# Touch Lua vs VirtualKim

The clearest difference is rating: VirtualKim at 4.8 against Touch Lua's 3.7. VirtualKim also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). Touch Lua's advantage is iOS requirement (7.0 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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

VirtualKim holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 29 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Touch Lua's written reviews are positive against 85% of VirtualKim's.

Touch Lua ships an update every 2 months, VirtualKim weekly. The most recent releases landed on June 9, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Touch Lua | VirtualKim |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.7 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/touch-lua/id525273327/reviews) | **[4.8 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/virtualkim-6502-emulator/id1548356829/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 15 | **29** |
| Positive reviews | 82.9% of reviews | **84.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 14 MB | 72 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ahmad Hawwash](https://appshunter.io/developer/382404352) | [John Kennedy](https://appshunter.io/developer/284943103) |

## 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


### VirtualKim

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/virtualkim-6502-emulator/id1548356829)

Experience the 6502 microprocessor, the heart of 1970s home computers. This app emulates the 8-bit processor with an assembler and programming puzzles. Learn to code on a minimalist interface and discover how early computing was done.

**Highlights:** 6502 CPU emulation, Built-in assembler, Programming puzzles, Minimalist UI with LEDs and buttons, Monitor program for memory editing, Debug and run applications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy Me a Coffee | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Touch Lua free?

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

### Is VirtualKim free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Touch Lua or VirtualKim?

VirtualKim is rated higher. Touch Lua averages 3.7 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while VirtualKim averages 4.8 from 29 ratings.

### Do Touch Lua or VirtualKim have ads?

Neither Touch Lua nor VirtualKim shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Touch Lua or VirtualKim?

Touch Lua ships an update every 2 months, and VirtualKim weekly. Most recently, Touch Lua was updated on June 9, 2026 and VirtualKim on September 9, 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.*