# Special Symbols vs Hacker Note

The clearest difference is price: Special Symbols at $0.99 against Hacker Note's $9.99. Hacker Note's advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 52%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Special Symbols costs $0.99 and Hacker Note $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Special Symbols ships an update every 2 months, Hacker Note fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Special Symbols | Hacker Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$0.99** | $9.99 |
| Rating | **[3.5 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/special-symbols-keyboards/id434343055/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **8** | — |
| Positive reviews | 51.9% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 1 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.7 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Marco Petrucci](https://appshunter.io/developer/371279011) | [yuki okada](https://appshunter.io/developer/1505937141) |

## What reviewers say

### Special Symbols

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/special-symbols-keyboards/id434343055)

Enhance your messages, emails, and social media posts with a creative touch. This app provides 21 distinct keyboards to easily insert unique characters and styles directly from your system keyboard.

**Highlights:** 21 unique keyboards, Add special characters, Creative text styles, Bold and italic text, Monospace and gothic fonts, Full width text

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hacker Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-note-cool-design/id1541110936)

This note-taking app offers a unique "coolness" with a design inspired by hackers and sci-fi movies. Enjoy a futuristic feel with a transparent background option and customizable themes. It includes essential features like categorization, password protection, and cloud backup.

**Highlights:** High-performance and simple functionality, Transparent app background, Theme color customization, Category management, HTML and Markdown output, Password protection, Google Drive backup

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Special Symbols free?

Special Symbols costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hacker Note free?

Hacker Note costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Special Symbols or Hacker Note have ads?

Neither Special Symbols nor Hacker Note shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Special Symbols or Hacker Note?

Special Symbols ships an update every 2 months, and Hacker Note fortnightly. Most recently, Special Symbols was updated on November 1, 2026 and Hacker Note on November 3, 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.*