DraftCode for PHP IDE vs GitHub
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"
GitHub
Manage your code projects, review changes, and collaborate with your team on the go. This app allows you to stay updated with notifications, respond to issues, and browse files and code from anywhere.
- Browse notifications
- Read, react, and reply to Issues and Pull Requests
- Review and merge Pull Requests
- Organize Issues with labels and assignees
- Browse files and code
- Discover trending repositories
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There’s a lot you can do on GitHub that doesn’t require a complex development environment – like sharing feedback on a design discussion, or reviewing a few lines of code. GitHub for iOS lets you move work forward wherever you are. Stay in touch with your team, triage issues, and even merge, right from the app. We’re making these tasks easy for you to perform, no matter where you work, with a beautifully native experience. You can use GitHub for iOS to: • Browse your latest notifications • Read, react, and reply to Issues and Pull Requests • Review and merge Pull Requests • Organize Issues with labels, assignees, projects, and more • Browse your files and code • Discover new and trending repositories ——— Terms of Service: https://docs.github.com/en/github/site-policy/github-terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://docs.github.com/en/github/site-policy/github-privacy-statement
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: GitHub at Free against DraftCode for PHP IDE's $4.99. GitHub also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (37K vs 88). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
GitHub 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 GitHub sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
GitHub holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GitHub has 37K ratings behind it against 88, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 66% of DraftCode for PHP IDE's written reviews are positive against 63% of GitHub's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
DraftCode for PHP IDE ships an update every 3 months, GitHub weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DraftCode for PHP IDE | GitHub |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (88 ratings) | 4.8 (37K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.8% of reviews — better | 63.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 88 | 37K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #72 | #2 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 184 MB | 174 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Solesignal Limited | GitHub |
Customer experience
DraftCode for PHP IDE
GitHub
User reviews
DraftCode for PHP IDE
From 88 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Full PHP runtime on iOS device
- 👍 Intuitive and simple user interface
- 💻 Ability to run WordPress locally on iPad
- 🔌 Works offline without internet connection
- 📱 Enables mobile web development workflow
Room to improve
- 🐛 Scrolling snaps back to starting position
- 🐛 Undo function jumps arbitrary steps
- 🐛 Text editor lacks modern features
- ❌ Cannot access served content from Safari
- ❌ No FTP or cloud storage integration
GitHub
From 37K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great app design
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Helpful for on-the-go tasks
- 🚀 Efficient for reviewing PRs and issues
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Limited functionality compared to website
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find features
- 🔍 Lacks key features like code editing and wiki support
- 🔍 Intercepts GitHub links, forcing use of app
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 moreShow fewer
- 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
GitHub
Reported bugs
5 issues- Login issues and inability to switch accounts
- Inconsistent behavior when navigating between app and website
- Notifications not always loading correctly
- Inability to view all files in large pull requests
- Crashes when trying to perform certain actions
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for multiple accounts
- Improve search and filtering capabilities
- Implement code editing and file management
- Integrate GitHub Actions and Insights
- Allow viewing and managing GitHub projects
In-app purchases
DraftCode for PHP IDE
- PHP 7.2 RuntimeFree
- PHP 7.3 RuntimeFree
- PHP 8.2 RuntimeFree
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- PHP 8.1 RuntimeFree
- PHP 8.0.28 RuntimeFree
- PHP 8.5 Runtime$4.99
GitHub
- GitHub Pro$3.991 Month
- Copilot Pro$10.001 Month
- Copilot Pro+$39.991 Month
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Copilot Max$99.001 Month
Questions
Is DraftCode for PHP IDE free?
Is GitHub free?
Which has better reviews, DraftCode for PHP IDE or GitHub?
Do DraftCode for PHP IDE or GitHub have ads?
Which is updated more often, DraftCode for PHP IDE or GitHub?
Which is more popular, DraftCode for PHP IDE or GitHub?
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