Comparison

DraftCode for PHP IDE vs Rest

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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"

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

DraftCode for PHP IDE4 screens
Rest4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
DraftCode for PHP IDE versus Rest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDraftCode for PHP IDERest
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (88 ratings) — better4.4 (95 ratings)
Positive reviews65.8% of reviews — better65.0% of reviews
Number of ratings8895 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#73 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size184 MB6 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperSolesignal LimitedSilvan Daehn

Customer experience

DraftCode for PHP IDE

All ratings88 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral3.4%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews155 reviews
Positive65.8%
Neutral14.8%
Negative19.4%

Rest

All ratings95 ratings
Positive84.2%
Neutral4.2%
Negative11.6%
Written reviews80 reviews
Positive65.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative25.0%

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
Show 10 more
  • 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
Show 15 more
  • 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

6 purchases

DraftCode for PHP IDE

One-time6
  • PHP 7.2 RuntimeFree
  • PHP 7.3 RuntimeFree
  • PHP 8.2 RuntimeFree
Show 3 more
  • PHP 8.1 RuntimeFree
  • PHP 8.0.28 RuntimeFree
  • PHP 8.5 Runtime$4.99
1 purchases

Rest

One-time1
  • Unlock All Features$4.99

Questions

Is DraftCode for PHP IDE free?
DraftCode for PHP IDE costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Rest free?
Rest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DraftCode for PHP IDE or Rest?
DraftCode for PHP IDE is rated higher. DraftCode for PHP IDE averages 4.5 out of 5 from 88 ratings, while Rest averages 4.4 from 95 ratings.
Do DraftCode for PHP IDE or Rest have ads?
Neither DraftCode for PHP IDE nor Rest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DraftCode for PHP IDE or Rest?
DraftCode for PHP IDE ships an update every 3 months, and Rest every 2 weeks. Most recently, DraftCode for PHP IDE was updated on September 20, 2026 and Rest on September 21, 2026.

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