# CharMap vs Character Pad

The clearest difference is rating: Character Pad at 4.5 against CharMap's 4.0. Character Pad also leads on ratings volume (606 vs 57) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). CharMap's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Character Pad sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. CharMap asks for nothing beyond the download.

Character Pad holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Character Pad has 606 ratings behind it against 57, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 54% of CharMap's written reviews are positive against 47% of Character Pad's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

CharMap ships an update every 4 months, Character Pad every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CharMap | Character Pad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (57 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charmap-unicode-characters/id369798229/reviews) | **[4.5 (606 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/character-pad/id418874651/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 57 | **606** |
| Positive reviews | **53.7% of reviews** | 46.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 28 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Conor Mulligan](https://appshunter.io/developer/347188860) | [Armchair Engineering](https://appshunter.io/developer/398901339) |

## 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


### Character Pad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/character-pad/id418874651)

Easily access and use hundreds of special characters and symbols to enhance your text. Copy characters like Greek letters, math symbols, and more to paste into any application, personalizing your messages, emails, and documents.

**Highlights:** Access hundreds of special characters, Copy characters to clipboard, Paste into any application, Customize messages and documents, Includes Greek alphabet, math symbols, and more

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Upgrade - Reduced Price | $1.99 | one-time |
| More Characters | $2.99 | one-time |
| Full Upgrade - Hero Price | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Great
- 🙌 Useful
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🔍 Essential
- 🤩 Fun

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Paid features
- 🔒 Limited access
- 🐛 Crashes
- 📍 Outdated
- 🚫 Removed features

**Reported bugs**

- Restore purchases not working
- Compatibility issues with new iOS versions

**Requested features**

- More characters and symbols
- Search functionality
- Improved clipboard management
- Compatibility updates


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CharMap free?

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

### Is Character Pad free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CharMap or Character Pad?

Character Pad is rated higher. CharMap averages 4.0 out of 5 from 57 ratings, while Character Pad averages 4.5 from 606 ratings.

### Do CharMap or Character Pad have ads?

Neither CharMap nor Character Pad shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CharMap or Character Pad?

CharMap ships an update every 4 months, and Character Pad every 6 months. Most recently, CharMap was updated on October 23, 2026 and Character Pad on November 1, 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.*