Unicode Character Map FREE vs IPA Phonetic Keyboard
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Unicode Character Map FREE
Access and copy a vast range of Unicode characters supported by your device. Easily find symbols, emoticons, and characters from various alphabets to use in any application. Save favorites and build custom character strings.
- View supported Unicode characters
- Copy characters to clipboard
- Search by character name or block
- Access characters from multiple alphabets
- Save frequently used characters
- Build custom character strings
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Select and copy characters from your iPhone and iPad to all your applications! This app shows you all the characters from the Unicode character set that are supported by iPhone and iPad. It excludes all those that routinely appear as little boxes on these devices. Simply tap the character to copy it to the clipboard. This app makes it so easy to send emoticons, stars, hearts, music notes and other symbols in text messages and emails. Special features: - see only those characters supported by iPhone and iPad - easily find characters from other alphabets including Greek, Cyrillic, Gujarati, Arabic, Hebrew and Braille - search for a particular character using its individual name (eg, theta, check) - or browse the name of the block (eg, dingbats, number forms, arrows) - easy-to-browse and well-presented character list - simply scroll down! - select one character to copy, or build an infinite string, using the options - save frequently used characters to the favourites bar Use the ad-supported version free of charge or buy the ad-free version today!
IPA Phonetic Keyboard
This free keyboard provides easy access to all IPA and extended IPA symbols. Its intuitive layout mirrors the IPA chart, making symbol input fluid and efficient for linguists, language learners, and enthusiasts.
- Full IPA chart (2020) symbols
- ExtIPA chart (2016) symbols
- Organized symbol sections
- Intuitive symbol layout
- Convenient input for common characters
- Completely free, no ads
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Behold the first completely FREE IPA keyboard on the App Store designed for linguists, language learners, and hobbyists. It is designed to be lightweight and fluid, matching up to the user experience of the system emoji keyboard. =FEATURES= - Includes ALL symbols on the newest standard IPA chart (2020 ver.) - Includes most symbols (the ones available in Unicode) on the newest standard extIPA chart (2016 ver.) - Symbols are divided into sections just like the IPA chart(-duh!): consonants, non-pulmonic, other symbols, vowels, suprasegmentals, tones and word accents, and diacritics - Symbols are arranged naturally, with a layout designed for you to find the symbols you want more quickly (especially the vowels, it's cleverly designed to match the layout on the IPA chart) - Convenient input for "[]", "//", "~", "◌", space, and return on the top of the keyboard - Completely free, NO ADS =EXTERNAL LINKS= For more information on IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), refer to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet The developer, Vince14Genius's GitHub: https://www.github.com/Vince14Genius/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: IPA Phonetic Keyboard at 4.5 against Unicode Character Map FREE's 3.4. IPA Phonetic Keyboard also leads on review sentiment (92% vs 51%) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 14 months). Unicode Character Map FREE's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 14.0). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. IPA Phonetic Keyboard sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Unicode Character Map FREE asks for nothing beyond the download.
IPA Phonetic Keyboard holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: IPA Phonetic Keyboard has 193 ratings behind it against 35, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of Unicode Character Map FREE's written reviews are positive against 92% of IPA Phonetic Keyboard's.
Unicode Character Map FREE ships an update every 14 months, IPA Phonetic Keyboard every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Unicode Character Map FREE | IPA Phonetic Keyboard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (35 ratings) | 4.5 (193 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.9% of reviews | 92.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 35 | 193 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 14 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Festivals App | Vincent Cai |
Customer experience
Unicode Character Map FREE
IPA Phonetic Keyboard
User reviews
Unicode Character Map FREE
From 35 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📚 Comprehensive Unicode character library with all known characters
- 💰 Free app with no ads or paywalls required
- ⚡ Fast and responsive when functioning properly
- 🎨 Useful for customizing social media bios and creative text
- 🌍 Supports multiple languages and writing systems
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent freezing and crashing issues
- ⚠️ Incompatible with newer iOS versions
- 🚫 App abandoned by developer with no updates
- ⏱️ Character popup information disappears too quickly to read
- 🔧 Poor search functionality and navigation
IPA Phonetic Keyboard
From 193 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Convenient IPA keyboard
- 💡 Extensive IPA symbol coverage
- 🚀 Smooth and responsive
- 🤩 Great for linguistics and conlanging
- 🎨 Visually appealing design
Room to improve
- 🔒 Paid access for some symbols
- 🔍 Keyboard layout could be more customizable
- 🐛 Occasional keyboard switching issues
- 🔇 Keyboard clicking sounds can't be disabled
Bugs and requests
Unicode Character Map FREE
Reported bugs
11 issues- App crashes or freezes every 3-5 seconds
- Freezes when scrolling through characters
- Character popup disappears before readable
- Crashes on startup with iOS 5, 7, and newer versions
- Incompatible with iOS 14.8, 15.1 and later
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- Search function lags and is unresponsive
- App redirects to web browser and App Store every 20 seconds
- Constant lagging and performance degradation
- Character names truncated with ellipses
- iPad scrolling causes freezing at certain points
- App won't open or load properly
Requested features
12 requests- Update to latest iOS versions (iOS 7, 14, 15+)
- Keyboard integration similar to emoji keyboards
- Ability to copy multiple characters at once
- Slower or persistent character information display
- Better search and alphabetical organization
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Add missing mathematical symbols (Pi, subscripts 1-3)
- Include Apple logo character
- Add Cherokee letters N and X
- Include deathly hallows and Harry Potter symbols
- More complete font types (Times New Roman, creative fonts)
- Text expansion settings integration
- Improved iPad compatibility
IPA Phonetic Keyboard
Reported bugs
2 issues- Vowel [ʁ] displays incorrectly
- Keyboard disappears after switching, requiring settings access to re-enable
Requested features
4 requests- Add angle brackets and parentheses for orthographic notation
- Implement a 'frequently used' section for common symbols
- Allow users to rearrange the keyboard layout
- Add support for laryngeal notation in Proto-Indo-European
In-app purchases
Unicode Character Map FREE
No in-app purchases
IPA Phonetic Keyboard
- Donation: Buy me a drink$2.99
- Obsolete/Non-Standard Symbols$5.99
- Donation: Buy me a meal$9.99
Questions
Is Unicode Character Map FREE free?
Is IPA Phonetic Keyboard free?
Which has better reviews, Unicode Character Map FREE or IPA Phonetic Keyboard?
Do Unicode Character Map FREE or IPA Phonetic Keyboard have ads?
Which is updated more often, Unicode Character Map FREE or IPA Phonetic Keyboard?
Other comparisons
