# Special Characters++ vs Pictographs

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Special Characters++ at 55% against Pictographs's 0%. Special Characters++ also leads on rating (3.5 vs 2.0) and ratings volume (19 vs 3). Pictographs's advantage is price (Free vs $0.99) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 7 months). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Pictographs is free to download; Special Characters++ costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Special Characters++ holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Special Characters++ has 19 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Special Characters++'s written reviews are positive against 0% of Pictographs's.

Special Characters++ ships an update every 7 months, Pictographs every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Special Characters++ | Pictographs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[3.5 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/special-characters-plus-plus/id932623050/reviews)** | [2.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pictographs/id1144236311/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **19** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **55.0% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 2 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [James Spencer](https://appshunter.io/developer/356003751) | [David Miller](https://appshunter.io/developer/1144227850) |

## What reviewers say

### Special Characters++

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/special-characters-plus-plus/id932623050)

Access over 1000 unique symbols, glyphs, and characters not found on the standard iOS keyboard. Organize your favorites and quickly find characters with a dedicated search bar. Enhance your texts, emails, and notes with custom characters.

**Highlights:** Access over 1000 special characters, Categorized character sections, Quick Find search bar, Favorites list for custom sorting, Recently used character tracking, Supports landscape and portrait modes

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Pictographs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pictographs/id1144236311)

Easily insert a wide variety of special characters and symbols on your iPhone and iPad. Access symbols like infinity, copyright, and trademark directly from your keyboard.

**Highlights:** Insert odd characters, Access special symbols, Keyboard for iPhone and iPad, Wide variety of symbols

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Special Characters++ free?

Special Characters++ costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Pictographs free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Special Characters++ or Pictographs?

Special Characters++ is rated higher. Special Characters++ averages 3.5 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Pictographs averages 2.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Special Characters++ or Pictographs have ads?

Neither Special Characters++ nor Pictographs shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Special Characters++ or Pictographs?

Special Characters++ ships an update every 7 months, and Pictographs every 3 weeks. Most recently, Special Characters++ was updated on November 1, 2026 and Pictographs on November 2, 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.*