TabletBasic vs learnFORTH
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TabletBasic
Learn programming with a retro BASIC environment inspired by classic tools. Write, run, and experiment with code in a focused IDE, explore sample programs, and follow beginner-friendly lessons. It's a modern educational tool for mastering a practical programming language.
- Retro IDE for writing and running BASIC programs
- Immediate mode for quick command testing
- 80 built-in sample programs
- Beginner-friendly lessons
- Learn core programming concepts
- Simple graphics drawing capabilities
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TabletBasic is a retro BASIC learning environment. Inspired by Microsoft QuickBASIC, TabletBasic brings back the fast, friendly learning loop that made classic BASIC such a great way to start programming: type a few lines, run them immediately, see what happens, and try again. Designed for learning: - Write and run BASIC programs in a focused retro IDE. - Try quick commands in immediate mode. - Explore 80 built-in sample programs across 8 categories. - Follow beginner-friendly lessons. - Learn variables, loops, conditions, subroutines, arrays, data, random numbers, and expressions. - Draw simple graphics with SCREEN, LINE, CIRCLE, PSET, and COLOR. TabletBasic includes a native Swift interpreter and a clean interface inspired by classic DOS programming tools. It is not an emulator. It is a modern educational environment for experimenting with a practical, readable programming language. TabletBasic is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Microsoft.
learnFORTH
Learn the compact, stack-based Forth programming language through structured daily lessons and interactive exercises. Explore its history and applications in embedded systems and retro computing.
- 90 structured daily lessons
- Interactive REPL with syntax highlighting
- Hands-on exercises with hints
- Progress tracking and daily streaks
- Reverse Polish Notation primer
- Historical notes on Forth dialects
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It's time to learn Forth, the compact stack-based language that powered navigation computers, embedded systems, and a generation of hands-on hackers - and still runs the boot firmware on some retro Sun and Apple hardware. If you ever saw a Jupiter ACE home computer, now is your change to learn about what made it special. This app teaches you to think in words and stacks with 90 short, structured daily lessons, a live REPL you can experiment in right on your phone or iPad, and hands-on exercises with hints (not answers) so you actually learn the ideas. WHAT'S INSIDE • 90 guided lessons across 7 topics: the data stack, words & variables, control flow, loops & recursion, advanced words, data structures, and advanced topics. • A built-in REPL with syntax highlighting so you can type real FORTH and see the stack respond immediately. • Exercises for every lesson, graded on output, with an optional hint if you get stuck. • Daily streaks and per-category progress tracking to keep you moving. You'll learn, promise! • A plain-English primer on Reverse Polish Notation and stack manipulation (DUP, DROP, SWAP, OVER, ROT) for complete beginners. • Historical notes on FORTH's dialects - fig-FORTH, Forth-79, Forth-83, ANS Forth - and which one this app's interpreter follows. • A tip-of-the-hat to the Jupiter ACE, the British home computer from the 1980s that was based on Forth. • A recommended reading list of classic FORTH books, including Starting FORTH and Thinking Forth by Leo Brodie. • Light, dark, and automatic themes. No prior programming experience required. If you've ever wondered how a language with almost no syntax can still get real work done, learnFORTH will show you, one word at a time. Note: This app is free, with all features always available. If you enjoy it, please use the tip feature to thank the author and encourage future development.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: learnFORTH at 3 against TabletBasic's 1. On price, rating, review sentiment 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for TabletBasic against 5.0 for learnFORTH. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
| Parameter | TabletBasic | learnFORTH |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Every 5 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andrey Sapunov | John Kennedy |
Customer experience
TabletBasic
learnFORTH
In-app purchases
TabletBasic
No in-app purchases
learnFORTH
No in-app purchases








