# CharMap vs Symbol Keyboard

The clearest difference is rating: Symbol Keyboard at 4.7 against CharMap's 4.0. Symbol Keyboard also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (84% vs 54%). CharMap's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Symbol Keyboard holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Symbol Keyboard has 3.2K ratings behind it against 57, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of CharMap's written reviews are positive against 84% of Symbol Keyboard's.

CharMap ships an update every 4 months, Symbol Keyboard every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CharMap | Symbol Keyboard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (57 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charmap-unicode-characters/id369798229/reviews) | **[4.7 (3.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symbol-keyboard-character-pad/id811743313/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 57 | **3.2K** |
| Positive reviews | 53.7% of reviews | **83.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 28 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Conor Mulligan](https://appshunter.io/developer/347188860) | [ShuMei Liang](https://appshunter.io/developer/811743316) |

## 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


### Symbol Keyboard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symbol-keyboard-character-pad/id811743313)

Access hundreds of special characters and symbols for use in any application. Simply tap a character to copy it to your clipboard, then paste it into your desired app.

**Highlights:** Hundreds of special characters, Unicode symbols, One-tap copy to clipboard, Paste into any app, Quick access

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💎 Wide range of symbols
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🆓 Free app with no subscription
- 📚 Comprehensive symbol library
- 🗂️ Ability to organize symbols

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Difficult to find specific symbols
- 🧭 Unintuitive category organization
- 🚫 Ads interrupt usage
- 🔀 Keyboard integration issues
- 🔍 Lacking search functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when opening the app
- Keyboard fails to switch back to default

**Requested features**

- Add preset symbol organization (e.g. A-Z)
- Implement settings menu (dark mode, custom folders)
- Integrate keyboard with system for easier access
- Improve search to find symbols quickly


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CharMap free?

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

### Is Symbol Keyboard free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CharMap or Symbol Keyboard?

Symbol Keyboard is rated higher. CharMap averages 4.0 out of 5 from 57 ratings, while Symbol Keyboard averages 4.7 from 3.2K ratings.

### Do CharMap or Symbol Keyboard have ads?

Symbol Keyboard shows ads; CharMap does not.

### Which is updated more often, CharMap or Symbol Keyboard?

CharMap ships an update every 4 months, and Symbol Keyboard every 10 days. Most recently, CharMap was updated on October 23, 2026 and Symbol Keyboard on October 24, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*