What users complain about in Textastic Code Editor

Literally Cannot Even Look Without Paying. Confusing as Well

What is this? I have to pay just to look at text content? What’s the point of that? Like I can understand paying for some other features, but not the basic, bare minimum ones. That’s ridiculous. Open a file, pay-wall telling you to pay to look at the code. I wouldn’t mind paying for the life-time version if it was cheaper, but it’s like $70 for some basic features and coding support for a good chunk of languages and that’s it pretty much. Worthless.

Ripoff

Garbage. This app wont let you use FTP unless you sign up for 7-day trial + paid version. $25 per year. Why don’t you state this up front do we don’t waste our time?

Scam

Shows as a free app with in app purchases but you can't do anything (viewing, editing, creating docs) without activating the premium membership.

Seems like an amazing app… but paywall

This seems like an amazing app based on everything I've seen, but everything is locked behind a paywall. Including viewing, creating, and editing code files, which is literally the purpose of a code editor. I wish the pro subscription were less of a necessity and more of an optional upgrade for advanced features. Granted, it's only $20 a year, but it's still something to be aware of before downloading.

Paywall Clickbait

There is no point in the free version other than to show you what you could have if you subscribe. It can’t even open files, so it’s very underhand to offer it free in the App Store…. Clickbait at best. Koder is much better for the free functionality.

Just make the app paid access at this point, or advertise it as a paid experience.

You literally cannot do anything until you purchase the subscription. No free features whatsoever, not even viewing or editing files.

Misleading

Downloaded the app thinking it was free, but you have to pay to use the app, you can’t create or edit files without paying :( sadly misleading

Purchased years ago before subscription

Unless I am doing something wrong, simple editing does not work without subscription. I don’t need any application bad enough to have monthly subscriptions. Monthly subscriptions are not a good business model for the general public use.

Horrible

This cost money to do code like what the hell horrible game

Free version is completely useless

The free version is only a placeholder. It cannot even read text files, let alone edit. Label it honestly with the $19.99 price tag.

No Trial

If I can download this app for free, you should let me try it for free. Just one day. Waste of my time.

Come on!

So… to use even the most basic feature of a TEXT EDITOR I have to pay. I don’t think so. I will continue using Runestone as it’s generous on the free tier and really good on premium plan.

App after install puts up a pay wall

A waste of my time. You bite

Waste of time

Can’t view or edit a files without paying £70? Why not just have it as a paid app instead of trying to lure people in with a free app? All that happens then is that you get 1-star reviews for having a useless app. Well done.

Only a free 7 day trial.

No functioning free tier, this is just a paid app that lets you test it.

Missing options

Despite the intro, there is no “?” Or “+” button in the UI. This is sloppy editing of crucial info in the first few lines. Does not make me want to continue reading.

Oh Dear

As a code editor on iOS its actually good, let down by an abysmal pricing strategy and cut and paste responses to concerns here. Having everything behind a paywall is a terrible marketing ploy in my opinion free trial or not. So 4 stars for product 1 star for marketing and pricing

Unusable on free tier

You can’t even VIEW text files on the free version. Who wants to pay for a text editor. The advanced options sure I understand. But paywalling the most basic functionality? One star

Literally does NOTHING without Pro

Nowhere in the description is there any mention of a purchase or subscription cost. I don’t object to these things, if an app works and does something I need I don’t mind paying. That said, I want to know what I’ll be paying, and if it does what I need. BEFORE paying. I think that’s only reasonable. I managed to import a file. Then it was all blurred out with a message to get Pro for viewing and editing. It’s a text editor. Viewing and editing are not optional additional features. They are the key features. What good is a text editor what won’t even let me view let alone edit a file? How can I make an informed decision if I have absolutely no information? This could be an amazing app. I’ll never know. Because I’m so dissatisfied with the circumstances I’ve mentioned.

Useful to Useless

Everything is now behind a paywall even viewing my own local files. OK for certain features I can understand but file viewing??

Horrible man and ANNOYING

I downloaded this app to put a code for 30 fps for GameCube without Jit on provenance emulator and this thing told me to view and edit your file please pay, 20 dollars a year? Thanks but I only using this for today Buddy I don’t need this for a year! So I’m gonna find another way

Paywalled

Can’t even create a file without paying. Waste my time bro. Delete

Useless Greedy App

Cant even create files without paying, so whats the point of the app?

Who knows?

You literally cannot even open, much less edit, a basic text file without signing up and paying for yet another subscription-based product. Who knows, maybe this glorified text editor is amazing but you can’t do squat unless you pay first so don’t waste your time downloading the app unless you already know you are going to buy it.

Paywall

Lots of functions are locked out

Not free

You cannot use it if you don't pay or start a free trial.

Subscription bait

Free version is useless. Just make it a pay app instead of forcing a subscription model

Ridiculous pricing

£2.99/month just to OPEN a file!? That’s completely ridiculous. I would maybe understand basic editing being free and then everything else requiring a subscription but this current model is absolutely ludicrous and borderline predatory. You rely on someone starting a free 7 day trial to get basic functionality, and then them forgetting to cancel to be charged £60. I had the app open for 10 seconds and I immediately deleted it. Words cannot describe how utterly ridiculous your pricing model is. How the hell do you expect to get any users when you use such disingenuous practices? No wonder you’re not even on the first 20 results when you search for “text editor”

Simple but Paywall

The app does its job, but after one file edit, you need to pay to edit again

Not useful. Paid app

Cannot view even a single file, asks to buy pro version.

Since you asked for a Review...

I have prompts for reviews turned off. You ignored this an inteerupted me less than 20 minutes into working with filex on a project. I paid full price. Not Cheap. And you have the temerity to interrupt me for a stupid review. Allright... I bout this because I was told it was the best. There are cheaper alternatives.... but when I pay almost eighty bucks for an apple app... I expect that to buy me immunity for ads and surveys. It didnt. You did it anyway. So... you get a one-star review.... the same give anyone with begs for a review. Enjoy!!

Ok but lacks some features

I think this app has a lot of potential, it already has much of the big work done. However there are some modern features I wish it had such as being able to preview my Next.js, react typescript projects, The browser preview I’d love to be able to change device widths like what google chrome can do (I use an iPad so to have that simplified would be amazing) if I’m coding just a javascript program, I think having the ability to debug with console.log (like previewing but basically running a JavaScript file). Ideally having a terminal that I can use to install packages like an IDE would be exceptional along with extensions or plugins.

Something must be wrong

I just started the trial, and cancelled the subscription immediately. Why? Because I only want it to open two .bas files exported from excel this evening and stored on my onedrive. It doesn’t matter which I choose, but attempting it to open them simply results in the little grey wheel of bars. That’s it, finished, all done. Not very helpful.

While I understand

Forcing me into a trial for basic functionality like opening a file to view is ridiculous. Restrict saving of files not opening them. I was trying to compare yours to another but couldn’t because I can’t open files -_- The subscription model on the AppStore has made it worse over the years. Everything is a subscription now and this app is a fine example of what I would call abusing it. (Restricting all functions bar settings) Yes there is a trial but I don’t want to start a trial just to open a file, it just adds more work for the me (the user) to cancel said trial if I don’t like the app. Also £69 for a lifetime is a bit steep considering there are far cheaper alternatives & 4 years (long time) of access is £80 unless you plan on increasing that every year? £30 for lifetime is more reasonable and more folk I suspect would be willing to buy it. (That would include me, if I’m able to test the app without a trial for basic functions) But we know that’s not what you’re wanting. (And I understand that from a business perspective) So wish you all the best, but until something changing you have lost a potential customer. 3 stars as I understand why, I just don’t like it. You have some nice features in here theoretically as I can’t test them due to above.

Where’s the manual

I just started my 7 day trial but I may have to cancel. The first item on the intro page instructs me to go to the “list of files” and press the “?” button to bring up the manual. I see no such button in any of the menus so I can’t get the manual. Please advise.

Do not download

Apps that mislead you into downloading thinking it is free only to try and force you to pay when you try to do something like this app are the worst, if they didn’t deceive you in the first place maybe I would be willing to pay

I genuinely GENUINELY hate this app.

I’ve tried installing texture packs into the Delta emulator, but because the premium subscription exists, I can’t even use this app ANYMORE! I don’t even think there’s a free trial in this app! my mom doesn’t even want me subscribing to this, what’s the point of adding a paywall! Fix your app! Edit: i just realized there is a free trial lol XD so dramatic over nothing

The Dream of a Subscription Text Editor

Coming from the days where one purchased applications, and purchased subsequent updates outright, always have I longed for a subscription text editor. One that I would purchase repeatedly, regardless of whether or not it had been upgraded, and regardless of whether or not those upgrades applied to me. Well, after many agonizing years, that dream is now a reality. If any application genre screamed out to be a subscription, it is the text editor, what with all of the streaming data they have to provide to the user on a monthly basis. Also, unlike the hordes of starving developers that came before them, these guys finally realized that they could produce a better product if only they could eat every day, while maintaining a roof over their head. This was clearly not possible under the previous scheme, where a product was paid for without further obligation by the customer a/k/a “The Dark Days of Reason”. Instead of laboring under these gulag-esque conditions, the developers of Textastic have finally corrected one of the most grievous injustices since World War Two: the ruthless exploitation of the mobile software developer by the greedy, irrational, demanding customers who constantly demand the the devs fix glaring bugs, while not paying one red scent extra for their fixing. Instead of paying more the buggier an app was, selfish consumers wanted to pay the same price for buggy apps that they paid for more stable apps. This is an abomination that Textastic had the integrity, nay, courage to rectify. In my humble opinion, they have created a dream that you too can live. Go ahead. Push that button in the upper-right corner. Only through your support, will this economic model survive, and relegate to the history books that most heinous of paradigms known as “ownership”. In the future, you will own nothing and be happy. You do not have to wait, though. The future is here today, if only you would click that button. Set yourself free. Do it now.

Waste of time

Can’t even view a file without paying for it. Wish they were upfront about that on the description. There are literally no free features.

STINKIN BAD

Im sorry if im being a karen but literally it asks me to pay to preview the code, it asks me to pay to make projects and files IT ASKS ME TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING Guys please do not get this scam i even made a scam and it wasn't as bad as this like bro at least let me have some free stuff (im so sad i cant give it 0stars)