# CharMap vs xKeyboard

The clearest difference is rating: CharMap at 4.0 against xKeyboard's 3.2. CharMap also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (54% vs 39%). xKeyboard's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (181 vs 57). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. xKeyboard sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.29 per month. CharMap asks for nothing beyond the download.

CharMap holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 57 and 181 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of CharMap's written reviews are positive against 39% of xKeyboard's.

CharMap ships an update every 4 months, xKeyboard monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CharMap | xKeyboard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (57 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charmap-unicode-characters/id369798229/reviews)** | [3.2 (181 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xkeyboard-custom-keyboard/id1440245962/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 57 | **181** |
| Positive reviews | **53.7% of reviews** | 39.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 28 MB | 104 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Conor Mulligan](https://appshunter.io/developer/347188860) | [煦 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/494537607) |

## 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


### xKeyboard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xkeyboard-custom-keyboard/id1440245962)

Design your own keyboard with custom layouts, keys, symbols, and Unicode characters. This app allows you to create specialized keyboards for various needs, from mathematical equations to phonetic alphabets, and use them across different text editing applications.

**Highlights:** Custom keyboard layouts, Symbol and Unicode integration, Specialized keyboards (Math, IPA, Chemistry), Template-based creation, Use in text editing apps

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| VIP - 1 Month | $0.29 | per month |
| VIP - 1 Year | $2.99 | per year |
| VIP - Lifetime | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Highly customizable
- 👍 Versatile for various use cases
- 🚀 Powerful keyboard creation capabilities
- 👍 Useful for conlangs and rare scripts
- 👍 Allows creating custom characters

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Paywall for core functionality
- 🐛 Crashes when deleting/editing keys
- 👎 Confusing and unintuitive interface
- 👎 Lacks documentation and tutorials
- 👎 Missing basic features like autocorrect

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to delete/edit keys
- Installed keyboards don't show custom layouts
- App crashes on certain script/language changes

**Requested features**

- Add ability to export/share custom keyboards
- Improve keyboard customization workflow
- Implement swipe typing and autocorrect
- Add more language/script support
- Allow creating custom characters/symbols


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CharMap free?

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

### Is xKeyboard free?

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

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

CharMap is rated higher. CharMap averages 4.0 out of 5 from 57 ratings, while xKeyboard averages 3.2 from 181 ratings.

### Do CharMap or xKeyboard have ads?

Neither CharMap nor xKeyboard shows ads.

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

CharMap ships an update every 4 months, and xKeyboard monthly. Most recently, CharMap was updated on November 1, 2026 and xKeyboard on November 3, 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.*