Comparison

Typewise Custom Keyboard vs VimKey

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

Head to head
About

Typewise Custom Keyboard

This keyboard app is designed for smartphones, featuring a unique hexagonal layout for larger keys and fewer typos. It offers AI-powered editing tools, intuitive gestures, and robust privacy features, ensuring your typing data stays on your device.

Highlights
  • Hexagonal layout for larger keys
  • AI-powered text editing (translate, proofread, adjust tone)
  • Intuitive swipe gestures for editing
  • Smart autocorrect that learns user habits
  • 100% privacy, no cloud data transmission
  • Support for 40+ languages simultaneously
Features
Read full description

FOUR times fewer typos and 100% privacy with the first keyboard made for your iPhone. Featured on: TechCrunch, Wired, Houston Chronicle, Esquire, Evening Standard, Tech Radar, Mac Observer, App Advice DID YOU KNOW? Current keyboards are based on the 140-year-old mechanical typewriter layout. Typewise is different. It’s the first keyboard that is specifically designed for smartphones. It’s revolutionary yet easy to use, and after a couple of messages you’ll love it. 4X FEWER TYPOS A recent study with 37,000 participants showed that on current keyboards 1 out of 5 words contains typos. With Typewise you finally get rid of these ARRGGHH-moments. Thanks to the hexagon layout, keys are 70% larger and much easier to hit. It helps you to make four times fewer typos. AI POWERED KEYBOARD All your editing needs are now met in one keyboard. It features the ability to translate, proofread, adjust tonality, shorten, extend and create inclusive language with just one click. INTUITIVE GESTURES Swipe up to capitalize a letter, swipe left to delete or swipe right to restore. It's as simple as that. SMART AUTOCORRECT Stop getting annoyed by wrong autocorrections or senseless predictions. Typewise learns what you type and helps you write that perfect sentence. 100% PRIVACY What you write is personal. That's why the keyboard does NOT require “full access” and none of your typing data is transmitted to the cloud. To improve tutorial, game and settings in the app, we rely on basic and anonymous usage tracking, which can be turned off completely using the offline mode feature. The keyboard itself is not tracked at all. https://typewise.app/privacy-policy-app/ SPEAKS YOUR LANGUAGES Having to switch between different languages is cumbersome. With Typewise you can write in all your languages at once. Choose from 40+ languages and type in the accents you really need. Typewise supports: - English (United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada) - Afrikaans - Albanian - Basque - Breton - Catalan - Croatian - Czech - Danish - Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands) - Estonian - Filipino - Finnish - French (France, Canada, Switzerland) - Galician - German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland) - Hinglish - Hungarian - Icelandic - Indonesian - Irish - Italian - Latvian - Lithuanian - Malaysian - Norwegian - Polish - Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) - Romanian - Serbian - Slovak - Slovene - Spanish - Swedish - Swiss German - Turkish GET MORE WITH TYPEWISE PRO - Type in multiple languages without switching - Get personalized word suggestions - Additional 16 awesome themes - Create your own text replacements - Turn on key vibration - Turn on tablet mode - Change swiping behavior - Change space button sensitivity - Automatically go back to letters after a space - Flick down to undo auto corrections Typewise PRO is a service that costs $1.99 per month or $9.49 per year (prices vary by region). Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase and auto-renews at the same price unless disabled in iTunes Account Settings at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your subscription can be managed in your iTunes Account Settings. Review our terms of use: https://typewise.app/terms-of-use-ios/ SUPPORTED DEVICES Typewise is optimized for iPhones with iOS 13 or later.

About

VimKey

Enhance your mobile editing experience with Vim-style navigation and dedicated arrow keys. This app offers precise cursor control for developers and power users on iOS devices, bringing desktop-level efficiency to your fingertips.

Highlights
  • Vim-style HJKL navigation
  • Dedicated directional arrow keys
  • Dual layout switching
  • Privacy-focused data handling
  • Haptic feedback and click sounds
Features
Read full description

Master Your Cursor on iOS Editing code and managing SSH sessions on a mobile device can be painful. The default magnifying glass cursor is imprecise, and fingers often block the exact characters you need to select. VimKey brings desktop level cursor precision to your iPhone and iPad. Key Features Dedicated Arrow Keys and Joystick Navigation Move the cursor step by step with dedicated arrow keys or the touch joystick pad. Navigate across lines effortlessly without obscuring the screen. Vim Style Navigation Fly through documents with classic Vim navigation and essential modifier keys designed for developers and terminal users. Select Mode and Quick Copy Toggle Select Mode on and navigate with directional keys to highlight text with ease. Copy selected text straight to the clipboard with one tap. Dual Layouts Switch seamlessly between the navigation layout and a standard QWERTY keyboard. Unlock QWERTY temporarily by watching a short ad, or unlock forever with a one-time purchase. Privacy First Your input belongs to you. Full Access is requested exclusively for haptic feedback and click sounds. We never collect, store, or transmit your keystrokes. Important Note Due to iOS browser limitations, modifier keys such as Esc, Tab, Ctrl, and arrow keys do not function in browser-based WebSSH clients. For the best experience, please use a native Terminal app. Contact Feedback and suggestions are welcome. Email: mozhenbear@zodic.dev

Screenshots

Typewise Custom Keyboard4 screens
VimKey3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: VimKey at every 4 days against Typewise Custom Keyboard's every 2 months. VimKey also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 43%). Typewise Custom Keyboard's advantage is ratings volume (856 vs 5) and rating (3.7 vs 3.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Typewise Custom Keyboard sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and VimKey sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Typewise Custom Keyboard holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Typewise Custom Keyboard has 856 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 43% of Typewise Custom Keyboard's written reviews are positive against 67% of VimKey's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Typewise Custom Keyboard ships an update every 2 months, VimKey every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Typewise Custom Keyboard versus VimKey: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTypewise Custom KeyboardVimKey
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (856 ratings) — better3.4 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews42.6% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings856 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1615.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTypewise AGchuncheng su

Customer experience

Typewise Custom Keyboard

All ratings846 ratings
Positive65.5%
Neutral11.6%
Negative22.9%
Written reviews559 reviews
Positive42.6%
Neutral20.0%
Negative37.4%

VimKey

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

Typewise Custom Keyboard

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Keyboard disappearing or not showing up in apps
  • Cursor control and backspace issues
  • Inconsistent behavior across iOS versions
  • Incorrect capitalization and punctuation

Requested features

4 requests
  • Swipe-to-type functionality
  • Customizable key layouts
  • Improved autocorrect and word suggestions
  • Support for more languages and scripts

VimKey

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Typewise Custom Keyboard

Subscriptions10
  • Typewise PRO (Monthly)$1.991 Month
  • Typewise PRO (Annual)7 Days trial$3.991 Year
  • Typewise PRO (Annual)7 Days trial$6.991 Year
Show 7 more
  • Typewise PRO (Annual)7 Days trial$7.991 Year
  • Typewise PRO (Annual)7 Days trial5 variants$9.491 Year
  • Typewise PRO (Annual)1 Month trial$9.491 Year
  • Typewise PRO (Annual)7 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • Typewise PRO (Annual)1 Month trial$9.991 Year
  • Typewise PRO (Annual)7 Days trial$10.991 Year
  • Typewise PRO (Annual)7 Days trial$12.491 Year
One-time2
  • Typewise PRO (Lifetime)$10.99
  • Typewise PRO (Lifetime)$24.99
1 purchases

VimKey

One-time1
  • qwert Layout$2.99

Questions

Is Typewise Custom Keyboard free?
Typewise Custom Keyboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is VimKey free?
VimKey is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Typewise Custom Keyboard or VimKey?
Typewise Custom Keyboard is rated higher. Typewise Custom Keyboard averages 3.7 out of 5 from 856 ratings, while VimKey averages 3.4 from 5 ratings.
Do Typewise Custom Keyboard or VimKey have ads?
Neither Typewise Custom Keyboard nor VimKey shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Typewise Custom Keyboard or VimKey?
Typewise Custom Keyboard ships an update every 2 months, and VimKey every 4 days. Most recently, Typewise Custom Keyboard was updated on October 24, 2026 and VimKey on October 24, 2026.

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