Comparison

hot.keys vs TypeTab

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

Head to head
About

hot.keys

Enhance your mobile typing experience with a specialized keyboard designed for developers and content creators. It provides quick access to essential symbols, a dedicated number row, and navigation keys to streamline coding and writing.

Highlights
  • Always-on number row
  • Dedicated symbol strip
  • Left/right arrows and tab
  • Backspace repeat on hold
  • Live shift/caps labels
  • Offline-first data collection
  • Typing practice drills
Features
Read full description

hot.keys brings a desktop-style keyboard to iPhone and iPad for code, Markdown, JSON, XML, and structured prompts. Keep numbers and common symbols visible while you type. KEYS WITHIN REACH • Always-visible numbers and quick access to brackets, braces, angle brackets, and other common symbols. • Larger letter keys in iPhone portrait mode. • Optional Left, Right, and Full Width positioning on wide layouts, with tap controls to switch sides or expand. • Left and right arrows for moving the cursor. • Tab inserts spaces, with a configurable indent size. • Hold Delete to keep deleting. • Tap Shift for a capital, hold Shift while typing, or slide from Shift to a letter. • A dedicated Caps Lock key and optional keypress haptics. TRY THE KEYBOARD Practice with 30-second typing drills in Easy, Medium, and Hard modes. See your words per minute, characters per minute, accuracy, and errors, then try again. OFFLINE AND PRIVATE No account is needed. hot.keys does not collect or transmit what you type. Core typing works without Full Access. Full Access is required to save and synchronize keyboard settings, including your preferred keyboard position. Without Full Access, position changes apply to the current keyboard instance. GET STARTED Add hot.keys in Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard. Then use the globe key in a text field to switch to hot.keys.

About

TypeTab

This developer-focused keyboard for iPhone offers an eight-row layout with persistent letters, numbers, and programming symbols. It streamlines coding by allowing cursor control via drag gestures and supports custom snippets for common code structures. It works across various apps that support third-party keyboards.

Highlights
  • Eight-row layout with persistent symbol rows
  • Drag-to-cursor and drag-to-token navigation
  • Auto-paired brackets and quotes
  • Reusable built-in and custom code snippets
  • Adjustable key height and haptic feedback
  • Built-in Test Pad
Features
Read full description

TypeTab is the developer-first iPhone keyboard that keeps letters, numbers, and common programming symbols visible in one eight-row layout. Write and edit code without bouncing between keyboard modes. Drag across the keyboard to place the cursor character by character, or drag from the spacebar to move by token. Type a short trigger to expand reusable Swift, JavaScript, and Python structures, then jump through each editable field. TYPE WITH THE KEYS YOUR CODE NEEDS • Eight-row layout with persistent number and coding-symbol rows • Auto-paired parentheses, brackets, braces, and quotes • Tabs, 2 spaces, or 4 spaces for indentation • Reusable built-in and custom snippets • Adjustable palettes, key height, and haptic feedback • Built-in Test Pad and keyboard reference WORKS WHERE YOU WRITE Use TypeTab in editors, browsers, messages, notes, and other apps that support third-party keyboards. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Full Access is not required. The keyboard does not send or collect the code or text you type. TypeTab includes a complete free keyboard with cursor controls, built-in snippets, and customization. TypeTab Pro unlocks the complete built-in snippet library, unlimited custom snippets, every palette, and all keyboard heights. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://typetab.dev/privacy

Screenshots

hot.keys3 screens
TypeTab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: TypeTab at 5.0 against hot.keys's 4.0. hot.keys's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. TypeTab sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. hot.keys asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TypeTab holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

hot.keys ships an update every 2 days, TypeTab weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 4 level
hot.keys versus TypeTab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterhot.keysTypeTab
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTing-Chun Matthew ManAndreu Pifarre

Customer experience

hot.keys

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

TypeTab

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

hot.keys

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

TypeTab

Subscriptions2
  • TypeTab Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • TypeTab Pro Annual7 Days trial$14.991 Year

Questions

Is hot.keys free?
hot.keys is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is TypeTab free?
TypeTab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, hot.keys or TypeTab?
TypeTab is rated higher. hot.keys averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while TypeTab averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do hot.keys or TypeTab have ads?
Neither hot.keys nor TypeTab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, hot.keys or TypeTab?
hot.keys ships an update every 2 days, and TypeTab weekly. Most recently, hot.keys was updated on October 30, 2026 and TypeTab on October 31, 2026.

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