# CharMap vs Bases

The clearest difference is rating: Bases at 5.0 against CharMap's 4.0. Bases also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 26.0). CharMap's advantage is ratings volume (52 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Bases holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CharMap has 52 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

CharMap ships an update every 5 months, Bases every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CharMap | Bases |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (52 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charmap-unicode-characters/id369798229/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bases/id1355317507/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **52** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 53.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 22 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Conor Mulligan](https://appshunter.io/developer/347188860) | [Russell May](https://appshunter.io/developer/1080177340) |

## What reviewers say

### CharMap

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charmap-unicode-characters/id369798229)

Explore and manage Unicode characters with this utility. Organize favorites, view details, and copy characters to your clipboard. Use the custom keyboard to insert them anywhere and sync collections across devices.

**Highlights:** Browse curated character categories, Organize favorite characters, View character details and copy to clipboard, Insert characters with custom keyboard, Discover characters and blocks, Sync collections across devices, Preview system fonts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Genuinely amazing for needs
- 💡 Custom keyboards brilliant
- 💯 Has every Unicode
- ✨ Very impressive
- 👍 Great for computer science

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❌ No return/enter key
- ❓ Feature not obvious
- ⚠️ Characters omitted in other apps
- ⚪ Keyboard looks like white rectangle
- 😵 UI is ugly and old

**Reported bugs**

- Characters omitted in other apps
- Keyboard looks like white rectangle in some apps
- Private Use Area characters not shown
- Collections feature quit working
- App crashes every time it's opened

**Requested features**

- Add return/enter key
- Batch add characters to collections
- Multi-font support
- Unicode 18.0 support
- Add Unicode 17.0


### Bases

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bases/id1355317507)

Convert between binary, decimal, and hexadecimal values. Displays the corresponding Unicode character and its description. Supports 8-bit and 16-bit modes with bit shifting and value increment/decrement.

**Highlights:** Binary, Decimal, Hexadecimal conversion, Unicode character display, Unicode descriptions, 8-bit and 16-bit modes, Bit shifting, Value increment/decrement, Sharing support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CharMap free?

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

### Is Bases free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CharMap or Bases?

Bases is rated higher. CharMap averages 4.0 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while Bases averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do CharMap or Bases have ads?

Neither CharMap nor Bases shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CharMap or Bases?

CharMap ships an update every 5 months, and Bases every 3 weeks. Most recently, CharMap was updated on October 8, 2026 and Bases on September 29, 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.*