# AV Phonetics vs VOA English Learning

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: AV Phonetics at none against VOA English Learning's 3. AV Phonetics also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (80% vs 52%). VOA English Learning's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (2.6K vs 11). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. VOA English Learning sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. AV Phonetics asks for nothing beyond the download.

VOA English Learning holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VOA English Learning has 2.6K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of AV Phonetics's written reviews are positive against 52% of VOA English Learning's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

AV Phonetics ships an update every 6 weeks, VOA English Learning every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AV Phonetics | VOA English Learning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/av-phonetics/id1022721561/reviews) | **[4.8 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/voa-english-learning/id1421679796/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 11 | **2.6K** |
| Positive reviews | **80.0% of reviews** | 51.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 159 MB | 171 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apps Resource Centre, Hong Kong Baptist University](https://appshunter.io/developer/1375410542) | [Andie Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476018169) |

## What reviewers say

### AV Phonetics

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/av-phonetics/id1022721561)

Explore the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) with this interactive app. It offers clear graphic, audio, and textual descriptions of speech sounds, including animations of articulations. Practice consonants and vowels with comprehensive coverage of symbols.

**Highlights:** Interactive IPA chart, Graphic, audio, and textual sound descriptions, Consonant and vowel practice, Tonal symbol coverage, Articulations animations

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### VOA English Learning

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/voa-english-learning/id1421679796)

Enhance your English skills by reading and listening to a vast collection of articles and news from VOA Special English and VOA Standard English. Progress through various difficulty levels to improve comprehension and expand your global knowledge.

**Highlights:** Read VOA Special English articles, Listen to VOA Standard English news, Learn English from easy to difficult levels, Improve reading comprehension, Enhance listening skills, Expand world knowledge

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Plus Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| Remove Ads | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful and useful programs
- 🚀 Great learning app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Video playback issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems
- 🐛 Outdated content
- 🐛 Ads cannot be closed

**Reported bugs**

- Video playback issues
- Compatibility problems
- Outdated content
- Ads cannot be closed

**Requested features**

- Add vocabulary improvement games
- Improve translation support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is AV Phonetics free?

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

### Is VOA English Learning free?

VOA English Learning is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, AV Phonetics or VOA English Learning?

VOA English Learning is rated higher. AV Phonetics averages 4.5 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while VOA English Learning averages 4.8 from 2.6K ratings.

### Do AV Phonetics or VOA English Learning have ads?

VOA English Learning shows ads; AV Phonetics does not.

### Which is updated more often, AV Phonetics or VOA English Learning?

AV Phonetics ships an update every 6 weeks, and VOA English Learning every 3 days. Most recently, AV Phonetics was updated on October 24, 2026 and VOA English Learning on October 29, 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.*