Comparison

IPA Phonetic Keyboard vs IPA Typing Keyboard

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

IPA Typing Keyboard

Type International Phonetic Alphabet symbols directly on your iOS device. This keyboard offers offline functionality and a built-in reference for easy symbol lookup. Designed for privacy, it ensures your typed text never leaves your device.

Highlights
  • Type IPA symbols anywhere on iOS
  • Long-press for symbol variants
  • Fully offline functionality
  • Built-in symbol reference
  • Designed for privacy
  • Supports iPhone and iPad
Features
Read full description

Promotional Text (170 char limit — paste verbatim): Type IPA phonetic symbols anywhere on iOS. Long-press dotted letters for variants. Fully offline — no accounts, no data collected. Description (4000 char limit — paste verbatim, including line breaks): IPA Typing Keyboard is an iOS keyboard for typing International Phonetic Alphabet symbols, built for linguistics students, phoneticians, language learners, and anyone who needs IPA symbols in daily work. HOW IT WORKS Install the app, add IPA Typing Keyboard in Settings, then switch to it with the globe key in any app. Tap letters normally for a–z. Long-press any of the dotted letters (a, e, i, o, u, t, s, d, c, n, z) to pick an IPA variant — the same gesture you already know from the built-in iOS é/è popover. DESIGNED FOR PRIVACY • No typed text ever leaves your device. We cannot read what you write. IPA SYMBOL REFERENCE The built-in Reference tab shows every supported symbol with its base letter, name, and a tap-to-copy button — handy for research papers, transcription exercises, or language notes. DEVICE SUPPORT iPhone and iPad, iOS 16 or later. Adaptive SwiftUI layout for every size from iPhone SE to iPad 12.9". NOT INCLUDED (intentionally) No autocorrect, no predictive text, no telemetry, no cloud sync. The keyboard produces what you press — nothing more.

Screenshots

IPA Phonetic Keyboard4 screens
IPA Typing Keyboard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: IPA Phonetic Keyboard at 4.5 against IPA Typing Keyboard's 4.0. IPA Phonetic Keyboard also leads on ratings volume (193 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). IPA Typing Keyboard's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (daily vs every 4 months). On price, ads, monetization model 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. IPA Typing Keyboard 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. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: IPA Phonetic Keyboard has 193 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

IPA Phonetic Keyboard ships an update every 4 months, IPA Typing Keyboard daily. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
IPA Phonetic Keyboard versus IPA Typing Keyboard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIPA Phonetic KeyboardIPA Typing Keyboard
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (193 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews92.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings193 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVincent CaiMinh Phan

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

IPA Typing Keyboard

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

IPA Typing Keyboard

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is IPA Phonetic Keyboard free?
IPA Phonetic Keyboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is IPA Typing Keyboard free?
IPA Typing Keyboard is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, IPA Phonetic Keyboard or IPA Typing Keyboard?
IPA Phonetic Keyboard is rated higher. IPA Phonetic Keyboard averages 4.5 out of 5 from 193 ratings, while IPA Typing Keyboard averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do IPA Phonetic Keyboard or IPA Typing Keyboard have ads?
Neither IPA Phonetic Keyboard nor IPA Typing Keyboard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, IPA Phonetic Keyboard or IPA Typing Keyboard?
IPA Phonetic Keyboard ships an update every 4 months, and IPA Typing Keyboard daily. Most recently, IPA Phonetic Keyboard was updated on October 26, 2026 and IPA Typing Keyboard on October 28, 2026.

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