# php$ vs Lua IDE

The clearest difference is price: Lua IDE at Free against php$'s $2.99. php$'s advantage is rating (4.8 vs 3.4) and review sentiment (88% vs 59%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Lua IDE is free to download; php$ costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

php$ holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 22 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of php$'s written reviews are positive against 59% of Lua IDE's.

php$ ships an update every 5 months, Lua IDE every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | php$ | Lua IDE |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/php-programming-language/id845986938/reviews)** | [3.4 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lua-ide/id1549382090/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **22** |
| Positive reviews | **87.5% of reviews** | 59.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 months** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#136** | — |
| Size | 89 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [小文 黄](https://appshunter.io/developer/490328393) | [Wenhuan Li](https://appshunter.io/developer/1243152342) |

## What reviewers say

### php$

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/php-programming-language/id845986938)

**Currently charting:** #136 Top Paid · Developer Tools (US App Store)

Learn, run, and share PHP scripts with this iOS application. It offers code autocompletion, syntax highlighting, and a built-in browser for learning resources. Customize your coding environment and share your work via email or social media.

**Highlights:** Autocompletion and auto-indent, Code coloring and font customization, Built-in browser for learning materials, Save, modify, and delete code files, Support for various file types, Customizable interface and background, Generate QR codes for sharing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Lua IDE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lua-ide/id1549382090)

A mobile integrated development environment for writing and running Lua code. It offers syntax highlighting, module support, and an offline reference manual. Cloud storage integration is also available.

**Highlights:** Syntax highlighting, Module support, Offline reference manual, Works offline, Cloud storage support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is php$ free?

php$ costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Lua IDE free?

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

### Which has better reviews, php$ or Lua IDE?

php$ is rated higher. php$ averages 4.8 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Lua IDE averages 3.4 from 22 ratings.

### Do php$ or Lua IDE have ads?

Neither php$ nor Lua IDE shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, php$ or Lua IDE?

php$ ships an update every 5 months, and Lua IDE every 7 months. Most recently, php$ was updated on September 14, 2026 and Lua IDE on September 24, 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.*