# Unicode Pad vs Symbol Keyboard for Texting

The clearest difference is price: Symbol Keyboard for Texting at Free against Unicode Pad's $2.99. Symbol Keyboard for Texting also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.5) and ratings volume (2.9K vs 8). Unicode Pad's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#184 vs unranked). On in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Symbol Keyboard for Texting is free to download; Unicode Pad costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Symbol Keyboard for Texting holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Symbol Keyboard for Texting has 2.9K 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 88% of Symbol Keyboard for Texting's.

Unicode Pad ships an update every 3 months, Symbol Keyboard for Texting every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 20, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Unicode Pad | Symbol Keyboard for Texting |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.5 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unicode-pad/id374098312/reviews) | **[4.6 (2.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symbol-keyboard-for-texting/id811850284/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 8 | **2.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 73.7% of reviews | **87.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#184** | — |
| Size | 140 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ziga Kranjec](https://appshunter.io/developer/368394743) | [ShuMei Liang](https://appshunter.io/developer/811743316) |

## What reviewers say

### Unicode Pad

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

**Currently charting:** #184 Top Paid · Utilities (US App Store)

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


### Symbol Keyboard for Texting

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symbol-keyboard-for-texting/id811850284)

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.

**Highlights:** Over 50,000 characters, Unicode symbols, Special characters, Enhanced mobile chatting, Texting customization

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great source for uncommon and common fonts
- 👍 Comprehensive collection of symbols and languages
- 👍 Useful for organization and labeling
- 👍 Easy to integrate with iOS keyboard

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App now just takes you to ads
- 🐛 Loads ads instead of showing symbols
- 🐛 Requires full access to see anything typed
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- App doesn't work, need help
- iOS keeps removing keyboard access
- Recently used symbols list gets cleared

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Unicode Pad free?

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

### Is Symbol Keyboard for Texting free?

Symbol Keyboard for Texting is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Unicode Pad or Symbol Keyboard for Texting?

Symbol Keyboard for Texting is rated higher. Unicode Pad averages 3.5 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Symbol Keyboard for Texting averages 4.6 from 2.9K ratings.

### Do Unicode Pad or Symbol Keyboard for Texting have ads?

Symbol Keyboard for Texting shows ads; Unicode Pad does not.

### Which is updated more often, Unicode Pad or Symbol Keyboard for Texting?

Unicode Pad ships an update every 3 months, and Symbol Keyboard for Texting every 3 weeks. Most recently, Unicode Pad was updated on October 20, 2026 and Symbol Keyboard for Texting on October 20, 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.*