Comparison

Lua IDE vs CodeMaster

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

Head to head
About

Lua IDE

This app provides a comprehensive environment for learning and coding in Lua. It features a code editor, file manager, and an integrated interpreter for testing and running scripts.

Highlights
  • Standalone Lua interpreter
  • Feature-rich code editor
  • Intuitive file manager
  • Interactive learning environment
  • Multi-file project support
  • Terminal integration
  • ANSI escape code support
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Lua IDE: Unleash Your Lua Coding Potential! Dive into the world of Lua coding with Lua IDE, your all-in-one Lua Integrated Development Environment (IDE) on iOS. With a standalone interpreter, feature-rich code editor, and an intuitive file manager, Lua IDE is the ultimate toolkit for Lua enthusiasts and learners alike. Why Choose Lua IDE? Learn and Experiment: Lua IDE is the perfect playground for Lua enthusiasts. Whether you're testing code snippets from books or unleashing your creativity, our interactive learning environment lets you experiment and refine your Lua skills effortlessly. Project Mastery: Elevate your coding game by organizing complex projects effortlessly. Lua IDE's built-in File Manager allows you to create, manage, and run multi-file Lua projects with ease. The terminal integration lets you execute your creations seamlessly. What's on the Horizon? Package Management Magic: Stay tuned for Lua IDE's Package Manager, a game-changer for library integration. It's like having LuaRocks at your fingertips, making library management a breeze. Debugging Join the Lua IDE Community: Your Voice Matters: Have a suggestion or a brilliant idea? Reach out to us at amadman380743909@gmail.com or visit https://www.iamadman.com, or twitter: andy38074, Reddit: iamadmancom. Your input is what propels Lua IDE forward. Learn on Your Terms: Lua IDE is not just an app; it's a journey. Learn programming wherever, whenever, and whatever you desire. Unleash your coding potential with Lua IDE today! This is Lua IDE with a standalone interpreter, a Code Editor and File Manager and many useful resources for learning Lua. Lua REPL: Lua official standalone interpreter integrated. You can input Lua code interactively with it. And you can also use it to run a Lua file in Terminal. Terminal: ##Cursor Operations: - supports various cursor operations, including cursor positioning, hiding, showing, and blinking. ##Colors: - ANSI escape codes for text styling and colors are fully supported. You can set foreground and background colors, as well as apply other text styles. ##Escape Sequences: ##256-Color Mode: ##True Color (24-Bit Color): ##Text Selection and Copy-Paste: - Users can select text within the terminal, and xterm.js provides built-in functionality for copying and pasting text to and from the clipboard. ##Input Handling: - handles keyboard input, allowing users to type commands and interact with the terminal interface using the keyboard. ##UTF-8 and Multilingual Support: #Shell Commands ##Support many useful shell commands "ifconfig","ping","export","readlink","chmod","scp","telnet","host","du","link","dig","cksum","bc","date","egrep","gzip","nslookup","fgrep","mv","open","md5","say","ssh-keygen","xargs","diff","cd","tee","lua","sh","touch","dc","tar","chflags","rm","sort","uniq","awk","printenv","find","mkdir","tail","unalias","pwd","ed","gunzip","compress","nc","uptime","sed","openurl","setenv","stat","alias","sum","head","uname","wc","cat","echo","unsetenv","unlink","pbpaste","rmdir","uncompress","curl","ln","cp","whoami","rlogin","sftp","tr","env","ssh","whois","pbcopy","wol","grep","ls" ##Custom commands "code", "help", "clear", "files" Code Editor: ## Syntax Highlight Syntax highlighting for Lua and many other languages like: C, C++, Swift, JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, HTML, Markdown, JSON, Python, YAML, Bash (you can view Makefile as bash file). ## Line Number Show/Hide line number gutter. ## Wrap Line ## Invisible Characters ## Themes Currently support four themes that cover both Light and Dark Mode Docs ##Bundled Source Code and Documentations ###Lua source code Lua 5.3.4, 5.3.6, 5.4.6 source code, docs, and tests (written in Lua, they are very good resources for learning Lua) ##Online Documentations ###Lua.org ###Lua-users.org ###LuaRocks.org ###Awesome-lua File Manager You can create/delete/view/copy/paste files and folders. Source code files are syntax highlighted.

About

CodeMaster

A professional mobile code editor and development tool for iOS. It offers comprehensive code browsing, editing, and management features, along with integrated tools for remote connections, database design, and GitHub integration.

Highlights
  • File management and browser
  • VS Code core Monaco editor
  • GitHub integration
  • Code snippet management
  • Database design tool
  • SSH client and SFTP
Features
Read full description

CodeMaster - Mobile Coding IDE CodeMaster is a professional code browsing and development tool for iOS platforms, specifically designed for developers. It integrates multiple practical tools, supports multiple programming languages, and provides complete mobile code browsing, editing, management, and auxiliary development capabilities. Built-in local AI LLM delivers smart Q&A and code assistance even offline, turning your phone into a portable computing hub. Features: - File Management and Browser: Supports WiFi and WebDAV file transfer between devices, quick access to code files on mobile, supports cross-screen programming, and allows access to files on mobile via URL for code editing; intuitive directory management interface, supports preview of multiple file formats, and simultaneously supports viewing, editing, decompression, and compression of various documents. - Code Editor: Integrates the VS Code core Monaco editor, delivering a desktop-level editing experience. Supports multi-language syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion and suggestions, and allows customization of multiple editor themes to suit usage habits. - GitHub Integration: Search for open-source projects and specific code snippets, browse trending projects on the platform; supports browsing personal profiles and repositories, and enables direct editing of project code on mobile devices, seamlessly connecting to open-source development. - Code Tools: Store and manage frequently used code snippets for quick insertion, built-in code comparison tool to contrast version differences, provide multi-language code execution environment and hundreds of code template libraries for various languages, enhancing development efficiency. - Database Design: Built-in database design tool supporting MySQL and other types of database design; graphical display of data content, equipped with SQL editor, can directly write and execute MySQL statements, convenient database management. - Remote Connection: Built-in SSH client to connect to remote servers, supports secure SFTP file transfer, allows direct management of remote server files from mobile devices, enabling remote operations anytime, anywhere. ►Unlimited Access Membership Subscription - With this subscription, you can access all features in the application without restrictions. - Subscription charges depend specifically on the selected subscription plan. - When you confirm the purchase, your iTunes account will be charged. - You can turn off auto-renewal 24 hours before the current subscription ends, otherwise it will auto-renew. - The subscription fee will be deducted from your account 24 hours before the current subscription ends, depending on the package you choose. Privacy Policy: http://www.dazhuogroup.com/codemaster/privacy_statement_en.php Terms of Use: http://www.dazhuogroup.com/codemaster/terms_of_use_en.php If you have any questions or concerns, please visit http://www.dazhuogroup.com/codemaster/ and use our customer support email for feedback

Screenshots

Lua IDE4 screens
CodeMaster4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: CodeMaster at 4.6 against Lua IDE's 3.5. CodeMaster also leads on ratings volume (140 vs 11) and chart position (#196 vs unranked). Lua IDE's advantage is monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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

Both are free to download. Lua IDE sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and CodeMaster sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CodeMaster holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CodeMaster has 140 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Lua IDE's written reviews are positive against 44% of CodeMaster's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lua IDE ships an update every 6 weeks, CodeMaster monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Lua IDE versus CodeMaster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLua IDECodeMaster
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (11 ratings)4.6 (140 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews — better44.4% of reviews
Number of ratings11140 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium — betterSubscription
Best chart rank—#196 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better16
Further details — not scored
Size95 MB1.5 GB
Age rating4+4+
Developer盼军 崔Shanghai Dazhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Lua IDE

All ratings11 ratings
Positive54.5%
Neutral9.1%
Negative36.4%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative37.5%

CodeMaster

All ratings140 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral2.9%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive44.4%
Neutral22.2%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Lua IDE

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • Buy me a coffee$2.99
  • Lifetime Pro$14.99
3 purchases

CodeMaster

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Membership3 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Monthly subscription3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription3 Days trial$20.991 Year

Questions

Is Lua IDE free?
Lua IDE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CodeMaster free?
CodeMaster is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Lua IDE or CodeMaster?
CodeMaster is rated higher. Lua IDE averages 3.5 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while CodeMaster averages 4.6 from 140 ratings.
Do Lua IDE or CodeMaster have ads?
Neither Lua IDE nor CodeMaster shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lua IDE or CodeMaster?
Lua IDE ships an update every 6 weeks, and CodeMaster monthly. Most recently, Lua IDE was updated on October 3, 2026 and CodeMaster on October 10, 2026.

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