# CharMap vs Menu Box

The clearest difference is rating: Menu Box at 4.7 against CharMap's 4.0. Menu Box also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 53%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months). CharMap's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (52 vs 14). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Menu Box sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. CharMap asks for nothing beyond the download.

Menu Box holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 52 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of CharMap's written reviews are positive against 86% of Menu Box's.

CharMap ships an update every 5 months, Menu Box fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and August 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CharMap | Menu Box |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (52 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charmap-unicode-characters/id369798229/reviews) | **[4.7 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/menu-box/id6463440793/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **52** | 14 |
| Positive reviews | 53.0% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 22 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Conor Mulligan](https://appshunter.io/developer/347188860) | [Snailed It Development Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1493284299) |

## 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


### Menu Box

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/menu-box/id6463440793)

Create visually appealing menus for your device's shortcuts. Customize menu items with emojis, app icons, or custom images to build personalized automations. Dynamically generate menus on the fly for advanced shortcut customization.

**Highlights:** Create beautiful menus for Shortcuts, Customize with emojis, SF Symbols, or custom images, Attach custom data to menu items, Fully controllable via Shortcuts, Dynamically create menus on the fly, Enhance Action Button functionality

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $4.99 | per year |
| Tip Jar - Small | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tip Jar - Medium | $2.99 | one-time |
| Tip Jar - Large | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CharMap free?

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

### Is Menu Box free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CharMap or Menu Box?

Menu Box is rated higher. CharMap averages 4.0 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while Menu Box averages 4.7 from 14 ratings.

### Do CharMap or Menu Box have ads?

Neither CharMap nor Menu Box shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CharMap or Menu Box?

CharMap ships an update every 5 months, and Menu Box fortnightly. Most recently, CharMap was updated on September 28, 2026 and Menu Box on August 20, 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.*