# MessagEase Keyboard vs xKeyboard

The clearest difference is rating: MessagEase Keyboard at 4.0 against xKeyboard's 3.2. MessagEase Keyboard also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (70% vs 39%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. xKeyboard sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.29 per month. MessagEase Keyboard asks for nothing beyond the download.

MessagEase Keyboard holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 97 and 181 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of MessagEase Keyboard's written reviews are positive against 39% of xKeyboard's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MessagEase Keyboard | xKeyboard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (97 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/messagease-keyboard/id990325092/reviews)** | [3.2 (181 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xkeyboard-custom-keyboard/id1440245962/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 97 | **181** |
| Positive reviews | **70.1% of reviews** | 39.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 11 MB | 103 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Exideas](https://appshunter.io/developer/320668285) | [煦 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/494537607) |

## What reviewers say

### MessagEase Keyboard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/messagease-keyboard/id990325092)

An innovative, non-QWERTY keyboard designed for touchscreens based on scientific research. It features large keys with optimized letter placement for faster, more accurate typing. Learning games and customization options are included.

**Highlights:** Non-QWERTY keyboard layout, Optimized letter assignment, Tap and drag input, Learning games included, Customizable keyboard size, shape, and color, Supports multiple languages

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Significantly faster typing speed than QWERTY keyboards
- 💡 Innovative one-handed keyboard design optimized for touchscreens
- 👍 Large buttons reduce typing errors and improve accuracy
- 🎮 All characters (letters, numbers, symbols) accessible on single screen
- ⚙️ Highly customizable layout, colors, and keyboard size

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Keyboard randomly resizes to full screen without user control
- 🐛 Inconsistent swipe gesture recognition
- ⚠️ Steep learning curve requires significant practice
- ❌ Missing features compared to Android version
- 🔧 Lacks word prediction and autocorrect functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Keyboard expands to full screen and cannot be resized
- Keyboard fails to appear in Apple apps (Notes, Safari, Skype)
- Swipe gestures registered as clicks
- Keyboard crashes on iOS 26.x and iOS 16.x versions
- Settings reset or don't persist between sessions

**Requested features**

- Word prediction and autocorrect
- Resizable keyboard with size locking option
- Copy/paste/select-all gesture shortcuts (like Android version)
- Voice dictation support
- Better cursor navigation controls


### xKeyboard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xkeyboard-custom-keyboard/id1440245962)

Design your own keyboard with custom layouts, keys, symbols, and Unicode characters. This app allows you to create specialized keyboards for various needs, from mathematical equations to phonetic alphabets, and use them across different text editing applications.

**Highlights:** Custom keyboard layouts, Symbol and Unicode integration, Specialized keyboards (Math, IPA, Chemistry), Template-based creation, Use in text editing apps

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| VIP - 1 Month | $0.29 | per month |
| VIP - 1 Year | $2.99 | per year |
| VIP - Lifetime | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Highly customizable
- 👍 Versatile for various use cases
- 🚀 Powerful keyboard creation capabilities
- 👍 Useful for conlangs and rare scripts
- 👍 Allows creating custom characters

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Paywall for core functionality
- 🐛 Crashes when deleting/editing keys
- 👎 Confusing and unintuitive interface
- 👎 Lacks documentation and tutorials
- 👎 Missing basic features like autocorrect

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to delete/edit keys
- Installed keyboards don't show custom layouts
- App crashes on certain script/language changes

**Requested features**

- Add ability to export/share custom keyboards
- Improve keyboard customization workflow
- Implement swipe typing and autocorrect
- Add more language/script support
- Allow creating custom characters/symbols


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MessagEase Keyboard free?

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

### Is xKeyboard free?

xKeyboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MessagEase Keyboard or xKeyboard?

MessagEase Keyboard is rated higher. MessagEase Keyboard averages 4.0 out of 5 from 97 ratings, while xKeyboard averages 3.2 from 181 ratings.

### Do MessagEase Keyboard or xKeyboard have ads?

Neither MessagEase Keyboard nor xKeyboard shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MessagEase Keyboard or xKeyboard?

MessagEase Keyboard ships an update monthly, and xKeyboard monthly. Most recently, MessagEase Keyboard was updated on October 29, 2026 and xKeyboard on October 24, 2026.

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