Simbol vs Build Things
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Simbol
Quickly find and copy universal symbols and their HTML codes. Compose entire equations using an integrated editor and copy them for use in other applications. Access a vast library of symbols, including reserved characters, math symbols, and special characters.
- Symbol library
- HTML code lookup
- Equation editor
- Copy multiple symbols
- Keyboard editing
- Individual symbol copy
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A minimal and beautiful app to quickly find and copy universal symbols and their HTML codes. --Symbol Library------- • ISO-8859-1 • Reserved Characters: &, ', "", etc. • ISO 8859-1 Symbols: ¡, §, ¼, etc. • ISO 8859-1 Characters: Æ, Ã, etc. • HTML Symbols • Math Symbols: ∑, ∫, ⊕, etc. • Greek Symbols: Ψ, θ, etc. • Other Entities: ‰, ™, œ, etc. • Special Symbols • ⌘, ↩, ⌥, etc. --Equation Editor------- An equation editor can be found on the top of the table view. You can copy multiple symbols and they are added to the editor in order. You can also edit the equation using a keyboard, which also lets you easily copy it! Thus, you can compose entire equations in 'Simbol' and then copy them for use in another app. This doesn't take away your ability to copy individual symbols. When you tap the 'Copy' buttons in detail views, you get that symbol on your clipboard, in addition to it being added to the equation editor. :)
Build Things
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Go from idea to name, domain, fonts, colors in 30 seconds.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Build Things at every 2 days against Simbol's every 6 months. Simbol's advantage is iOS requirement (7.0 vs 15.1). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Simbol ships an update every 6 months, Build Things every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Simbol | Build Things |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (25 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 81.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 25 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 146 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Amit Jain | Erik Nelson |
Bugs and requests
Simbol
Reported bugs
6 issues- Search function no longer works
- Constantly freezes
- iOS keyboard never appears
- Search box moves up and disappears
- Typo in 'cirle star'
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Spelling errors in list
Requested features
17 requests- Update the app
- Fix search function
- Improve keyboard functionality
- Add more symbols
- Support for non-American English
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Third-party keyboard option
- Bring back old app icon
- iPad version
- Music notes/symbols
- Dark mode
- Grid view
- Add to Favorites menu
- Landscape mode support
- Scrolling display bar
- More emoji options
- Full range of Unicode characters
- Better navigation/sorting
Build Things
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Simbol
No in-app purchases
Build Things
No in-app purchases
