435759) |

## What reviewers say

### Touch Lua

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/touch-lua/id525273327)

Learn and program using Lua, a powerful yet simple scripting language, directly on your iPhone. Features include a robust editor, multi-program support, and libraries for graphics, audio, and networking. Ideal for learning, prototyping, and advanced calculations.

**Highlights:** Lua programming environment, Powerful editor with syntax highlighting, Graphics, audio, database, and network support, Multi-program and directory management, Built-in tutorials and reference, In-app purchase for advanced libraries

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Turtle Library | $0.99 | one-time |
| Socket Library | $0.99 | one-time |
| Audio Library | $1.99 | one-time |
| Draw Library | $4.99 | one-time |
| Nitro Library | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly interface and easy to learn
- 🚀 Fast compilation and execution
- 📚 Excellent built-in tutorials and documentation
- 💡 Ability to create games and programs on mobile
- 🎓 Great for beginners learning Lua programming

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Expensive in-app purchases for libraries
- 🐛 Frequent crashes on startup or during editing
- 📝 Limited code storage capacity (crashes with large files)
- ⚠️ Auto-indentation cannot be disabled
- 🔍 File viewer doesn't display hidden files (starting with period)

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup after device transfer
- White screen when running programs with functions
- Crashes when saving files on iOS 8
- Crashes when entering 100+ lines of code
- Crashes with large inputs or pasted code

**Requested features**

- Ability to disable auto-indentation
- Increase code storage limit per script
- Function collapsing/minimizing for large programs
- Undo button functionality
- Copyable console output


### BASIC Programming Compiler

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-programming-compiler/id1468883065)

Learn and test code snippets in BASIC on your iOS device. This app features a source code editor with syntax highlighting, a custom keyboard for easy input, and the ability to compile and run your programs. It utilizes the FreeBASIC compiler for a powerful coding experience.

**Highlights:** Compile and run BASIC programs, View program output and errors, Select and run code chunks, Custom keyboard for easy input, Advanced source code editor, Open, save, import, and share files, Language reference included

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Touch Lua free?

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

### Is BASIC Programming Compiler free?

BASIC Programming Compiler is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Touch Lua or BASIC Programming Compiler?

Touch Lua is rated higher. Touch Lua averages 3.7 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while BASIC Programming Compiler averages 3.1 from 7 ratings.

### Do Touch Lua or BASIC Programming Compiler have ads?

BASIC Programming Compiler shows ads; Touch Lua does not.

### Which is updated more often, Touch Lua or BASIC Programming Compiler?

Touch Lua ships an update every 2 months, and BASIC Programming Compiler every 5 weeks. Most recently, Touch Lua was updated on June 9, 2026 and BASIC Programming Compiler on August 16, 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.*