Comparison

Lua IDE vs Lua IDE

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

Lua IDE

A mobile integrated development environment for writing and running Lua code. It offers syntax highlighting, module support, and an offline reference manual. Cloud storage integration is also available.

Highlights
  • Syntax highlighting
  • Module support
  • Offline reference manual
  • Works offline
  • Cloud storage support
Features
Read full description

• Lua IDE with syntax highlighting • Support requiring modules • Reference manual • Works completely offline • Cloud storage support, including iCloud

Screenshots

Lua IDE4 screens
Lua IDE3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lua IDE at none against Lua IDE's 4. Lua IDE also leads on review sentiment (59% vs 50%). Lua IDE's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On price, rating, 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

Both are free to download. Lua IDE sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Lua IDE asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.5 for Lua IDE against 3.4 for Lua IDE. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 22 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Lua IDE's written reviews are positive against 59% of Lua IDE's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lua IDE ships an update every 6 weeks, Lua IDE every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Lua IDE versus Lua IDE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLua IDELua IDE
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (11 ratings) — better3.4 (22 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews59.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1122 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size95 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer盼军 崔Wenhuan Li

Customer experience

Lua IDE

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

Lua IDE

All ratings22 ratings
Positive59.1%
Neutral9.1%
Negative31.8%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive59.3%
Neutral14.8%
Negative25.9%

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
None

Lua IDE

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lua IDE free?
Lua IDE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lua IDE free?
Lua IDE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Lua IDE or Lua IDE?
Lua IDE is rated higher. Lua IDE averages 3.5 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Lua IDE averages 3.4 from 22 ratings.
Do Lua IDE or Lua IDE have ads?
Neither Lua IDE nor Lua IDE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lua IDE or Lua IDE?
Lua IDE ships an update every 6 weeks, and Lua IDE every 7 months. Most recently, Lua IDE was updated on September 21, 2026 and Lua IDE on September 24, 2026.

Other comparisons