Comparison

Lua IDE vs Love2D Studio

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

Love2D Studio

This tool allows you to code, debug, and run Love2D games directly on your mobile device. It features a simple editor with automatic saving and code highlighting, a powerful runner to test your code instantly, and Git integration for seamless code synchronization.

Highlights
  • Simple and friendly editor
  • Automatic change saving
  • Code highlighting
  • Powerful app runner
  • Code sync with Git
Features
Read full description

Love2D studio is an innovative tool help you code, debug and run games, all directly from mobile devices. - Simple and friendly editor - automatically save your changes - code highlight - Powerful app runner - Run your code directly to see the effect - Code sync with git - Automatically sync your code changes to git services

Screenshots

Lua IDE4 screens
Love2D Studio3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Love2D Studio at 4.6 against Lua IDE's 3.5. Love2D Studio also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 50%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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 Love2D Studio 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

Love2D Studio holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 20 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Lua IDE's written reviews are positive against 90% of Love2D Studio's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lua IDE ships an update every 6 weeks, Love2D Studio every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Lua IDE versus Love2D Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLua IDELove2D Studio
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (11 ratings)4.6 (20 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews90.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1120 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size95 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer盼军 崔淑敏 孙

Customer experience

Lua IDE

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

Love2D Studio

All ratings20 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive90.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative0.0%

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
1 purchases

Love2D Studio

One-time1
  • Upgrade to Pro Edition$1.99

Questions

Is Lua IDE free?
Lua IDE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Love2D Studio free?
Love2D Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Lua IDE or Love2D Studio?
Love2D Studio is rated higher. Lua IDE averages 3.5 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Love2D Studio averages 4.6 from 20 ratings.
Do Lua IDE or Love2D Studio have ads?
Neither Lua IDE nor Love2D Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lua IDE or Love2D Studio?
Lua IDE ships an update every 6 weeks, and Love2D Studio every 2 weeks. Most recently, Lua IDE was updated on September 21, 2026 and Love2D Studio on September 23, 2026.

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