Comparison

CharMap vs Symbolic Method

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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.

About

Symbolic Method

Features
Read full description

'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

CharMap4 screens
Symbolic Method4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CharMap ships an update every 4 months, Symbolic Method monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
CharMap versus Symbolic Method: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCharMapSymbolic Method
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (57 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews53.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings57 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperConor MulliganRalph 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
Show 7 more
  • 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 more
  • 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

None

CharMap

No in-app purchases

None

Symbolic Method

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CharMap free?
CharMap is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Symbolic Method free?
Symbolic Method is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do CharMap or Symbolic Method have ads?
Neither CharMap nor Symbolic Method shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CharMap or Symbolic Method?
CharMap ships an update every 4 months, and Symbolic Method monthly. Most recently, CharMap was updated on October 23, 2026 and Symbolic Method on November 1, 2026.

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