Xojo vs B4i

Xojo8.5Visit B4i7.9Visit

Higher score Xojo #4 in Mobile Development IDEs 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Xojo

vs

B4i #9 in Mobile Development IDEs 7.9/10 Paid ✓ 3 of 3 features Visit B4i

• Xojo fits best

  Visual cross-platform app development

• B4i fits best

  Low-cost Windows iOS development

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Side by side

Feature	Xojo 8.5/10 Visit ↗	B4i 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.5	7.9
Ranking	#4 in Mobile Development IDEs	#9 in Mobile Development IDEs
Best for	Visual cross-platform app development	Low-cost Windows iOS development
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$499 one-time	$26/yr
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Money-back guarantee	90 days	30 days
Deployment	Desktop, Mobile	Desktop, Cloud
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, iOS
Support	Email, Community, Docs	Email, Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Xojo 3/3 · B4i 3/3
Emulator or simulator	✓	✓
Visual UI designer	✓	✓
App packaging	✓	✓
Specs
Mobile targets	iOS, Android	iOS
Desktop platforms	macOS, Windows, Linux	Windows
Supported languages	Xojo programming language	B4X
Our review
Pros	Visual builder with native iOS and Android controls Integrated editor, compiler, debugger, and emulators Native apps across mobile, desktop, and web targets	Native iOS compilation with visual UI design and device debugging $59 perpetual Standard license with local Mac compilation Hosted Mac Builder option removes the need for a local Mac
Cons	Mobile development requires a paid license iOS projects require a Mac Advanced support tiers cost up to $1,999 one time	Development targets iOS rather than multiple mobile platforms Local compilation requires a Mac computer No trial version; the IDE uses a B4X programming language
Our verdict	Xojo combines an IDE and programming language for building native applications across mobile, desktop, web, and console targets. It is aimed at independent developers, students, teams, and organizations that want one development… Read the review →	B4i is a Windows-based development environment for building native iOS applications with B4X, a Visual Basic-like programming language. It is aimed at solo developers, small teams, and organizations that want to create iPhone and iPad… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Xojo — where it wins

  • Visual builder with native iOS and Android controls
  • Integrated editor, compiler, debugger, and emulators
  • Native apps across mobile, desktop, and web targets

  Where it doesn't

  • Mobile development requires a paid license
  • iOS projects require a Mac
  • Advanced support tiers cost up to $1,999 one time

• B4i — where it wins

  • Native iOS compilation with visual UI design and device debugging
  • $59 perpetual Standard license with local Mac compilation
  • Hosted Mac Builder option removes the need for a local Mac

  Where it doesn't

  • Development targets iOS rather than multiple mobile platforms
  • Local compilation requires a Mac computer
  • No trial version; the IDE uses a B4X programming language

• Xojo8.5/10 · Free plan

  A capable visual IDE for cross-platform apps, with mobile development starting at $499 one time.

  Visit XojoFull verdict →
• B4i7.9/10 · Paid

  A low-cost route to native iOS development from Windows, with Mac-based compilation options.

  Visit B4iFull verdict →