Comparison

IPA Phonetic Keyboard vs Flag Maker!

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

Flag Maker!

Create custom flags quickly with a vast library of base designs and emblems. Combine elements, customize colors, and manipulate emblems for endless design possibilities. Save and share your unique flag creations.

Highlights
  • Design flags in minutes
  • Dozens of base designs
  • Hundreds of emblems
  • Combine base designs and emblems
  • Customizable colors for each element
  • Move, resize, flip, and rotate emblems
  • Save and share designs
Features
Read full description

Design your very own flag in minutes! Are you a fan of making flags? This app is a simple tool to design and create flags! Create within minutes using dozens of base designs and hundred emblems to choose from! Unlike other flag creation tools, you can combine base designs and apply multiple emblems! Each emblem and design can have a separate color! Every emblem can be moved, resized, flipped and rotated to make the flag you want! The combinations are practically endless! There are literally millions - if not billions - of potential flag designs you can make with this app! Save them to your device, or share them with friends or on social media! It's up to you!

Screenshots

IPA Phonetic Keyboard4 screens
Flag Maker!3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: IPA Phonetic Keyboard at 4.5 against Flag Maker!'s 4.0. IPA Phonetic Keyboard also leads on update cadence (every 4 months vs every 48 months) and review sentiment (92% vs 66%). Flag Maker!'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ratings volume, ads and monetization model 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. Flag Maker! asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

IPA Phonetic Keyboard holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 172 and 132 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of IPA Phonetic Keyboard's written reviews are positive against 66% of Flag Maker!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

IPA Phonetic Keyboard ships an update every 4 months, Flag Maker! every 48 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
IPA Phonetic Keyboard versus Flag Maker!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIPA Phonetic KeyboardFlag Maker!
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (172 ratings) — better4.0 (132 ratings)
Positive reviews92.1% of reviews — better65.7% of reviews
Number of ratings172 — better132
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 48 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB150 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVincent CaiMatthew Williamson

Customer experience

IPA Phonetic Keyboard

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

Flag Maker!

All ratings109 ratings
Positive77.1%
Neutral11.0%
Negative11.9%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive65.7%
Neutral12.9%
Negative21.4%

User reviews

IPA Phonetic Keyboard

From 172 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

Flag Maker!

From 132 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
  • 🎨 Creative flag design capabilities
  • ⭐ Great for alternate history and micronations
  • 🎯 Simple and straightforward functionality
  • 💾 Ability to save flags to device

Room to improve

  • 📺 Excessive and intrusive ads
  • 🔒 Limited symbol availability
  • 🎨 Limited color selection and shape options
  • 🔧 Small control buttons for moving/scaling
  • 💰 Paywall restrictions on symbols

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

Flag Maker!

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • App crashes on startup
  • iPad crashes requiring hard reset
  • Ad-watching feature not functioning properly
  • Symbols stuck in center position
  • Ads appear even in airplane mode
Show 1 more
  • Symbols not moving/scaling as expected

Requested features

19 requests
  • Nordic cross design
  • Maple leaf symbol
  • Text/typography support
  • Custom image import capability
  • Non-rectangular flag shapes
Show 14 more
  • Union Jack symbol
  • Layers functionality
  • Chinese dragon symbol
  • Castle symbol
  • Olive wreath (UN style)
  • Wheel of stars pattern
  • Ad-free premium option
  • Symbol size reduction (smaller than US star)
  • Coat of arms maker
  • British territory flag templates
  • More blank flag templates
  • Heraldry/arms creation section
  • Symbol naming/album organization
  • Flag integration into photos

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
None

Flag Maker!

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is IPA Phonetic Keyboard free?
IPA Phonetic Keyboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Flag Maker! free?
Flag Maker! is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, IPA Phonetic Keyboard or Flag Maker!?
IPA Phonetic Keyboard is rated higher. IPA Phonetic Keyboard averages 4.5 out of 5 from 172 ratings, while Flag Maker! averages 4.0 from 132 ratings.
Do IPA Phonetic Keyboard or Flag Maker! have ads?
Neither IPA Phonetic Keyboard nor Flag Maker! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, IPA Phonetic Keyboard or Flag Maker!?
IPA Phonetic Keyboard ships an update every 4 months, and Flag Maker! every 48 months. Most recently, IPA Phonetic Keyboard was updated on October 13, 2026 and Flag Maker! on October 17, 2026.

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