DraftCode for PHP IDE vs Rest
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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"
Rest
Easily perform HTTP requests directly from your mobile device. Supports various body types, syntax highlighting, and detailed response inspection. Import collections and manage project variables for efficient API testing.
- Supports JSON, Form & Multipart bodies
- Syntax highlighting and JSON error reporting
- All common and custom HTTP methods
- Add HTTP Headers and URL parameters
- Response body, header, and metrics inspection
- Multiple response body views
- Import Postman collections
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Rest allows you to perform arbitrary HTTP requests right from your mobile device. • Supports JSON, Form & Multipart bodies • Body editor with syntax highlighting and JSON error reporting • All common HTTP methods + custom Methods • Add HTTP Headers, URL parameters and Basic Authentication • Option to allow insecure SSL & follow redirects • Response body, header and metrics inspection • Multiple response body views (JSON, text, image, web) • Import Postman collections from Files or URL • Add project-wide variables in URL, Headers and request body • CloudKit sync • Dark mode and alternative app icon • Split-Screen to see the request and response views simultaneously on iPad and larger iPhones (starting from iPhone X)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Rest at Free against DraftCode for PHP IDE's $4.99. Rest also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). DraftCode for PHP IDE's advantage is chart position (#73 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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
Rest is free to download; DraftCode for PHP IDE costs $4.99 up front. DraftCode for PHP IDE sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Rest sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for DraftCode for PHP IDE against 4.4 for Rest. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 88 and 95 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 66% and 65% positive.
DraftCode for PHP IDE ships an update every 3 months, Rest every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DraftCode for PHP IDE | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (88 ratings) — better | 4.4 (95 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 65.8% of reviews — better | 65.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 88 | 95 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #73 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 184 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Solesignal Limited | Silvan Daehn |
Customer experience
DraftCode for PHP IDE
Rest
Bugs and requests
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
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- 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
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- 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
Rest
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
DraftCode for PHP IDE
- PHP 7.2 RuntimeFree
- PHP 7.3 RuntimeFree
- PHP 8.2 RuntimeFree
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- PHP 8.1 RuntimeFree
- PHP 8.0.28 RuntimeFree
- PHP 8.5 Runtime$4.99
Rest
- Unlock All Features$4.99
Questions
Is DraftCode for PHP IDE free?
Is Rest free?
Which has better reviews, DraftCode for PHP IDE or Rest?
Do DraftCode for PHP IDE or Rest have ads?
Which is updated more often, DraftCode for PHP IDE or Rest?
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