Comparison

Seismometer vs Special Characters++

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

Head to head
About

Seismometer

This app uses your device's accelerometer to detect and measure vibrations, shakes, and movements. It calculates the energy of these movements and displays them on a logarithmic scale, offering various signal filters and recording capabilities.

Highlights
  • Measure vibrations and movements
  • Uses device accelerometer
  • Calculates energy of movements
  • Logarithmic scale display
  • Signal filters
  • Recordings and CSV export
  • UDP Streaming
Features
Read full description

Measure everything that vibrates, shakes or moves. Or why not an actual earthquake? Seismometer uses your iPhone's built in accelerometer to measure movements in two axes, calculate the resulting energy and draw the results on a rolling logarithmic scale. Features: * Different signal filters * Highly configurable * Recordings * CSV exporting of recordings * UDP Streaming http://yellowagents.com/seismometer/ for more info and examples of how to use the streaming protocol.

About

Special Characters++

Access over 1000 unique symbols, glyphs, and characters not found on the standard iOS keyboard. Organize your favorites and quickly find characters with a dedicated search bar. Enhance your texts, emails, and notes with custom characters.

Highlights
  • Access over 1000 special characters
  • Categorized character sections
  • Quick Find search bar
  • Favorites list for custom sorting
  • Recently used character tracking
  • Supports landscape and portrait modes
Features
Read full description

Special Characters is an iOS 8 keyboard that gives you access to all the symbols, glyphs, bullets, arrows and other special characters that you can't access from the standard iOS keyboard. Special Characters isn't a replacement keyboard but a companion that you can use to get to the characters & symbols you need when you need them. Choose from over 1000 characters separated into 10 sections. * Symbols * Pictographs * Currency Characters * Math Symbols * Punctuation * Bullets * Arrows * Parentheses * Numbers * Letter A - Z are there. * Quick Find Bar * Use the quick find bar to jump right were you want to be. * Favorites * You can also long tap on any key and store it in your favorites. Edit and sort your favorites list into what works for you. * Recently Used * Special Characters also keeps track of all your recently used characters like the Emoji keyboard. Finally, Special Characters works in both landscape and portrait. We are certain that Special Character keyboard will give your emails, texts and notes the special characters you need! So, make the leap with Jump Gap Software’s Special Characters keyboard for iOS 8.

Screenshots

Seismometer4 screens
Special Characters++4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Special Characters++ at 3.5 against Seismometer's 3.3. Special Characters++ also leads on price ($0.99 vs $1.99). Seismometer's advantage is review sentiment (65% vs 55%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Seismometer costs $1.99 and Special Characters++ $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Special Characters++ holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 19 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Seismometer's written reviews are positive against 55% of Special Characters++'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Seismometer ships an update every 13 months, Special Characters++ every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Seismometer versus Special Characters++: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSeismometerSpecial Characters++
Price$1.99$0.99 — better
Rating3.3 (17 ratings)3.5 (19 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.7% of reviews — better55.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1719 — better
Update frequencyEvery 13 monthsEvery 7 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFFFF00 Agents ABJames Spencer

Customer experience

Seismometer

All ratings17 ratings
Positive58.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative41.2%
Written reviews456 reviews
Positive64.7%
Neutral15.1%
Negative20.2%

Special Characters++

All ratings19 ratings
Positive57.9%
Neutral5.3%
Negative36.8%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive55.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative25.0%

Bugs and requests

Seismometer

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when trying to view recordings
  • Unresponsive controls
  • Incompatible with newer iPhone models
  • Screen turns off unexpectedly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Pause and scroll back through recordings
  • Save and email recorded data
  • Adjustable sensitivity settings
  • Richter scale or other measurement units
  • Ability to record and review vibration history

Special Characters++

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Seismometer

No in-app purchases

None

Special Characters++

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Seismometer free?
Seismometer costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Special Characters++ free?
Special Characters++ costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Seismometer or Special Characters++?
Special Characters++ is rated higher. Seismometer averages 3.3 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Special Characters++ averages 3.5 from 19 ratings.
Do Seismometer or Special Characters++ have ads?
Neither Seismometer nor Special Characters++ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Seismometer or Special Characters++?
Seismometer ships an update every 13 months, and Special Characters++ every 7 months. Most recently, Seismometer was updated on October 20, 2026 and Special Characters++ on October 8, 2026.

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