Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards vs Formalize Light
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards
Access and use over 155,000 Unicode characters with this comprehensive character map app. It features customizable keyboards for any iOS app, bundled and importable fonts, and detailed character information. Seamlessly copy, search, and organize characters for diverse writing needs.
- Access 155,000+ Unicode characters
- Customizable keyboards for any iOS app
- Install and import custom fonts
- Detailed character information and search
- Copy characters to clipboard
- Notepad for frequently used characters
- Drag and drop support
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Unicode Pad Pro is the ultimate Unicode character map app for the iPad. Offering an extensive database of over 155,000 characters, it supports the latest Unicode 16 standard. This powerful tool features customizable keyboards, which can be used across any iOS app, bundled fonts, and the ability to import custom fonts. Users can easily browse, search, and copy characters, access detailed character information, and enjoy seamless multitasking with other apps. Perfect for everything from scientific notation to creative writing, Features: • Custom keyboards can be used in any other iOS app • Install bundled fonts for use in other apps • Import and use any custom font into the app • Support for Unicode 15.1 standard, which has many new symbols. • Huge selection of symbols (thousands), in fact all that are available on your device. Database itself actually contains data for all characters (over 140000!). • Copy characters to clipboard for use in other apps, like web, mail, chat, notes... any iOS app! • Detailed information on each Unicode character, including encodings, extra info, similar characters and availability in fonts • Extensive gesture support for smooth workflow! • Drag and drop support for text, PNG and PDF graphics! • Notepad with customizable keyboards, for your often-used characters and for copying several characters at once. Great for casual writing, too! • HTML entity names for relevant characters • UNIHAN english definitions for CJK ideograms for many characters • Egyptian hieroglyph definitions • Ideographic Description Sequences (IDS) for CJK ideograms • Share your custom keyboards with your friends! • Search for characters by name, hexadecimal codepoint or glyph! Find similar and related characters instantly! • Great support for iPad multitasking - works great together with other apps • Streamlined design, specifically optimized for each device. Support for all device orientations and Retina display. • Support for dark mode. • Fully tested on latest iOS • Support for Backspace, New line, Shift and Alternate special keys on custom keyboards. • Custom keyboard sizes up to 6x16=96 keys. • Flick left and right for next and previous characters in detail view • View extended character descriptions on Wikipedia, unicode.org charts or Emojipedia right from inside the app! • Copy glyphs as PDF graphics or PNG images • Sections of favourite and recently copied characters • One universal application works on iPhone, iPod and iPad! • Reference booklet of characters available on modern computers! Paper Unicode maps are over 1000 pages long! • Quick access to many groups of commonly used symbols! • Great for scientific, mathematical and physics notation, handles many superscripts, subscripts and other symbols! • Excellent for phonetic notation! • Developers: see which characters are available on your iOS device and in which fonts. • Perfect for writing Unicode poetry! • Awesome for making interesting app names!
Formalize Light
This utility app provides a keyboard extension for typing mathematical formulas on iOS devices. It offers easy access to over 100 symbols and generates professionally typeset equations that can be converted to TeX.
- Mathematical keyboard extension
- Over 100 symbols
- One-handed access
- Professionally typeset formulas
- Convert formulas to TeX
- Insert formulas into any app
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Do you wish you could properly type math on your iPhone or iPad? With Formalize, you can! Formalize is a keyboard extension for mathematical content. It provides intuitive one-handed access to more than 100 symbols and produces professionally typeset formulas. Easily convert your formulas to PNG* or TeX and insert them anywhere, in any app! * Not available in Formalize Light
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards at 81% against Formalize Light's 17%. Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards also leads on rating (4.5 vs 2.3) and ratings volume (198 vs 4). Formalize Light's advantage is price (Free vs $6.99) and iOS requirement (10.3 vs 13). 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
Formalize Light is free to download; Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards has 198 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards's written reviews are positive against 17% of Formalize Light's.
Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards ships an update every 4 months, Formalize Light every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and June 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards | Formalize Light |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (198 ratings) — better | 2.3 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 81.0% of reviews — better | 16.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 198 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 12 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13 | 10.3 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 259 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ziga Kranjec | Ben Hambrecht |
Customer experience
Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards
Formalize Light
In-app purchases
Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards
No in-app purchases
Formalize Light
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards free?
Is Formalize Light free?
Which has better reviews, Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards or Formalize Light?
Do Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards or Formalize Light have ads?
Which is updated more often, Unicode Pad Pro with keyboards or Formalize Light?
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