Comparison

IPA Phonetic Keyboard vs Cool Fonts+

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

Head to head
About

IPA Phonetic Keyboard

This free keyboard provides easy access to all IPA and extended IPA symbols. Its intuitive layout mirrors the IPA chart, making symbol input fluid and efficient for linguists, language learners, and enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Full IPA chart (2020) symbols
  • ExtIPA chart (2016) symbols
  • Organized symbol sections
  • Intuitive symbol layout
  • Convenient input for common characters
  • Completely free, no ads
Read full description

Behold the first completely FREE IPA keyboard on the App Store designed for linguists, language learners, and hobbyists. It is designed to be lightweight and fluid, matching up to the user experience of the system emoji keyboard. =FEATURES= - Includes ALL symbols on the newest standard IPA chart (2020 ver.) - Includes most symbols (the ones available in Unicode) on the newest standard extIPA chart (2016 ver.) - Symbols are divided into sections just like the IPA chart(-duh!): consonants, non-pulmonic, other symbols, vowels, suprasegmentals, tones and word accents, and diacritics - Symbols are arranged naturally, with a layout designed for you to find the symbols you want more quickly (especially the vowels, it's cleverly designed to match the layout on the IPA chart) - Convenient input for "[]", "//", "~", "◌", space, and return on the top of the keyboard - Completely free, NO ADS =EXTERNAL LINKS= For more information on IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), refer to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet The developer, Vince14Genius's GitHub: https://www.github.com/Vince14Genius/

About

Cool Fonts+

Enhance your mobile communication with a vast collection of unique fonts and decorative text styles. Customize your keyboard with themes and wallpapers to express yourself creatively in messages, social media, and more.

Highlights
  • Over 70 fonts and 40 decorations
  • 3000+ text style combinations
  • 2000+ cool symbols for nicknames
  • 400+ Text Art messages
  • Supports accent marks and multiple keyboard layouts
  • Customizable keyboard color and wallpaper
  • Easy font and language switching
Features
Read full description

This Cool Fonts app provides an easy way to get beautiful cool fonts for all the apps on your phone. This is useful for chat messages, bio, status, tweet, nickname,... • Are you tired of the default font on your keyboard? • Do you want to use unique and fancy fonts instead? • Do you want to create a cute wallpaper for your keyboard? • Do you want to make a cool nickname for your games? • Do you want to send a special and meaningful wish to your loved ones? • Have the keyboards you used before failed to support accent marks or your language layout? And Cool Fonts is the answer to all of that! ⁂ Key Features: ๏ Contains over 70 fonts and more than 40 decorations to help you create over 3000 different text styles. ๏ More than 2000 cool symbols ready for you to create unique nicknames. ๏ More than 400 meaningful Text Art messages for you to send your feelings to the recipients. ๏ Supporting accent marks for your language with proper keyboard layout options such as QWERTY, AZERTY, and QWERTZ. ๏ Customizable keyboard color, wallpaper as you like. ๏ Switching fonts and languages easily, right on the keyboard. ๏ Moving the cursor by tap and hold from the spacebar. ◔◔ Privacy Policy: https://hoangnguyenhome.herokuapp.com/keyboard/privacy ◔◔ Support email: nvhoang9900@gmail.com (`’·.¸ (`’·.¸*¤* ¸.·’´)¸.·’) *** THANKYOU *** (¸.·’´(¸.·’´* :* `’·.¸)`’·.)

Screenshots

IPA Phonetic Keyboard4 screens
Cool Fonts+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: IPA Phonetic Keyboard at none against Cool Fonts+'s shown. IPA Phonetic Keyboard also leads on review sentiment (92% vs 67%) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Cool Fonts+'s advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (582 vs 193). On price, rating, in-app purchases 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. IPA Phonetic Keyboard sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Cool Fonts+ sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for IPA Phonetic Keyboard against 4.5 for Cool Fonts+. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 193 and 582 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of IPA Phonetic Keyboard's written reviews are positive against 67% of Cool Fonts+'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

IPA Phonetic Keyboard ships an update every 4 months, Cool Fonts+ every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
IPA Phonetic Keyboard versus Cool Fonts+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIPA Phonetic KeyboardCool Fonts+
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (193 ratings) — better4.5 (582 ratings)
Positive reviews92.1% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings193582 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVincent CaiHoang Nguyen

Customer experience

IPA Phonetic Keyboard

All ratings172 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral2.3%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews126 reviews
Positive92.1%
Neutral3.2%
Negative4.8%

Cool Fonts+

All ratings579 ratings
Positive85.0%
Neutral5.4%
Negative9.7%
Written reviews201 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral10.0%
Negative23.4%

User reviews

IPA Phonetic Keyboard

From 193 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Convenient IPA keyboard
  • 💡 Extensive IPA symbol coverage
  • 🚀 Smooth and responsive
  • 🤩 Great for linguistics and conlanging
  • 🎨 Visually appealing design

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Paid access for some symbols
  • 🔍 Keyboard layout could be more customizable
  • 🐛 Occasional keyboard switching issues
  • 🔇 Keyboard clicking sounds can't be disabled

Cool Fonts+

From 582 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Highly customizable keyboard themes and fonts
  • 📱 Free option with basic features available
  • 🖼️ Ability to use personal photos as keyboard backgrounds
  • 🌍 Support for multiple languages
  • ⌨️ Wide variety of stylish text formatting options

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases for fonts and features
  • 🐛 Keyboard doesn't work in some applications (WhatsApp, Roblox)
  • ❌ No auto-correct or spell-check functionality
  • 📺 Excessive advertisements
  • ⏱️ Slow acorn/currency earning system

Bugs and requests

IPA Phonetic Keyboard

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Vowel [ʁ] displays incorrectly
  • Keyboard disappears after switching, requiring settings access to re-enable

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add angle brackets and parentheses for orthographic notation
  • Implement a 'frequently used' section for common symbols
  • Allow users to rearrange the keyboard layout
  • Add support for laryngeal notation in Proto-Indo-European

Cool Fonts+

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Keyboard doesn't apply in WhatsApp and other messaging apps
  • Keyboard freezes or becomes unresponsive
  • Keyboard closes when selecting emojis
  • Backgrounds don't display in some applications
  • Vietnamese diacritical marks display incorrectly
Show 5 more
  • App crashes on older iPhone models (iPhone 5s)
  • Keyboard not appearing in app switcher
  • Font selection bar interferes with emoji access
  • Inconsistent keyboard functionality across different apps
  • App requires repeated permission prompts despite full access granted

Requested features

15 requests
  • Auto-correct and spell-check functionality
  • Word suggestion and prediction feature
  • More free font options
  • Emoji row/line on keyboard
  • Swipe typing capability
Show 10 more
  • Microphone/voice input feature
  • More keyboard background variety
  • Translator feature
  • Customizable toolbar/top bar
  • Support for more languages (Russian, Arabic, Ukrainian, Thai, Vietnamese)
  • Keyboard vibration feedback option
  • Lower prices for premium features
  • Ability to use keyboard in all applications seamlessly
  • Customizable keyboard height/size
  • More anime/manga theme options

In-app purchases

3 purchases

IPA Phonetic Keyboard

One-time3
  • Donation: Buy me a drink$2.99
  • Obsolete/Non-Standard Symbols$5.99
  • Donation: Buy me a meal$9.99
2 purchases

Cool Fonts+

One-time2
  • Small Basket$0.99
  • Large Basket$4.99

Questions

Is IPA Phonetic Keyboard free?
IPA Phonetic Keyboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cool Fonts+ free?
Cool Fonts+ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, IPA Phonetic Keyboard or Cool Fonts+?
IPA Phonetic Keyboard is rated higher. IPA Phonetic Keyboard averages 4.5 out of 5 from 193 ratings, while Cool Fonts+ averages 4.5 from 582 ratings.
Do IPA Phonetic Keyboard or Cool Fonts+ have ads?
Cool Fonts+ shows ads; IPA Phonetic Keyboard does not.
Which is updated more often, IPA Phonetic Keyboard or Cool Fonts+?
IPA Phonetic Keyboard ships an update every 4 months, and Cool Fonts+ every 9 days. Most recently, IPA Phonetic Keyboard was updated on October 26, 2026 and Cool Fonts+ on October 24, 2026.

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