Comparison

Forge Academy vs Anvil

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

Head to head
About

Forge Academy

Master developer skills with 73 in-depth courses, interactive lessons, and over 21,000 quiz questions. Earn PDF certificates and learn effectively offline, with no personal data collected.

Highlights
  • 73 in-depth courses
  • 21,000+ quiz questions
  • Spaced repetition flashcards
  • Offline learning
  • PDF certificates
  • Curated learning paths
Features
Read full description

Forge Academy is your complete developer skills companion. 73 in-depth courses, 21,000+ quiz questions, spaced repetition flashcards, and PDF certificates — all offline, with no personal data collected. 73 COURSES ACROSS 12 CATEGORIES Languages: Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Rust, Java, Kotlin, Swift, C, PHP, Ruby, Bash Web & APIs: HTTP & Web Fundamentals, REST API Design, GraphQL, OpenAPI/Swagger, WebSockets, Authentication & OAuth Data: SQL Essentials, SQL for Analytics, PostgreSQL Advanced, MongoDB, Redis, Data Modeling DevOps: Git Mastery, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD, GitHub Actions, Infrastructure as Code, Monitoring & Logging CS Fundamentals: Data Structures, Algorithms & Complexity, Design Patterns, System Design, Microservices, Message Queues Security: OWASP Top 10, Cryptography Basics, HTTPS & TLS Deep Dive, Two-Factor Authentication Software Craft: Testing Fundamentals, Clean Code & Refactoring, Code Review, Debugging Techniques Plus: Linux & Terminal, Networking Fundamentals, Operating Systems, Computer Architecture, Statistics, Machine Learning, Prompt Engineering, Web Performance, Web Accessibility, Semantic Versioning, and more. LEARN EFFECTIVELY - Interactive lessons with real code examples and worked scenarios - 21,000+ quiz questions with detailed explanations — every wrong answer becomes a lesson, and the question bank keeps growing - Spaced repetition flashcards powered by the SM-2 algorithm - Curated learning paths: Foundations, Backend, Frontend, DevOps, Security, Data Science EARN CERTIFICATES - Complete every course to earn a personalized PDF certificate - Share your progress with employers and on LinkedIn - All certificates stored locally and backed up to your private iCloud FREE TO START, ONE-TIME PRO - 12 courses are completely free, including Regex, SQL, Linux, Python, and Markdown - $9.99 one-time unlocks all 73 courses — no subscriptions, ever - Family Sharing enabled - All future courses and new quiz questions included free — the catalog keeps growing BUILT FOR PRIVACY - 100% offline — no internet connection required to learn - No personal data collected — just anonymous usage diagnostics - No tracking, no ads, no third-party advertising SDKs - All progress stored on your device, optionally backed up to your private iCloud PERFECT FOR - Self-taught developers filling knowledge gaps - Bootcamp graduates preparing for interviews - CS students supplementing coursework - Working professionals learning new languages or frameworks - Anyone serious about mastering software fundamentals Forge Academy is made by Zima Logistics — a small team building focused, privacy-first tools for developers and professionals.

About

Anvil

A native toolkit for developers on macOS, iPhone, and iPad that streamlines everyday formatting, encoding, conversion, and inspection tasks. It supports a wide range of data types and formats, offering a focused and fast interface for common development workflows.

Highlights
  • JSON formatting and validation
  • Base64, URL, and HTML entity encoding/decoding
  • Timestamp and number base conversion
  • JWT decoding and payload inspection
  • UUID, ULID, and QR code generation
  • String analysis and data cleaning
Features
Read full description

Anvil is a native developer toolkit for macOS, iPhone, and iPad, built to make everyday formatting, encoding, conversion, and inspection tasks faster. Work with JSON, Base64, URLs, timestamps, JWTs, UUIDs, hashes, regular expressions, strings, SQL, CSV, YAML, QR codes, and more from one focused app. Instead of jumping between web utilities, Anvil keeps common developer workflows close at hand in a fast, native interface. Use Anvil to: Format, validate, repair, and inspect JSON. Encode and decode Base64, URLs, HTML entities, and escaped strings. Convert timestamps, number bases, CSV, YAML, and other structured data. Decode JWTs and inspect token payloads. Generate UUIDs, ULIDs, QR codes, hashes, sample text, and formatted code. Analyze strings, compare text, and clean up data while building or debugging. Anvil is designed for developers who want practical tools without clutter. Whether you are debugging an API response, preparing test data, checking a token, formatting a query, or converting values during development, Anvil gives you a polished native workspace for the small tasks that happen all day. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms and Conditions: https://anvilmac.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://anvilmac.com/privacy

Screenshots

Forge Academy4 screens
Anvil4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Anvil at every 5 days against Forge Academy's every 3 weeks. Forge Academy's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). 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. Forge Academy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Anvil sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Forge Academy against 5.0 for Anvil. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Forge Academy ships an update every 3 weeks, Anvil every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Forge Academy versus Anvil: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForge AcademyAnvil
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB96 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperZIma Logistics LLCAlex Javier Rivas Martinez

Customer experience

Forge Academy

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Anvil

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Forge Academy

One-time1
  • Forge Academy Pro$14.99
3 purchases

Anvil

Subscriptions2
  • Anvil Pro Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Anvil Pro Yearly$37.991 Year
One-time1
  • Anvil Pro Lifetime$79.99

Questions

Is Forge Academy free?
Forge Academy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Anvil free?
Anvil is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Forge Academy or Anvil?
Forge Academy and Anvil are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Forge Academy or Anvil have ads?
Neither Forge Academy nor Anvil shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Forge Academy or Anvil?
Forge Academy ships an update every 3 weeks, and Anvil every 5 days. Most recently, Forge Academy was updated on September 19, 2026 and Anvil on September 30, 2026.

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