Comparison

Symbol Keys vs IPA Typing Keyboard

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

Head to head
About

Symbol Keys

Access hundreds of Unicode symbols with a customizable keyboard. Easily insert special characters into your messages and documents.

Highlights
  • Access hundreds of Unicode symbols
  • Customizable keyboard layout
  • Easy symbol insertion
  • Supports iPhone and iPad
Read full description

A simple, customizable keyboard that gives you access to hundreds of Unicode symbols

About

IPA Typing Keyboard

Type International Phonetic Alphabet symbols directly on your iOS device. This keyboard offers offline functionality and a built-in reference for easy symbol lookup. Designed for privacy, it ensures your typed text never leaves your device.

Highlights
  • Type IPA symbols anywhere on iOS
  • Long-press for symbol variants
  • Fully offline functionality
  • Built-in symbol reference
  • Designed for privacy
  • Supports iPhone and iPad
Features
Read full description

Promotional Text (170 char limit — paste verbatim): Type IPA phonetic symbols anywhere on iOS. Long-press dotted letters for variants. Fully offline — no accounts, no data collected. Description (4000 char limit — paste verbatim, including line breaks): IPA Typing Keyboard is an iOS keyboard for typing International Phonetic Alphabet symbols, built for linguistics students, phoneticians, language learners, and anyone who needs IPA symbols in daily work. HOW IT WORKS Install the app, add IPA Typing Keyboard in Settings, then switch to it with the globe key in any app. Tap letters normally for a–z. Long-press any of the dotted letters (a, e, i, o, u, t, s, d, c, n, z) to pick an IPA variant — the same gesture you already know from the built-in iOS é/è popover. DESIGNED FOR PRIVACY • No typed text ever leaves your device. We cannot read what you write. IPA SYMBOL REFERENCE The built-in Reference tab shows every supported symbol with its base letter, name, and a tap-to-copy button — handy for research papers, transcription exercises, or language notes. DEVICE SUPPORT iPhone and iPad, iOS 16 or later. Adaptive SwiftUI layout for every size from iPhone SE to iPad 12.9". NOT INCLUDED (intentionally) No autocorrect, no predictive text, no telemetry, no cloud sync. The keyboard produces what you press — nothing more.

Screenshots

Symbol Keys4 screens
IPA Typing Keyboard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Symbol Keys at 5.0 against IPA Typing Keyboard's 4.0. Symbol Keys also leads on ratings volume (5 vs 1). IPA Typing Keyboard's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Keys holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Symbol Keys has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Symbol Keys ships an update every 2 weeks, IPA Typing Keyboard daily. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Symbol Keys versus IPA Typing Keyboard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSymbol KeysIPA Typing Keyboard
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJi Hoon LeeMinh Phan

In-app purchases

None

Symbol Keys

No in-app purchases

None

IPA Typing Keyboard

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Symbol Keys free?
Symbol Keys is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is IPA Typing Keyboard free?
IPA Typing Keyboard is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Symbol Keys or IPA Typing Keyboard?
Symbol Keys is rated higher. Symbol Keys averages 5.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while IPA Typing Keyboard averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Symbol Keys or IPA Typing Keyboard have ads?
Neither Symbol Keys nor IPA Typing Keyboard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Symbol Keys or IPA Typing Keyboard?
Symbol Keys ships an update every 2 weeks, and IPA Typing Keyboard daily. Most recently, Symbol Keys was updated on October 30, 2026 and IPA Typing Keyboard on October 28, 2026.

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