MBraille vs Pikunoki
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MBraille
This app provides a mobile braille keyboard for typing, editing, and sending messages. It offers extensive braille support for various languages and allows interaction with other applications, making mobile devices more accessible.
- Mobile braille keyboard
- Type, edit, and send messages
- Support for contracted and uncontracted braille
- Call contacts and send emails
- Facebook status updates and calendar entries
- Internet search queries
- Third-party application interaction
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MBraille: Braille-First Notetaker for iPhone and iPad MBraille turns your iPhone or iPad into a braille-first workspace for writing, editing, and everyday tasks. More than a keyboard, it combines fast touchscreen braille entry with navigation, editing, commands, and file tools for users who want an efficient eyes-free workflow. Write with a customizable 6-dot layout, hear immediate speech feedback, and control the app with short gestures. MBraille supports both contracted and uncontracted braille in many languages, so you can work the way you already know. Key features: - Fast touchscreen braille input with customizable dot positions - Designed for VoiceOver and supports self-voicing when VoiceOver is off - Rich editing with cursor movement, read-back, selection, copy, cut, paste, undo, erase, and search - Notes, saved files, bookmarks, command history, and quick navigation - Command mode for messages, phone calls, email, calendar events, web search, opening apps, file management, and help - On-device voice dictation - Aliases and gesture bindings for repeated phrases and frequent commands - Cloud sync for MBraille files with Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive - One-handed mode and external keyboard support - Speech feedback by character, word, sentence, and more MBraille is built for real daily use: taking notes, writing messages, managing files, launching actions, and staying in braille from start to finish. If you want a braille-first notetaker and Swiss army knife for iPhone or iPad, MBraille gives you speed, control, and flexibility in one app. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Pikunoki
Create pixel art with a variety of tools, including basic pencils, erasers, and layers. Select colors from presets and utilize undo/redo functions. Optimized for iPad and Apple Pencil.
- Pixel painting
- Layers support
- Basic pencil and eraser tools
- Color selection with presets
- Undo and redo functionality
- Optimized for Apple Pencil
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Pikunoki is a pixel art creation app for iPhone and iPad. With simple, intuitive controls, you can draw pixel art, work with layers, and create animations. Pikunoki also supports Apple Pencil, making it especially comfortable to use on iPad. The app includes useful tools for pixel art creation, such as a pen, eraser, fill tool, move tool, rectangular selection tool, and eyedropper. Choose colors, stack layers, move parts of your artwork, and build detailed pixel illustrations one dot at a time. Pikunoki also supports frame-by-frame animation. You can add, duplicate, reorder, and delete frames, preview your animation, use onion skinning, adjust the frame duration, and export your animation as a GIF. You can import photos and images as new pixel art layers, and share your finished artwork as a PNG image. Pikunoki is designed for anyone who wants to enjoy drawing pixel art, from quick sketches to more detailed layered artwork and animations. If you have feedback or feature requests, feel free to contact us through a review or by email. Email: pikunoki@koukilab.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pikunoki at 100% against MBraille's 70%. Pikunoki also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). MBraille's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 27.0). 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. MBraille sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Pikunoki sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
MBraille ships an update every 3 weeks, Pikunoki every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MBraille | Pikunoki |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 27.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 123 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MPaja | Kouki Saito |
Customer experience
MBraille
Pikunoki
Bugs and requests
MBraille
Reported bugs
25 issues- Subscription prompt for full version owners after update
- App not working smoothly since iOS 26 update
- Restore purchase not finding previous full version purchases
- Multiple exclamation marks problem
- Third-party MBraille Keyboard from within apps not working
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- App no longer speaks after iOS 13.1 update
- Typing not recognized correctly
- Help function links not working
- Cannot use delete whole word gesture
- Standard virtual keyboard impossible to find in other apps
- Three finger swipe gesture inconsistent
- Clipboard functions hit and miss
- Self-voicing mode has erratic touch behavior
- App doesn't always recognize all fingers on screen
- Fixed position of dots requires finger adjustment
- Cannot correctly translate inputted braille to print
- Does not use iOS braille tables
- Clipboard is very difficult to clear
- Feature that sends text directly from mBraille is inconsistent
- Erratic touch behavior with VoiceOver on iOS 7
- App not working at all
- Black screen with white dots along the edge, no response
- Not working for some users
- Cannot use 6 dots to write 'for'
- Accidental tapping on banner when notification comes through
Requested features
14 requests- Bring back working third-party MBraille Keyboard from within apps
- Fix multiple exclamation marks problem
- Lower the full price to about five dollars at the maximum
- Fix beeps to clicks for key presses
- Add sound similar to brailler embossing head for blank line command
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Add a gesture to send messages
- Improve iPad support
- Expand to a fully integrated notetaker
- Implement braille properly on iPhone (developer suggestion)
- Add switchable keyboard orientations to iPad version
- Improve clipboard clearing functionality
- Implement more braille contractions
- Fix issues with pasting text to other apps
- Make the feature that sends text directly from mBraille consistent
Pikunoki
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
MBraille
- MBraille Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- MBraille Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- MBraille Keyboard$9.99
- MBraille Documents and Keyboard$14.99
- MBraille Full Version$39.99
Pikunoki
- Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
- Pro yearly$16.991 Year









