Comparison

websta$ vs Textastic Code Editor

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

Head to head
About

websta$

Learn and develop web technologies with this comprehensive tool. It offers local code execution, Git integration, and seamless file sharing via LAN. Access learning materials, utilize advanced coding features, and personalize your learning environment for efficient skill development.

Highlights
  • Local code execution
  • Git retrieval
  • LAN file transfer (HTTP/FTP)
  • Code templates and autocompletion
  • iCloud synchronization
  • Built-in browser for learning materials
  • Customizable interface
Features
Read full description

This is a learning tool for efficient HTML, CSS, and JS learning, fast programming, local execution, Git retrieval, iCloud storage, efficient transfer and sharing via LAN HTTP/FTP multi-point connections. (^.^) It aspires to help you who want to learn, develop, and improve! !!!(^.^) (^.^) Read a variety of learning materials at your leisure and run examples while learning, making it easy to understand and efficient. (^.^) Use code templates, autocomplate, auto-indentation, code coloring, symbol completion, a symbol keyboard, text search, multi-file search, multi-line indentation, and multi-line comments to make development more convenient. (^.^) Access iCloud easily and synchronize across multiple devices for efficient collaboration. (^.^) Retrieve source code projects from GitHub with Git. (^.^) Efficiently transfer files via LAN or Bluetooth connections via HTTP/FTP multi-point connections. (^.^) Find learning materials easily through the built-in browser. Simply select code in the built-in browser to run it. (^.^) Open file formats like txt, pdf, chm, mp3, m4v, zip, gif, png, html, py, doc, etc. easily through the file system. (^.^) Adjust code color, font size, and line spacing for a more comfortable reading experience. (^.^) Customize background images and colors, text color and shadow, text font, text size, background animation, interface transition animation, the number and order of tabs on the main interface to create your own personalized learning software. (^.^) Generate QR codes for HTML, CSS, and JS scripts and learning materials, and scan them to access them. (^.^) Share HTML, CSS, and JS scripts and learning materials via email, Weibo, Twitter, and Facebook. Code templates - The contents of a new file will copy the contents of the code template.

About

Textastic Code Editor

A powerful text and code editor for mobile devices, offering syntax highlighting for over 80 languages, code completion, and formatting tools. It allows connection to various servers and cloud storage for seamless file management and editing.

Highlights
  • Syntax highlighting for 80+ languages
  • SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, and Dropbox client
  • Built-in SSH terminal
  • Code completion and formatting
  • External keyboard and trackpad support
  • Split View and Slide Over multitasking
Features
Read full description

Textastic is a comprehensive and versatile text and code editor for iPad and iPhone. It supports syntax highlighting for more than 80 programming and markup languages. Connect to SFTP, FTP, and WebDAV servers or to your Dropbox account. Use the built-in SSH terminal to work directly on your server. Features: - Syntax highlighting for more than 80 languages, including HTML, JavaScript, CSS, C++, Swift, Objective-C, Rust, XML, Markdown, PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, Lua, YAML, JSON, SQL, shell scripts, and many more (full list available on the website) - Compatible with Sublime Text 3 and TextMate 1 syntax definitions and themes - Code completion for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, C, Objective-C, and PHP - SFTP (SSH), FTP, FTPS (FTP over SSL), WebDAV, and Dropbox clients - SSH terminal connections - Code formatter for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and JSON - Git repositories from the Git client app Working Copy can be opened as external folders in Textastic - Emmet support - JavaScript console - iCloud Drive file synchronization - WebDAV server for easy file transfer between Textastic and your Mac or PC over Wi-Fi - Symbol list for quick navigation within a file - Full support for external keyboards, trackpads, and mice - Configurable keyboard shortcuts - Additional keys above the virtual keyboard for frequently used programming characters - Cursor navigation wheel for easy text selection - Move the cursor using swipe gestures - Split View and Slide Over multitasking on iPad - Open multiple files in tabs - Multiple windows on iPadOS - Dark Mode support - Support for common text encodings such as UTF-8, UTF-16, and ISO-8859-1 - Support for different tab widths and soft tabs (spaces instead of tabs) - Custom fonts - Find and Replace, including regular expression search - Find in multiple files - File information such as character and word counts - Local and remote web preview for HTML and Markdown files Pricing: Textastic requires a monthly or yearly subscription or a one-time purchase. Each subscription includes a 7-day free trial with full access to all features. Privacy Policy: https://www.textasticapp.com/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

websta$4 screens
Textastic Code Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Textastic Code Editor at Free against websta$'s $2.99. Textastic Code Editor also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (2.5K vs 67). websta$'s advantage is review sentiment (89% vs 69%) and device support (4 vs 2). On rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Textastic Code Editor is free to download; websta$ costs $2.99 up front. websta$ sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and Textastic Code Editor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 — 4.6 for websta$ against 4.7 for Textastic Code Editor. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Textastic Code Editor has 2.5K ratings behind it against 67, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of websta$'s written reviews are positive against 69% of Textastic Code Editor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

websta$ ships an update every 4 months, Textastic Code Editor every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
websta$ versus Textastic Code Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterwebsta$Textastic Code Editor
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (67 ratings)4.7 (2.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews88.6% of reviews — better68.9% of reviews
Number of ratings672.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#63#17 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB26 MB
Age rating17+4+
Developer小文 黄Alexander Blach

Customer experience

websta$

All ratings67 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral6.0%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews88 reviews
Positive88.6%
Neutral2.3%
Negative9.1%

Textastic Code Editor

All ratings2,510 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral1.6%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews599 reviews
Positive68.9%
Neutral8.7%
Negative22.4%

Bugs and requests

websta$

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Textastic Code Editor

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Issues with SSH/SFTP connectivity and authentication
  • Problems with handling large files or files with certain extensions
  • Inconsistent text selection and editing behavior

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for more cloud storage providers (e.g. Google Drive, OneDrive)
  • Implement a more seamless remote file editing and syncing workflow
  • Improve code editing features like code folding, multi-cursor support, and code beautification
  • Add a built-in terminal or ability to run code directly within the app

In-app purchases

8 purchases

websta$

One-time8
  • 2048 Source$0.99
  • AircraftWar$0.99
  • CodeEditor Source$0.99
Show 5 more
  • Five Chess Game Source$0.99
  • Source of look color$0.99
  • Tetris$0.99
  • Whac-A-Mole$0.99
  • Snake Game Source$0.99
3 purchases

Textastic Code Editor

Subscriptions2
  • Textastic Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Textastic Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Textastic Pro (One-Time)$69.99

Questions

Is websta$ free?
websta$ costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Textastic Code Editor free?
Textastic Code Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, websta$ or Textastic Code Editor?
Textastic Code Editor is rated higher. websta$ averages 4.6 out of 5 from 67 ratings, while Textastic Code Editor averages 4.7 from 2.5K ratings.
Do websta$ or Textastic Code Editor have ads?
Neither websta$ nor Textastic Code Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, websta$ or Textastic Code Editor?
websta$ ships an update every 4 months, and Textastic Code Editor every 2 weeks. Most recently, websta$ was updated on September 21, 2026 and Textastic Code Editor on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, websta$ or Textastic Code Editor?
websta$ currently peaks at #63 in the App Store charts, and Textastic Code Editor at #17. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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