# Charting vs Charcoal

The clearest difference is rating: Charcoal at 4.5 against Charting's 3.4. Charcoal also leads on review sentiment (77% vs 35%) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Charting's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Charting sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Charcoal asks for nothing beyond the download.

Charcoal holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Charcoal has 143 ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 35% of Charting's written reviews are positive against 77% of Charcoal's.

Charting ships an update weekly, Charcoal every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 5, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Charting | Charcoal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (23 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charting-plotter/id1299669329/reviews) | **[4.5 (143 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charcoal/id1490279484/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 23 | **143** |
| Positive reviews | 35.3% of reviews | **76.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 19 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [奇 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/1299669328) | [Lars Augustin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1806278075) |

## What reviewers say

### Charting

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charting-plotter/id1299669329)

Easily create and share charts with a simple interface. Supports iCloud sync for seamless data management across devices. Export your plots in a dedicated format for collaboration.

**Highlights:** Simple operation interface, Quick chart drawing, iCloud sync support, Export Plotter format files, Cross-device compatibility

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full version | $2.99 | one-time |


### Charcoal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charcoal/id1490279484)

This app offers a simple yet powerful sketching experience with rich tools and beautiful color palettes. Easily create and export your artwork for use in other graphics programs. It supports modern iOS features like multiple windows and dark mode for enhanced productivity.

**Highlights:** Simple sketching interface, Rich drawing tools, Beautiful color palettes, Export sketches, Multiple window support, Dark mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and intuitive
- 👍 Great for quick sketching
- 🎨 Aesthetically pleasing design
- 💰 Free with no ads

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎨 Limited color palette
- 🎨 Lack of customization options
- 🎨 Missing advanced drawing tools
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes

**Reported bugs**

- Saved sketches lose quality
- Palette colors change unexpectedly
- Freezing when opening color palette

**Requested features**

- Ability to change brush/pen size
- Layers and blending tools
- Color wheel and custom color selection
- Import/export options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Charting free?

Charting is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Charcoal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Charting or Charcoal?

Charcoal is rated higher. Charting averages 3.4 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while Charcoal averages 4.5 from 143 ratings.

### Do Charting or Charcoal have ads?

Neither Charting nor Charcoal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Charting or Charcoal?

Charting ships an update weekly, and Charcoal every 2 months. Most recently, Charting was updated on September 5, 2026 and Charcoal on September 8, 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.*