Comparison

Pocket Penguins vs SymbolSupport

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pocket Penguins

Experience the charming world of African penguins with live, 24/7 streaming from their exhibit. Observe their daily activities, from swimming and nesting to feeding time Q&A sessions with biologists.

Highlights
  • Live 24/7 penguin streaming
  • Multiple live webcams
  • Observe swimming and diving
  • Watch feeding times
  • Biologist Q&A sessions
Features
Read full description

Warning: Cute alert! Pocket Penguins, streaming in real-time from the California Academy of Sciences, provides an intimate view into our live African penguin exhibit. Watch the birds swim, dive, flirt, nest and relax from any one of three live webcams. Listen in as Academy biologists answer questions from visitors during meal time, daily at 10:30am and 3:00pm PST. The Academy's penguins are part of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's Species Survival Program, aimed at conserving this species in the wild. African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) live off the coast of South Africa and Namibia. In 2010, the International Union for Conservation of Nature classified the species as endangered, or at very high risk of extinction in the wild. Disclaimer: Please note that this app depends largely on your wireless network’s quality of service and data rates may apply. A Wi-Fi connection is recommended.

About

SymbolSupport

This iPad utility app enhances text by automatically adding symbols above typed or pasted content. It features text-to-speech with word-by-word highlighting and offers extensive symbol libraries. Documents can be easily shared as PDFs or in a proprietary format.

Highlights
  • Automatic symbol addition to text
  • Text-to-speech with highlighting
  • Pre-loaded and searchable symbol libraries
  • Image import from camera roll and internet
  • Customizable symbol assignment
  • Document sharing via AirDrop, email, and cloud storage
Read full description

SymbolSupport is an iPad utility app that effortlessly adds symbols to text. As textis typed, symbols are automatically added above it. Text can also be copied from pre-existing written materials and pasted into SymbolSupport where symbols are instantly added. Documents are read with a high-quality text-to-speech voice and include word-by-word highlighting. This support helps students better understand class assignments.Symbols from Slater Literacy Support Pictures™ and Attainment’s Image Library are included. Plus, there is easy access to your camera roll and a built-in internet image search.Easy-to-use editing tools include changing auto-assigned symbols to other symbols or imported images and removing symbols from text to reduce the number of symbols on a page. SymbolSupport is designed to create symbolized text quickly and easily. Sharing these documents is equally important. Share documents via AirDrop, email, or send to any cloud storage setup on the iPad. Documents can be sent as a PDF for studentportfolios or shared with parents. Documents can also be sent as a SymbolSupport file which can be opened by SymbolSupport or SymbolSupport Lite apps. SymbolSupport Lite is a separate and free app. It can receive, read aloud, and print documents that have been created with the SymbolSupport app. SymbolSupport Lite cannot create or edit documents.

Screenshots

Pocket Penguins1 screens
SymbolSupport3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pocket Penguins at Free against SymbolSupport's $59.99. Pocket Penguins also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (85% vs 50%). SymbolSupport's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 22 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Pocket Penguins is free to download; SymbolSupport costs $59.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pocket Penguins holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Penguins has 157 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Pocket Penguins's written reviews are positive against 50% of SymbolSupport's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pocket Penguins ships an update every 22 months, SymbolSupport every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Pocket Penguins versus SymbolSupport: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocket PenguinsSymbolSupport
PriceFree — better$59.99
Rating4.6 (157 ratings) — better4.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews84.9% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings157 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 22 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size98 MB293 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCalifornia Academy of SciencesAttainment Company

Customer experience

Pocket Penguins

All ratings157 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral1.9%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews258 reviews
Positive84.9%
Neutral2.3%
Negative12.8%

SymbolSupport

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Pocket Penguins

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes on launch for some users
  • Underwater camera is blurry
  • Connectivity issues and black screens

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more camera angles and views
  • Improve video quality
  • Provide more information about the penguins
  • Add sound and audio features
  • Implement push notifications for feeding times

SymbolSupport

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Pocket Penguins

No in-app purchases

None

SymbolSupport

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pocket Penguins free?
Pocket Penguins is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SymbolSupport free?
SymbolSupport costs $59.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pocket Penguins or SymbolSupport?
Pocket Penguins is rated higher. Pocket Penguins averages 4.6 out of 5 from 157 ratings, while SymbolSupport averages 4.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Pocket Penguins or SymbolSupport have ads?
Neither Pocket Penguins nor SymbolSupport shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pocket Penguins or SymbolSupport?
Pocket Penguins ships an update every 22 months, and SymbolSupport every 5 weeks. Most recently, Pocket Penguins was updated on October 27, 2026 and SymbolSupport on October 16, 2026.

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