# Character Pad vs Symbol Keypad for Texting

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Symbol Keypad for Texting at none against Character Pad's 3. Symbol Keypad for Texting also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 47%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 months). Character Pad's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, ratings volume and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Character Pad sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Symbol Keypad for Texting asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Character Pad against 4.7 for Symbol Keypad for Texting. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 605 and 1.6K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 47% of Character Pad's written reviews are positive against 81% of Symbol Keypad for Texting's.

Character Pad ships an update every 6 months, Symbol Keypad for Texting fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Character Pad | Symbol Keypad for Texting |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (605 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/character-pad/id418874651/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symbol-keypad-for-texting/id975780487/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 605 | **1.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 46.8% of reviews | **81.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 15 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Armchair Engineering](https://appshunter.io/developer/398901339) | [山 钟](https://appshunter.io/developer/842459640) |

## What reviewers say

### Character Pad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/character-pad/id418874651)

Easily copy and paste hundreds of special characters, symbols, and Greek letters into any application. Customize your messages, emails, and documents with unique text elements. This utility app offers a simple interface for quick access to a wide variety of characters.

**Highlights:** Hundreds of special characters, Greek alphabet support, Math symbols, Bullets and letterlike symbols, One-tap copy to clipboard, Paste into any application

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Upgrade - Reduced Price | $1.99 | one-time |
| More Characters | $2.99 | one-time |
| Full Upgrade - Hero Price | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Great
- 🙌 Useful
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🔍 Essential
- 🤩 Fun

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Paid features
- 🔒 Limited access
- 🐛 Crashes
- 📍 Outdated
- 🚫 Removed features

**Reported bugs**

- Restore purchases not working
- Compatibility issues with new iOS versions

**Requested features**

- More characters and symbols
- Search functionality
- Improved clipboard management
- Compatibility updates


### Symbol Keypad for Texting

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symbol-keypad-for-texting/id975780487)

Easily insert a vast array of Unicode symbols and characters into your text messages and other applications. Explore thousands of symbols to express your information uniquely and enhance your communication.

**Highlights:** Access over 50,000 Unicode characters, Thousands of unique symbols available, Insert symbols into texts and other apps, Express information uniquely, Enhance communication with special characters

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for its niche
- 👍 Convenient and useful
- 👍 Lots of symbols to choose from
- 👍 Easy to use and set up
- 👍 Helpful for gaming and messaging

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Search and navigation issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with new iOS updates
- 🐛 Unintuitive interface
- 🐛 Missing common symbols
- 🔋 Ads can be intrusive

**Reported bugs**

- Keyboard not showing up properly on iPad
- Favorites and history not syncing correctly
- Some symbols not displaying correctly after iOS updates

**Requested features**

- Add more symbols, especially common fractions and Egyptian hieroglyphics
- Improve search functionality and navigation
- Add iPad support and optimize the UI for larger screens
- Allow customization of favorite symbols and their placement
- Provide an option to disable the dark mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Character Pad free?

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

### Is Symbol Keypad for Texting free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Character Pad or Symbol Keypad for Texting?

Symbol Keypad for Texting is rated higher. Character Pad averages 4.5 out of 5 from 605 ratings, while Symbol Keypad for Texting averages 4.7 from 1.6K ratings.

### Do Character Pad or Symbol Keypad for Texting have ads?

Symbol Keypad for Texting shows ads; Character Pad does not.

### Which is updated more often, Character Pad or Symbol Keypad for Texting?

Character Pad ships an update every 6 months, and Symbol Keypad for Texting fortnightly. Most recently, Character Pad was updated on November 6, 2026 and Symbol Keypad for Texting on November 6, 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.*