# Unicode Pad vs IPA Phonetic Keyboard

The clearest difference is price: IPA Phonetic Keyboard at Free against Unicode Pad's $2.99. IPA Phonetic Keyboard also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.5) and review sentiment (92% vs 74%). Unicode Pad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 14.0). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

IPA Phonetic Keyboard is free to download; Unicode Pad costs $2.99 up front. IPA Phonetic Keyboard sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Unicode Pad asks for nothing beyond the download.

IPA Phonetic Keyboard holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: IPA Phonetic Keyboard has 172 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Unicode Pad's written reviews are positive against 92% of IPA Phonetic Keyboard's.

Unicode Pad ships an update every 3 months, IPA Phonetic Keyboard every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Unicode Pad | IPA Phonetic Keyboard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.5 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unicode-pad/id374098312/reviews) | **[4.5 (172 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ipa-phonetic-keyboard/id1440241497/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 8 | **172** |
| Positive reviews | 73.7% of reviews | **92.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 140 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ziga Kranjec](https://appshunter.io/developer/368394743) | [Vincent Cai](https://appshunter.io/developer/1453621798) |

## What reviewers say

### Unicode Pad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unicode-pad/id374098312)

Access and copy thousands of Unicode characters to use in any app. Create custom keyboards for frequently used symbols and share them with friends. Search characters by name, codepoint, or glyph, and view detailed descriptions.

**Highlights:** Copy characters to clipboard, Customizable keyboards, Share custom keyboards, Search characters by name/codepoint/glyph, View extended character descriptions, Thousands of symbols available

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Comprehensive symbol catalog
- 💡 Customizable keyboards
- 🚀 Easy to use interface
- 🔍 Powerful search functionality
- 🌟 Useful for nicknames and special characters

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 📦 Some characters display as boxes
- 🐌 Laggy scrolling and slow loading
- 🖱️ Manual copy-pasting required
- ⌨️ Limited keyboard space for custom keyboards

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when selecting notepad
- App crashes on startup
- Scrolling is laggy
- Custom keyboards take time to load
- Characters not appearing on keyboard after adding

**Requested features**

- Ability to add keyboards to other apps
- More space for custom keyboards
- Integration with iOS keyboard
- Add backspace/delete/return keys to custom keyboards
- Ability to rearrange keys on custom keyboards


### IPA Phonetic Keyboard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ipa-phonetic-keyboard/id1440241497)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Donation: Buy me a drink | $2.99 | one-time |
| Obsolete/Non-Standard Symbols | $5.99 | one-time |
| Donation: Buy me a meal | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Convenient IPA keyboard
- 💡 Extensive IPA symbol coverage
- 🚀 Smooth and responsive
- 🤩 Great for linguistics and conlanging
- 🎨 Visually appealing design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Paid access for some symbols
- 🔍 Keyboard layout could be more customizable
- 🐛 Occasional keyboard switching issues
- 🔇 Keyboard clicking sounds can't be disabled

**Reported bugs**

- Vowel [ʁ] displays incorrectly
- Keyboard disappears after switching, requiring settings access to re-enable

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Unicode Pad free?

Unicode Pad costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is IPA Phonetic Keyboard free?

IPA Phonetic Keyboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Unicode Pad or IPA Phonetic Keyboard?

IPA Phonetic Keyboard is rated higher. Unicode Pad averages 3.5 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while IPA Phonetic Keyboard averages 4.5 from 172 ratings.

### Do Unicode Pad or IPA Phonetic Keyboard have ads?

Neither Unicode Pad nor IPA Phonetic Keyboard shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Unicode Pad or IPA Phonetic Keyboard?

Unicode Pad ships an update every 3 months, and IPA Phonetic Keyboard every 4 months. Most recently, Unicode Pad was updated on October 15, 2026 and IPA Phonetic Keyboard on October 13, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*