# Unicode Pad vs Symbols

The clearest difference is price: Symbols at Free against Unicode Pad's $2.99. Symbols also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.5) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). Unicode Pad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment, ratings volume and device support there is nothing between them.

Symbols is free to download; Unicode Pad costs $2.99 up front. Symbols sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Unicode Pad asks for nothing beyond the download.

Symbols holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 11 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Unicode Pad's written reviews are positive against 75% of Symbols's.

Unicode Pad ships an update every 3 months, Symbols every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Unicode Pad | Symbols |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.5 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unicode-pad/id374098312/reviews) | **[4.5 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symbols-unicode-keyboard/id1487709911/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 8 | **11** |
| Positive reviews | 73.7% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 140 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ziga Kranjec](https://appshunter.io/developer/368394743) | [Alexandr Nadtoka](https://appshunter.io/developer/1445904985) |

## 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


### Symbols

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symbols-unicode-keyboard/id1487709911)

Access and discover a vast collection of Unicode characters. Find specific symbols, view their HTML and Unicode information, and save frequently used characters to a favorites list for quick access.

**Highlights:** Access all Unicode characters, View HTML and Unicode info, Search for specific characters, Add characters to Favorites, Copy characters easily

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Weekly | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro | $2.99 | per month |
| Pro Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Unicode Pad free?

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

### Is Symbols free?

Symbols is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Unicode Pad or Symbols?

Symbols is rated higher. Unicode Pad averages 3.5 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Symbols averages 4.5 from 11 ratings.

### Do Unicode Pad or Symbols have ads?

Symbols shows ads; Unicode Pad does not.

### Which is updated more often, Unicode Pad or Symbols?

Unicode Pad ships an update every 3 months, and Symbols every 3 days. Most recently, Unicode Pad was updated on October 15, 2026 and Symbols on October 19, 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.*