Unicode Pad Express vs Symbol Keyboard for Texting
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Unicode Pad Express
Access and insert a wide range of Unicode characters with this straightforward character map application. It provides a simpler interface for finding and using special symbols and text.
- Extensive character map
- Insert Unicode characters
- Simple interface
- Free version
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It is a simpler, free version of a more fully featured Unicode Pad Pro app.
Symbol Keyboard for Texting
Enhance your mobile conversations with a vast library of over 50,000 unique Unicode characters and symbols. Easily integrate these special characters into your messages to make your chats more engaging and visually interesting.
- Over 50,000 characters
- Unicode symbols
- Special characters
- Enhanced mobile chatting
- Texting customization
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Symbol Keyboard improves your mobile chatting, making it more fun! Features: - Over 50000 Characters
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Unicode Pad Express at none against Symbol Keyboard for Texting's shown. Unicode Pad Express also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.0). Symbol Keyboard for Texting's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 7 months) and review sentiment (88% vs 63%). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Unicode Pad Express against 4.6 for Symbol Keyboard for Texting. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Symbol Keyboard for Texting has 3K ratings behind it against 130, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Unicode Pad Express's written reviews are positive against 88% of Symbol Keyboard for Texting's.
Unicode Pad Express ships an update every 7 months, Symbol Keyboard for Texting every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Unicode Pad Express | Symbol Keyboard for Texting |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (130 ratings) | 4.6 (3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.8% of reviews | 87.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 130 | 3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 51 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ziga Kranjec | ShuMei Liang |
Customer experience
Unicode Pad Express
Symbol Keyboard for Texting
User reviews
Unicode Pad Express
From 130 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great variety of symbols
- 👍 Easy to use (for some)
- 👍 Free version available
- 👍 Useful for special characters
- 👍 Good for stylizing posts
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 Some symbols not showing
- 🐛 Emojis mixed with symbols
- 🐛 Not designed well
- 🐛 Paid pro version needed for features
Symbol Keyboard for Texting
From 3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great source for uncommon and common fonts
- 👍 Comprehensive collection of symbols and languages
- 👍 Useful for organization and labeling
- 👍 Easy to integrate with iOS keyboard
Room to improve
- 🐛 App now just takes you to ads
- 🐛 Loads ads instead of showing symbols
- 🐛 Requires full access to see anything typed
- 🔋 High battery consumption
Bugs and requests
Unicode Pad Express
Reported bugs
8 issues- App crashes when clicking too many categories
- Some characters not showing
- Emojis are displayed as symbols
- Black boxes appear instead of symbols
- App not working after iOS updates
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- Copy options covered by ads
- Not iOS 8 compatible
- Symbols show as boxes since iOS 7
Requested features
18 requests- Add a search system (by name or code)
- Ability to favorite symbols
- Create custom keyboards
- Rename private use characters
- Make emojis into symbols
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- More characters without font issues
- Include all Unicode blocks
- Add sample pictures for unsupported glyphs
- Make the app a keyboard
- Add new emojis
- Make the app free (instead of paid pro)
- Add bookmarking for characters
- Ability to email bookmarked characters
- Update for lower iPod versions
- Choose text color
- Add keyboard functionality for other apps
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
Symbol Keyboard for Texting
Reported bugs
3 issues- App doesn't work, need help
- iOS keeps removing keyboard access
- Recently used symbols list gets cleared
Requested features
4 requests- Add preview of each font before selection
- Organize symbols into categories or folders
- Add more font options, especially for English
- Include astrological and zodiac symbols
In-app purchases
Unicode Pad Express
No in-app purchases
Symbol Keyboard for Texting
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Unicode Pad Express free?
Is Symbol Keyboard for Texting free?
Which has better reviews, Unicode Pad Express or Symbol Keyboard for Texting?
Do Unicode Pad Express or Symbol Keyboard for Texting have ads?
Which is updated more often, Unicode Pad Express or Symbol Keyboard for Texting?
Other comparisons
