CharMap vs Symbolic Method
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CharMap
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.
- 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
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CharMap allows to you discover, organize, and use unicode characters. FEATURES • Browse a collection of curated character categories, and organize your favourite characters into custom collections. • View character details and copy characters to the clipboard in a variety of formats. • Enable the CharMap keyboard to insert characters wherever custom keyboards are supported. • Discover unicode characters and blocks using a dedicated unicode browser. • Automatically sync your collections between devices. • Quickly access your custom collections using the collection widget. • Browse system fonts and view font metadata. • No ads, trackers, or analytics. Your data is stored on-device, and optionally synced across your private iCloud account.
Symbolic Method
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'Symbolic Method' forms part of the 'Symbolic Close-Up Trilogy' that dedicates to symbolic notation in Close-Up magic. The volumes, all available on the App Store, are: Vol. 1 - Symbolic Method Vol. 2 - Symbolic Matrix Vol. 3 - Symbolic Cups and Balls These apps blend into the most comprehensive set of technical learning tools for Close-Up magicians, with solutions for mental techniques and notation systems. ‘Symbolic Method’ serves to document, draft and study ideas and variations on card tricks. It addresses all Close-Up card magicians. The app is inspired by Juan Tamariz's 'método simbólico', developed in 1978, and his visions on a notation system for card tricks, introduced in his publications ‘El Método Simbólico’ I and II, and the ‘New mini simbólico’. Consider any card trick routine as a sequence of position checks and actions along with dramaturgic and grammatical elements. Pin those down in a most concise way by means of intuitive icons and symbols. Then let them guide you, view by view, to study, analyse, recall, and practice card tricks systematically. ‘Symbolic Method' gives you a holistic view on the routines, enables you to x-ray the method, and serves to go over your related material from books, lecture notes, brainstorming sessions, and videos. It opens up new perspectives, and is to the a card trick what musical notes are to a song. It works on all iOS devices, with the best product experience on iPads. Additional information: - License agreement - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ - Privacy policy - https://yeahgic.com/pge_PrivacySymbols.htm
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Symbolic Method at monthly against CharMap's every 4 months. Symbolic Method also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
CharMap ships an update every 4 months, Symbolic Method monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CharMap | Symbolic Method |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (57 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 53.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 57 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 16.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Conor Mulligan | Ralph Cos |
Bugs and requests
CharMap
Reported bugs
12 issues- 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
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- App crashes on iPad Pro
- App crashes on iPad
- Everything gone after update
- App doesn't open after update
- Some symbols are not shown
- Keyboard not showing up immediately
- Preferences -> font closes app
Requested features
20 requests- Add return/enter key
- Batch add characters to collections
- Multi-font support
- Unicode 18.0 support
- Add Unicode 17.0
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- Ability to select characters with single click
- Add 'raised to the power of x' symbol
- Add superscripts in letter, equation, and inequality form
- Option to format characters (LTR/RTL)
- Make fonts usable in 'Unicode'
- Implement custom font API
- Search for character option
- Search by character name
- Add Sutton SignWriting block
- Add symbol search
- Update UI with SF symbols
- Add dark mode support
- Rename collections
- Backup and Restore collections
- Put collections on top of list when using as keyboard
Symbolic Method
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
CharMap
No in-app purchases
Symbolic Method
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is CharMap free?
Is Symbolic Method free?
Do CharMap or Symbolic Method have ads?
Which is updated more often, CharMap or Symbolic Method?
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