Comparison

jKey vs Chisel Keyboard

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

Head to head
About

jKey

Features
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Keys too small to hit? jKey replaces the tiny QWERTY grid with a few giant, high-contrast buttons. Tap a group, then your letter—or tap groups only and let jKey guess the word. Built for low vision, tremor and one-handed typing. Free to try; one-time Pro unlock; no subscription. HOW IT WORKS • The alphabet is split into five big groups. Tap a group and its letters open up, large and easy to hit. Tap your letter and you're back. • Cluster Only Mode skips choosing letters altogether: tap one group per letter and jKey offers the words that fit. Tap the one you meant. • The suggestion bar finishes the word you're typing and predicts the next one, and gets better at the word pairs you use. EASY TO SEE, EASY TO HIT • Four high-contrast themes, including yellow on black and black on yellow • Four text sizes, from Small to Extra Large • Big keys that suit tremor, limited dexterity and one-handed typing MADE FOR VOICEOVER • Every key is clearly labelled • Choose how keys respond: Standard, Touch Typing, or Direct Touch, where a single tap types • A guided, VoiceOver-friendly setup turns jKey on and lets you practice right in the app SAVE TYPING • Snippets type your name, email address or a common reply in one tap • My Words teaches jKey names and words it should suggest • Numbers, symbols and your favorite emoji are one tap away PRIVATE BY DESIGN Word suggestions come from a model built into the keyboard. Nothing you type leaves your iPhone or iPad, and there's no cloud or AI service involved. Full Access is optional: jKey only needs it for the Copy and Paste snippet commands. FREE AND PRO Everything you need to type is free, forever: both typing modes, word suggestions, My Words, every VoiceOver option, every high-contrast theme and every text size. Free includes 3 snippet categories of 3 snippets and 3 emoji groups. jKey Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. It adds up to 6 snippet categories of 6 snippets, up to 6 emoji groups, custom keyboard colors, and Copy and Paste snippet commands. Pro works with Family Sharing, so one purchase covers your family. If you bought jKey before it became free, Pro is already yours. Requires iOS 18.2 or later. English only.

About

Chisel Keyboard

Features
Read full description

Chisel is the AI keyboard with a built-in assistant — inside WhatsApp, Instagram, Mail, Notes, and every app where you type. Hold the return key and ask it anything. It proofreads, rewrites, translates and finishes your sentences — all running 100% on your iPhone. No cloud, no accounts, no subscription. Download it free and try it right now — you're 60 seconds away from your first AI-written message. TRY THIS FIRST • Hold return and ask: "How do I say no to this meeting politely?" — tap the answer, it lands in your text. • Type a messy sentence and tap Proofread. Fixed, instantly. • Got a message in another language? Tap Translate and read it in yours. You get 150 free AI uses to play with — and every one of the 61 skins can be test-driven 20 times. Go ahead, try them all. WHY PEOPLE SWITCH TO CHISEL • It works in WhatsApp. Chisel is a keyboard, so it works wherever you type — WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger — where system writing tools can't reach. • 100% on your device. Your text never leaves your phone. No cloud, no servers. It even works in Airplane Mode — try it. • Private by architecture. Everything works without Full Access (it stays off unless YOU enable it — it only adds key vibration and "translate what you copied", never network). No servers, no network calls, no tracking. • Yours forever. Pro is a one-time purchase, no subscription: unlimited AI, unlimited assistant, all 61 skins + the skin builder. System and Liquid Glass stay free forever. WHAT IT DOES • Assistant — hold return, ask anything, tap a reply to insert. Reads answers aloud with neural voices. • Proofread — grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization. • Rewrite — clearer, more natural phrasing that keeps your meaning. • Translate — 14 languages, right on the bar. • Autocomplete — a short continuation appears as a chip; tap to insert. • Enhanced Mode (optional) — turn on Full Access for key vibration and "translate what you copied": copy an incoming message, tap the Copied chip, read it in your language. Still on-device, still zero network. Tap any action with your cursor in the text — it rewrites the whole line you're on. No selecting first. Undo/Redo if you change your mind. AI LANGUAGES The AI understands English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Turkish. On other layouts (Romanian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Finnish, Greek, Russian, Ukrainian…) Chisel hides the AI buttons instead of guessing — the layout and the right diacritics always work, and the AI is one language switch away. 21 keyboard layouts with the right diacritics (Romanian ă/â/î/ș/ț, Turkish ı/ç/ğ/ş, Polish ą/ć/ę/ł, German ä/ö/ü/ß, and more). Starts in your iPhone's system language every time. KEYBOARD SKINS 61 skins with live preview: Liquid Glass (free), Pride, Trans Pride, Galaxy, Sunset, Terminal, Sakura, Dark Academia, Forest, Espresso, Royal, Typewriter, Retro PC and more (Pro). Or build your OWN: colors, gradients, fonts, corners and press effects. Some skins add glow, sparkle, confetti or snow — and their own key sounds. Try any of them 20 times before you decide. Your keyboard should work for you — privately, offline, forever. Download Chisel and try it today.

Screenshots

jKey4 screens
Chisel Keyboard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: jKey at none against Chisel Keyboard's 1. jKey also leads on iOS requirement (18.2 vs 26.0). Chisel Keyboard's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads 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. Chisel Keyboard sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. jKey asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

jKey ships an update every 3 weeks, Chisel Keyboard every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
jKey versus Chisel Keyboard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterjKeyChisel Keyboard
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.2 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDoxie Media LLCCezar Valentin Broscaru

In-app purchases

None

jKey

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Chisel Keyboard

One-time1
  • Chisel Pro$6.99

Questions

Is jKey free?
jKey is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chisel Keyboard free?
Chisel Keyboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do jKey or Chisel Keyboard have ads?
Neither jKey nor Chisel Keyboard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, jKey or Chisel Keyboard?
jKey ships an update every 3 weeks, and Chisel Keyboard every 3 days. Most recently, jKey was updated on October 11, 2026 and Chisel Keyboard on October 9, 2026.

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