# Vato IDE vs Refactual

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Vato IDE at none against Refactual's 5. Refactual's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Refactual sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Vato IDE asks for nothing beyond the download.

Vato IDE ships an update every 6 weeks, Refactual every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Vato IDE | Refactual |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refactual-ai-code-assistant/id6778148770/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 59 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Noah d'hondt](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895874866) | [Sean Webb](https://appshunter.io/developer/6778148772) |

## What reviewers say

### Vato IDE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vato-ide/id6764676692)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Refactual

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refactual-ai-code-assistant/id6778148770)

An AI-powered workspace designed for modern software development, accessible on mobile. It offers real-time chat, code refactoring tools, codebase analysis, and document parsing. Seamlessly sync your work between web and mobile platforms.

**Highlights:** Real-time AI chat with streaming replies, Code refactoring and pull request tracking, Codebase modernization reports, Parsed document library with sharing, Web and mobile work synchronization, Model picker for AI tasks, Change alerts from monitored sources

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Refactual Plus | $6.99 | per month |
| $10 of credits | $10.00 | one-time |
| $25 of credits | $25.00 | one-time |
| $50 of credits | $50.00 | one-time |
| $125 of credits | $100.00 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Vato IDE free?

Vato IDE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Refactual free?

Refactual is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Vato IDE or Refactual have ads?

Neither Vato IDE nor Refactual shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Vato IDE or Refactual?

Vato IDE ships an update every 6 weeks, and Refactual every 6 days. Most recently, Vato IDE was updated on October 9, 2026 and Refactual on October 10, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*