# luai5.2.1$ vs Lua IDE

The clearest difference is price: Lua IDE at Free against luai5.2.1$'s $2.99. luai5.2.1$'s advantage is review sentiment (88% vs 59%) and chart position (#198 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Lua IDE is free to download; luai5.2.1$ costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

luai5.2.1$ ships an update every 3 months, Lua IDE every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | luai5.2.1$ | Lua IDE |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | — | **[3.4 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lua-ide/id1549382090/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **22** |
| Positive reviews | **87.5% of reviews** | 59.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#198** | — |
| Size | 24 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [小文 黄](https://appshunter.io/developer/490328393) | [Wenhuan Li](https://appshunter.io/developer/1243152342) |

## What reviewers say

### luai5.2.1$

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luai521/id593466127)

**Currently charting:** #198 Top Paid · Developer Tools (US App Store)

Learn, run, and share Lua 5.2.1 scripts on iOS. Features include autocompletion, code coloring, and a built-in browser for learning materials. Customize the interface and generate QR codes for easy sharing.

**Highlights:** Autocompletion and auto-indent, Code coloring and font size adjustment, Built-in browser for learning materials, File system support for various formats, Customizable interface and execution voice, QR code generation for sharing, Share code via email and social media

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Lua IDE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lua-ide/id1549382090)

A mobile integrated development environment for writing and running Lua code. It offers syntax highlighting, module support, and an offline reference manual. Cloud storage integration is also available.

**Highlights:** Syntax highlighting, Module support, Offline reference manual, Works offline, Cloud storage support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is luai5.2.1$ free?

luai5.2.1$ costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Lua IDE free?

Lua IDE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do luai5.2.1$ or Lua IDE have ads?

Neither luai5.2.1$ nor Lua IDE shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, luai5.2.1$ or Lua IDE?

luai5.2.1$ ships an update every 3 months, and Lua IDE every 7 months. Most recently, luai5.2.1$ was updated on October 12, 2026 and Lua IDE on October 14, 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.*