DraftCode for PHP IDE vs TinyServer
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"
TinyServer
Transform your mobile device into a web server to host static websites. Access files from other devices on your local network using a friendly URL. Features include directory listing, basic authentication, and seamless integration with external editors.
- Serve static files and websites over HTTP
- Directory listing for easy browsing
- Bonjour for friendly URLs
- iPad Multitasking support
- Basic authentication protection
- Access log viewing
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Use your mobile device as a web server! Access static websites from a computer or other mobile device. FEATURES • use folders stored locally on your iPhone/iPad or in iCloud • serve static files and websites over HTTP • enable Directory Listing to browse the selected folder in your browser • Bonjour: no need to type in IP addresses - TinyServer will show a friendly URL like http://myiPhone.local:8080 • iPad Multitasking: use an external editor to edit your files and preview them in Safari running alongside TinyServer • Open an in-app browser to access your served files • See the access log of the web server • Basic auth protection CHOOSING A FOLDER There are several ways to open a folder to be served by TinyServer. • In the app, tap "Choose Folder", then long-press a folder to bring up the context menu. Choose "Serve in TinyServer" • In the app, tap "Choose Folder", tap "Select" in the navigation bar, select a folder and tap "Open" in the navigation bar • on iPad, you can have the files app and TinyServer side by side in multitasking. You can drag and drop folders to the top of the TinyServer interface. Keep in mind that this way creates a copy, so if you change the files you have to drag them to the app again to see the changes. IMPORTANT: The web server cannot run in the background. Keep TinyServer in the foreground and the device unlocked. If you do change apps, the web server will restart automatically when you bring the TinyServer app back to the foreground. TinyServer only works on local WiFi. The web server is not accessible via a cellular network connection. It is meant for static files, so you can't run e.g. a PHP or Ruby on Rails backend from it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TinyServer at none against DraftCode for PHP IDE's 6. TinyServer also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 3 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). DraftCode for PHP IDE's advantage is ratings volume (88 vs 28). On ads, chart position, device support and iOS requirement 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
DraftCode for PHP IDE costs $4.99 and TinyServer $3.99 up front. DraftCode for PHP IDE sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. TinyServer asks for nothing beyond the download.
TinyServer holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 88 and 28 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of DraftCode for PHP IDE's written reviews are positive against 75% of TinyServer's.
DraftCode for PHP IDE ships an update every 3 months, TinyServer every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DraftCode for PHP IDE | TinyServer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $3.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (88 ratings) | 4.7 (28 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.8% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 88 — better | 28 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 4 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #73 | #57 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 184 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Solesignal Limited | Christian Lobach |
Customer experience
DraftCode for PHP IDE
TinyServer
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
TinyServer
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
TinyServer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is DraftCode for PHP IDE free?
Is TinyServer free?
Which has better reviews, DraftCode for PHP IDE or TinyServer?
Do DraftCode for PHP IDE or TinyServer have ads?
Which is updated more often, DraftCode for PHP IDE or TinyServer?
Which is more popular, DraftCode for PHP IDE or TinyServer?
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