# alt Codes vs Symbols

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: alt Codes at none against Symbols's 3. alt Codes also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Symbols's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Symbols sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. alt Codes asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for alt Codes against 4.5 for Symbols. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 11 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of alt Codes's written reviews are positive against 75% of Symbols's.

alt Codes ships an update fortnightly, Symbols every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | alt Codes | Symbols |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alt-codes/id907724786/reviews) | **[4.5 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symbols-unicode-keyboard/id1487709911/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **11** |
| Positive reviews | **81.8% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 0 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jared Lipton](https://appshunter.io/developer/778105187) | [Alexandr Nadtoka](https://appshunter.io/developer/1445904985) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Symbols

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symbols-unicode-keyboard/id1487709911)

Access and discover a vast collection of Unicode characters. Find specific symbols, view their HTML and Unicode information, and save frequently used characters to a favorites list for quick access.

**Highlights:** Access all Unicode characters, View HTML and Unicode info, Search for specific characters, Add characters to Favorites, Copy characters easily

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Weekly | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro | $2.99 | per month |
| Pro Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is alt Codes free?

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

### Is Symbols free?

Symbols is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, alt Codes or Symbols?

Symbols is rated higher. alt Codes averages 4.4 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Symbols averages 4.5 from 11 ratings.

### Do alt Codes or Symbols have ads?

Symbols shows ads; alt Codes does not.

### Which is updated more often, alt Codes or Symbols?

alt Codes ships an update fortnightly, and Symbols every 3 days. Most recently, alt Codes was updated on October 7, 2026 and Symbols on October 19, 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.*