Comparison

Unicode Character Map FREE vs Symbol Keypad for Texting

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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!

About

Symbol Keypad for Texting

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
Read full description

Are you interested in Unicode symbols? There are over 50,000 characters and thousands of symbols. They can express your information totally.

Screenshots

Unicode Character Map FREE4 screens
Symbol Keypad for Texting4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Symbol Keypad for Texting at 4.7 against Unicode Character Map FREE's 3.4. Symbol Keypad for Texting also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 51%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 14 months). Unicode Character Map FREE's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 15.0). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Symbol Keypad for Texting holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Symbol Keypad for Texting has 1.6K 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 81% of Symbol Keypad for Texting's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Unicode Character Map FREE ships an update every 14 months, Symbol Keypad for Texting fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Unicode Character Map FREE versus Symbol Keypad for Texting: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUnicode Character Map FREESymbol Keypad for Texting
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (35 ratings)4.7 (1.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.9% of reviews81.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings351.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 14 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS7.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Festivals App山 钟

Customer experience

Unicode Character Map FREE

All ratings31 ratings
Positive58.1%
Neutral6.5%
Negative35.5%
Written reviews110 reviews
Positive50.9%
Neutral13.6%
Negative35.5%

Symbol Keypad for Texting

All ratings1,552 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral3.2%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews150 reviews
Positive81.3%
Neutral4.7%
Negative14.0%

User reviews

Unicode Character Map FREE

From 35 App Store ratings

What 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

Symbol Keypad for Texting

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

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
Show 6 more
  • 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 more
  • 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

Symbol Keypad for Texting

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

In-app purchases

None

Unicode Character Map FREE

No in-app purchases

None

Symbol Keypad for Texting

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Unicode Character Map FREE free?
Unicode Character Map FREE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Symbol Keypad for Texting free?
Symbol Keypad for Texting is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Unicode Character Map FREE or Symbol Keypad for Texting?
Symbol Keypad for Texting is rated higher. Unicode Character Map FREE averages 3.4 out of 5 from 35 ratings, while Symbol Keypad for Texting averages 4.7 from 1.6K ratings.
Do Unicode Character Map FREE or Symbol Keypad for Texting have ads?
Symbol Keypad for Texting shows ads; Unicode Character Map FREE does not.
Which is updated more often, Unicode Character Map FREE or Symbol Keypad for Texting?
Unicode Character Map FREE ships an update every 14 months, and Symbol Keypad for Texting fortnightly. Most recently, Unicode Character Map FREE was updated on October 29, 2026 and Symbol Keypad for Texting on October 29, 2026.

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