BBCBasic vs Tin Toy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BBCBasic
This app implements the classic BBC BASIC programming language with modern enhancements. It supports advanced graphics, physics, multimedia, and networking, while maintaining compatibility with the original BBC Microcomputer.
- 2D and 3D graphics
- Shader programming
- 2D physics engine
- Stereo music and sound effects
- Video playback
- Networking support
- Accelerometer support
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BBC BASIC is the programming language originally specified and adopted by the British Broadcasting Corporation for its groundbreaking Computer Literacy Project of the early 1980s. This is an advanced, cross-platform, implementation with many enhancements over early versions. As well as extensions to the language it supports anti-aliased 2D graphics, 3D graphics, shader programming and includes a 2D physics engine. Its multimedia capabilities include stereo music, sound effects and video. It supports networking and the accelerometer. Nevertheless it maintains a high degree of compatibility with the BBC Microcomputer, including SOUND, ENVELOPE and MODE 7.
Tin Toy
Create and preview real-time graphics using Metal shaders on iOS and iPadOS. This app offers a code editor, flexible buffer management with custom inputs, and tools for capturing and sharing your creations. It's ideal for learning, prototyping visual effects, and generative art.
- Real-time Metal shader writing
- Instant preview of results
- Custom input buffers (images, video, camera)
- Snapshot and record shader output
- Built-in debugging tools
- Shareable document bundles
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Tin Toy is your creative canvas for real-time graphics. Inspired by ShaderToy, and designed natively for iOS & iPadOS, Tin Toy lets you write and preview Metal shaders with a seamless, modern interface. Whether you're a graphics enthusiast, game developer, or curious creative, Tin Toy gives you powerful tools to bring your shaders to life. Real-Time Metal Shaders Write fragment shaders in a built-in code editor, or your code editor of choice, and see the results instantly. Flexible Buffer Management View each shader buffer individually or all at once. Feed shaders with custom inputs like: * Images * Video * Live camera feed * Mouse & keyboard (if attached to device) Snapshot, Record & Share Capture still frames or record high-quality videos of your shaders in action with a click. Self contained document bundles include the shaders and all its buffer assets for easy sharing and collaboration. Built-In Debugging Tools Capture frames and inspect them using Xcode for pixel-perfect debugging. Perfect for: * Learning Metal shader programming * Rapid prototyping of visual effects * Creating generative art 100% Free No ads. No upsells.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: BBCBasic at 4.4 against Tin Toy's 4.0. BBCBasic also leads on ratings volume (8 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.0). Tin Toy's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 75%). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BBCBasic holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BBCBasic has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of BBCBasic's written reviews are positive against 100% of Tin Toy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BBCBasic | Tin Toy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (8 ratings) — better | 4.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Richard Russell | Adrian Russell |
Customer experience
BBCBasic
Tin Toy
In-app purchases
BBCBasic
No in-app purchases
Tin Toy
No in-app purchases









