Comparison

IPA Phonetic Keyboard vs Lock Shield

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

Lock Shield

Features
Read full description

LockShield is a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) utility application designed to communicate with compatible LockShield smart locking devices. Features: • Secure Bluetooth Low Energy communication • Lock and unlock compatible devices • Battery level monitoring • Password-protected application access • Configurable lock settings • Optional automatic close settings • Demo Mode for interface evaluation without hardware LockShield is intended for use with compatible LockShield hardware devices.

Screenshots

IPA Phonetic Keyboard4 screens
Lock Shield4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lock Shield at none against IPA Phonetic Keyboard's 3. IPA Phonetic Keyboard's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.6). On price and ads 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. Lock Shield asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
IPA Phonetic Keyboard versus Lock Shield: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIPA Phonetic KeyboardLock Shield
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (172 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews92.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings172 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVincent CaiFRANCISO SANCHEZ

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

Lock Shield

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

Lock Shield

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is IPA Phonetic Keyboard free?
IPA Phonetic Keyboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lock Shield free?
Lock Shield is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do IPA Phonetic Keyboard or Lock Shield have ads?
Neither IPA Phonetic Keyboard nor Lock Shield shows ads.

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