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PopChar vs KCharSelect: catalog facts
PopChar	KCharSelect
Best for: Designers and writers who regularly insert special characters and symbols	Best for: Linux users who need to insert symbols and look up Unicode characters
Paid Paid licence from Ergonis, with a downloadable version to try.	Free Free and open source under the GPL-2.0-or-later licence.
Windows, macOS	Linux
Search characters by name or by shape Shows Unicode code points and HTML entities All 4 strengths for PopChar Search characters by name or by shape Shows Unicode code points and HTML entities Works system-wide in any application Supports ligatures and complex characters	Search characters by Unicode name Shows aliases, notes and technical representations All 4 strengths for KCharSelect Search characters by Unicode name Shows aliases, notes and technical representations Unihan definitions and pronunciations for East Asian characters Regular releases through KDE Gear
Paid software No Linux version	Linux only Fits best in a KDE Plasma desktop
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Not open source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-2.0-or-later
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for PopChar ergonis.com/en/popchar Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for KCharSelect apps.kde.org/kcharselect Catalog checked October 1, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.