B4i vs B4X
B4i
b4x.com
B4X
b4x.comSide by side
| Figure | B4i | B4X |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2.17/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 10 |
| Spec score · Mobile Development IDEs | 7.9 (#22) | 8.7 (#4) |
| License terms | The store says licenses are per developer and apps built with B4i are royalty free. | The store says licenses are perpetual, per developer, and applications developed with B4A, B4i or B4J are royalty free. |
| Support | The maker directs technical questions to its forum and says it answers presales and general support email within 24 hours. | The maker says it answers email within 24 hours and directs technical questions to its forum. |
Plans
B4i
- Hosted Mac Builder$26 a year
- B4i Standard$59, paid once
- B4i Standard + Hosted Builder$85, paid once
- B4i Enterprise$119, paid once
- B4i Enterprise + Hosted Builder$145, paid once
B4X
- B4AFree
- B4JFree
- B4RFree
- B4A Standard$59, paid once
- B4i Standard$59, paid once
- B4i Standard + Hosted Mac Builder$85, paid once
- B4A Enterprise$119, paid once
- B4i Enterprise$119, paid once
- B4i Enterprise + Hosted Mac Builder$145, paid once
- B4A Site$599, paid once
In their own words
B4X
B4X is a suite of rapid application development tools for Android, iOS, desktop, server, and IoT projects. Its B4X language is described as a modern version of Visual Basic, and B4A, B4J, and B4i projects can share 90%+ of their code through cross-platform libraries. B4A includes a GUI designer for multiple screens and orientations and supports device debugging over USB or a wireless bridge. B4J creates desktop interfaces, console programs, and server solutions that can run on Windows, Mac, Linux, and ARM boards such as Raspberry Pi. B4R targets Arduino, ESP8266, and ESP32. The maker says compiled iOS, Android, Arduino, and ESP8266 applications are native and have no dependencies. B4A, B4R, and B4J are free, including for commercial purposes. Standard B4A and B4i licenses cost 59.00 USD once per developer. B4i requires an Apple developer account costing $99 per year, an iOS 11+ device, and Windows 7 64-bit or a VM for its IDE.