# Symbol Keyboard vs alt Codes

The clearest difference is ads: alt Codes at none against Symbol Keyboard's shown. alt Codes also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Symbol Keyboard's advantage is ratings volume (3.1K vs 9) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

Symbol Keyboard holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Symbol Keyboard has 3.1K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Symbol Keyboard's written reviews are positive against 82% of alt Codes's.

Symbol Keyboard ships an update every 10 days, alt Codes fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and July 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Symbol Keyboard | alt Codes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (3.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symbol-keyboard-character-pad/id811743313/reviews)** | [4.4 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alt-codes/id907724786/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.1K** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | **83.7% of reviews** | 81.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ShuMei Liang](https://appshunter.io/developer/811743316) | [Jared Lipton](https://appshunter.io/developer/778105187) |

## What reviewers say

### Symbol Keyboard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symbol-keyboard-character-pad/id811743313)

Access hundreds of special characters and symbols for use in any application. Simply tap a character to copy it to your clipboard, then paste it into your desired app.

**Highlights:** Hundreds of special characters, Unicode symbols, One-tap copy to clipboard, Paste into any app, Quick access

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💎 Wide range of symbols
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🆓 Free app with no subscription
- 📚 Comprehensive symbol library
- 🗂️ Ability to organize symbols

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Difficult to find specific symbols
- 🧭 Unintuitive category organization
- 🚫 Ads interrupt usage
- 🔀 Keyboard integration issues
- 🔍 Lacking search functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when opening the app
- Keyboard fails to switch back to default

**Requested features**

- Add preset symbol organization (e.g. A-Z)
- Implement settings menu (dark mode, custom folders)
- Integrate keyboard with system for easier access
- Improve search to find symbols quickly


### alt Codes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alt-codes/id907724786)

Discover Windows keyboard shortcuts for typing special characters and symbols not on your keyboard. Quickly copy symbols to your iOS device's clipboard for easy pasting on your Mac via Universal Clipboard.

**Highlights:** Find Windows keyboard shortcuts, Type special characters and symbols, Copy symbols to iOS clipboard, Paste on Mac with Universal Clipboard, Quick symbol lookup

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Symbol Keyboard free?

Symbol Keyboard is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is alt Codes free?

alt Codes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Symbol Keyboard or alt Codes?

Symbol Keyboard is rated higher. Symbol Keyboard averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.1K ratings, while alt Codes averages 4.4 from 9 ratings.

### Do Symbol Keyboard or alt Codes have ads?

Symbol Keyboard shows ads; alt Codes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Symbol Keyboard or alt Codes?

Symbol Keyboard ships an update every 10 days, and alt Codes fortnightly. Most recently, Symbol Keyboard was updated on September 17, 2026 and alt Codes on July 17, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*