Comparison

Handwriting Keyboard vs mazec

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

Head to head
About

Handwriting Keyboard

Effortlessly convert your handwritten notes into typed text across any application. This keyboard works offline, supports Apple Pencil, and offers customizable input settings for a seamless user experience.

Highlights
  • Handwriting to text conversion
  • Works in any app
  • Offline functionality
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Customizable input settings
  • Supports English and Japanese
Read full description

Write by hand. Type in your apps. Handwriting Keyboard lets you enter text with your finger or Apple Pencil in apps such as Messages, Mail, Safari, and Notes. Recognition runs entirely on your device, so the keyboard works offline. Full Access is not required. Your input is not transmitted, and the app does not collect data. IMPORTANT — SUPPORTED LANGUAGES Handwriting recognition supports U.S. English and Japanese only. Other languages, including British English, are not supported. HOW TO GET STARTED 1. Open the Handwriting Keyboard app and tap “Open Settings.” 2. Tap “Keyboards,” then enable English (US), Japanese, or both. Full Access is not required. 3. In a text field, touch and hold the keyboard switch key, then select Handwriting. When entering a password, iOS automatically switches to the system keyboard. If text is duplicated or does not appear correctly in an app with a custom text field, turn off Inline Input in Handwriting Keyboard settings. FEATURES • Three writing layouts: Free, Rows, and Boxes • U.S. English handwriting recognition • Japanese handwriting recognition with hiragana-to-kanji conversion • Write with your finger or Apple Pencil • Palm rejection when using Apple Pencil • Works entirely offline • No Full Access required • Scribble over part of your handwriting to erase it • Strike through handwriting to erase it together • Drag recognition candidates together to combine them • Adjustable auto-enter delay • Three writing-area sizes • Customizable Return key position • Two-finger scrolling or cursor movement • Adjustable line width and background color • Text Replacement support • Dark Mode and floating keyboard support • Quick Notes home screen widget SUPPORTED RECOGNITION LANGUAGES • U.S. English • Japanese British English and all other languages are not supported. Deutsch wird nicht unterstützt. El español no es compatible. O português não é compatível. Svenska stöds inte. Le français n’est pas pris en charge. 한국어는 지원되지 않습니다. MyScript® is a trademark of MyScript.

About

mazec

This app provides a handwriting input method as an alternative to your keyboard for any application. It offers accurate handwriting recognition, predictive text, and customizable dictionaries to speed up your writing tasks. You can also input emojis and use it for emails, social posts, searches, and filling out forms.

Highlights
  • Real-time handwriting to text conversion
  • Accurate predictive text
  • Customizable learning dictionary
  • Emoji input
  • Works in all applications
  • Handwrite emails, social posts, and searches
Read full description

### This is the English handwriting recognition app. Mazec offers you handwriting input as an alternative to your keyboard within any app on your device. If you want to write an email, make a social post or quickly jot your notes, mazec handwriting input technology offers you a speedy alternative to handwrite the message instead of using a keyboard. The Mazec handwriting input method app offers extremely accurate handwriting recognition and predictive text to intelligently guess your handwriting on the fly. It even allows you to enrich the dictionary with your own favorite terms and phrases, or your favorite URL’s and email addresses. Mazec handwriting input method for iOS saves you time writing emails, notes and social posts. Instead of fumbling with a keyboard (which often causes you to use both hands), with mazec all input can be completed with the touch of a finger. Mazec handwriting input provides handwriting conversion while you are on the go. Its advanced technology is due to vast semantic databases built over MyScript, the world leader in handwriting recognition technology. Mazec handwriting input features include: 1. The most advanced experience for real-time conversion of handwriting to text, due to MyScript , the leader of handwriting recognition technology. 2. Extremely accurate predictive text due to natively-authored dictionaries of technical terms and popular phraseology 3. Auto and manual learning dictionary mazec can intelligently “learn” frequently used phrases automatically. You can also ”teach” mazec to memorize short sentences, such as "TYVM" to "Thank you very much" and allows you to customize the user dictionary to your own favorite phrases 4. Emoji input Mazec includes more than just emoticons, but over 100 selected Emojis in 12 categories. Just write "Emoji" or one of category name as "face", "moon", "animal" etc. , then the list of Emojis will pop up. Categories of Emojis include: Faces, Fingers, Weather, Moons, Animals, Hearts, Balls, Fruit, Flowers, Buildings, Trains and Cars 5. Handwriting Input available to all applications on the device Because mazec is written as an input method to iOS, it acts as an alternative keyboard within any application on the device that accepts input. 6. Handwriting Emails and Social Posts Mazec makes writing emails, blogs and social posts quick and fun and saves you time 7. Handwrite Google Searches With the mazec Handwriting Input app, browsing the internet and conducting Google searches has never been easier 8. Quickly fill out web forms and important documents online With mazec, it becomes extremely easy and quick to fill out web forms and critical documents online, thus saving time from printing PDF files and scanning to be sent back 9. Multiple languages The app itself supports English language only. Handwriting recognition add-ons for French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified & Traditional), and Korean are available as in-app-purchase apps. We’d love to hear your feedback and feature requests. Email us at: support_anytime@metamoji.com or join our community at https://getsatisfaction.com/mazec

Screenshots

Handwriting Keyboard2 screens
mazec4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Handwriting Keyboard at $3.99 against mazec's $12.99. Handwriting Keyboard also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and update cadence (monthly vs every 10 months). mazec's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.6). On review sentiment, ratings volume, 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

Handwriting Keyboard costs $3.99 and mazec $12.99 up front. mazec sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Handwriting Keyboard asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Handwriting Keyboard holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 96 and 43 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 64% and 63% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Handwriting Keyboard ships an update monthly, mazec every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Handwriting Keyboard versus mazec: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHandwriting Keyboardmazec
Price$3.99 — better$12.99
Rating4.0 (96 ratings) — better3.6 (43 ratings)
Positive reviews63.8% of reviews — better63.0% of reviews
Number of ratings96 — better43
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 10 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.68.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCatalystwoMetaMoJi Corporation

Customer experience

Handwriting Keyboard

All ratings96 ratings
Positive77.1%
Neutral7.3%
Negative15.6%
Written reviews138 reviews
Positive63.8%
Neutral13.8%
Negative22.5%

mazec

All ratings43 ratings
Positive62.8%
Neutral7.0%
Negative30.2%
Written reviews81 reviews
Positive63.0%
Neutral6.2%
Negative30.9%

In-app purchases

None

Handwriting Keyboard

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

mazec

One-time10
  • mazec Language Add-Ons (Japanese)$9.99
  • mazec Language Add-Ons (French)$9.99
  • mazec Language Add-Ons (German)$9.99
Show 7 more
  • mazec Language Add-Ons (Italian)$9.99
  • mazec Language Add-Ons (Spanish)$9.99
  • mazec Language Add-Ons (Russian)$9.99
  • mazec Language Add-Ons (Portuguese)$9.99
  • mazec Language Add-Ons (Chinese)$9.99
  • mazec Language Add-Ons (Korean)$9.99
  • mazec Language Add-Ons (All languages)$24.99

Questions

Is Handwriting Keyboard free?
Handwriting Keyboard costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is mazec free?
mazec costs $12.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Handwriting Keyboard or mazec?
Handwriting Keyboard is rated higher. Handwriting Keyboard averages 4.0 out of 5 from 96 ratings, while mazec averages 3.6 from 43 ratings.
Do Handwriting Keyboard or mazec have ads?
Neither Handwriting Keyboard nor mazec shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Handwriting Keyboard or mazec?
Handwriting Keyboard ships an update monthly, and mazec every 10 months. Most recently, Handwriting Keyboard was updated on September 20, 2026 and mazec on September 8, 2026.

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