Frederick vs Woodpecker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Frederick
This app helps speakers of any language learn to read, spell, and pronounce English through interactive games and phonics-based lessons. It avoids translation and memorization, focusing on building confidence and fluency in English.
- Phonics-based learning
- Sight word recognition
- Interactive games
- Pronunciation practice
- Offline functionality
- Progress tracking
- Teacher mode
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Frederick lets speakers of ANY language learn to read, spell and pronounce English through play, all in English! No translating or memorizing! Because traditional lessons can be boring, confusing and ineffective, many students struggle to become confident readers and speakers. So, Frederick lets learners teach themselves to read and speak English in two simple steps: First, you compare letter combinations to develop reading skills, pronunciation and listening. Even non-native English learners can understand with pictures instead of translations. Then, fun games let you review what you learn in different ways. So you build confidence and fluency, automatically. Frederick teaches PHONICS (the rules of pronunciation), and SIGHT WORDS (words that break pronunciation rules). All 44 sounds of English are covered across more than 2,000 words, from the alphabet to advanced words and full sentences. There’s a “Word Bank” where you can see all of the words you’ve found. You can also unlock all levels and modes with “Teacher Mode." This enables learners to start at the right level for their ability. Frederick works offline, and you can easily track progress with word counters and rewards! The first 3 levels are free: the alphabet (Aa, Ba, Cc…) short vowels and consonants (at, in, up…) three-letter words (cat, bug, pig…) Pay the one-time upgrade fee to get instant access to levels 4-35. (Upgrade within the first 30 minutes of using Frederick and get 75% off) consonant blends (CRab, STop, deSK…) consonant digraphs (CHip, SHip, loCK…) ng, nk (riNG, siNK, taNK…) al, all, el, ell, il, ill, ul, ull, le (bALL, mILk, jungLE…) magic/silent e (lakE, linE, modE…) long A (rAIn, mAIl, pAY, EIGHt...) long E (sEAl, mEAl, bE, fIEld, candY, kEY...) long I (pIE, tIE, hIGH, wIld, kInd, flY...) long O (bOAt, gOAt, lOW, gO, fOld, vOlt...) long U (news, boot, clue, fruit...) aPPle (eGG, PHone, QUit...) dOg (cAUGHt, bOUGHt, frOg, wALk...) brEAd (hEAd, rEAd, swEAt...) cOIn (bOIl, cOIl, bOY, jOY...) bOOk (cOOk, fOOt, pUll, pUsh...) clOUd (OUt, cOUch, cOW, dOWn...) cactUs (About, Alone, tokEn, pandA...) sYrup (crYstal, phYsics, sYstem...) City (Cell, Cobra, Gem, draGon...) cAR (bAR, cARd, shARp, tARt...) chAIr (hAIR, pAIR, cARE, shARE...) EAR (gEAR, fEAR, lEER, pIER...) bIRd (hER, pEARl, wORk, sURf...) fORk (fOR, bOAR, dOOR, fOUR...) sensitIVE (actIVE, elusIVE, negatIVE...) sWAn (sWAt, WAtch, QUAlity, sQUAt...) miX (fiX, EXam, EXcellent, EXpel...) likED (votED, callED, lookED...) canS (wishES, brickS, callS...) vulTURE (culTURE, sURE, meaSURE...) quesTION (convenTION, educaTION, equaTION...) siGN (GNat, KNee, coMB, WRap...) Frederick is perfect for: Adult English language learners who want to understand the rules of spelling and pronunciation so they can quickly reduce their accent and understand natives more easily. Beginning English learners who want to learn all in English so they become able to speak. Teachers and parents (even those with NO EXPERIENCE teaching reading) who want a simple, natural and fun way to teach kids or adults to read, spell and pronounce English. There are no confusing instructions in Frederick. There’s also no “system” to learn, so even a two-year-old can improve with Frederick! Learn more: http://frederickreadingapp.com/ Have questions or need support? Mail us: mailto:info@englishanyone.com Thanks so much for trying Frederick! We hope you like it. :) Praise for Frederick: “I really love the app because it can help the students to enjoy learning English, and I recommend it to my colleagues.” — Masashi, Jr. High Vice Principal, Japan
Woodpecker
Learn languages by watching videos in your target language. Touch words in subtitles for instant definitions and save them for review. Explore content from YouTube and Netflix to immerse yourself in native-speaker material.
- Interactive video subtitles
- Instant word definitions
- Save vocabulary for review
- YouTube video discovery
- Netflix integration (iPad)
- Offline bilingual dictionaries
- Flashcard creation
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Watch and understand thousands of videos in Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Vietnamese, or English. When you don’t know a word, simply touch it in the subtitles. Use Woodpecker tools on any subtitled video on Youtube and all videos on Netflix (with a Netflix account and when using Woodpecker on an iPad). Touch any word, see its meaning, and easily save it to your history for review. Woodpecker’s bilingual dictionaries are free to use, work offline, and have no ads. Move on from your textbooks. Immerse and understand videos, shows, and movies meant for native speakers from around the world. Choose your target language: Immerse in Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Vietnamese, or English. Discover videos: Woodpecker filters Youtube to show you only videos in your target language with accurate subtitles. Browse videos by category, from popular channels, or made by popular Youtube teachers. Quickly find videos created for native speakers. Watch and improve your language skills. Watch with confidence. Woodpecker tools let you: + Touch any word to look it up while watching + Save any word or phrase to your word history + Touch a timestamp to jump to that section or rehear a phrase easily + Jump back 5 seconds if you missed something in a video + Touch to hear a phrase in the video repeated again and again + Slow down a video to 75% speed + Add multiple subtitle streams (when available) to follow along in your own language + Browse popular news sites in your target language, touch any word to look it up Subscribe to Woodpecker Tools to unlock unlimited web browsing, saved word exports, and flash cards! Make and practice your language skills with flash cards you make from words you saved! Try free today for 7 days. Build confidence with Woodpecker: • Discover videos in the language you’re learning. Explore by topic, channel name, or view videos by popular teachers on Youtube • Woodpecker filters Youtube to show only the videos in the language you’re learning • Have a Netflix account? Subscribe to the Unlimited Player in Woodpecker on your iPad to watch your favorite shows on Netflix. Touch any word in the subtitles to see its meaning and use Woodpecker Tools when you watch Netflix. • Perfect for intermediate to advanced learners, gain confidence as you watch something you love • Touch any word to see its meaning while your video pauses; Woodpecker automatically identifies proper names, popular expressions, idioms, and phrases • See all the words and expressions you’ve looked up in your word history; review them and practice with pronunciations • Browse popular news sites in the language you’re learning with the Woodpecker web browser, touch any word to see its meaning • Upgrade the app with tools to export your word history and browse any web page and create flash cards for review from your saved word history. • Watch videos with two subtitle streams (when available) to follow along in English as well as your target language • Dive deeper in a definition, expand the popup and touch any word in a definition to see its meaning • Browse the Teacher Section to see videos by popular Youtube teachers in your target language • Find all the videos you’ve watched in the video history section (data stored locally on your device) • Woodpecker’s bilingual dictionaries support: English speakers learning French, Mandarin, Spanish, German, and Vietnamese. And also support speakers of Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese learning English. • Touch any timestamp in the subtitles to rehear a phrase or jump to that phrase in a video • Discover content easily and dive into what you want to watch without the restrictions of a lesson plan • Improve your language skills while watching Youtube and Netflix with Woodpecker Start watching videos made for native speakers by native speakers. Immerse confidently in Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Vietnamese, or English. Try Woodpecker today!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Woodpecker at 4.8 against Frederick's 4.4. Woodpecker also leads on ratings volume (1K vs 68) and review sentiment (82% vs 71%). Frederick's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Frederick sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Woodpecker sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Woodpecker holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Woodpecker has 1K ratings behind it against 68, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Frederick's written reviews are positive against 82% of Woodpecker's.
Frederick ships an update every 2 months, Woodpecker every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Frederick | Woodpecker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (68 ratings) | 4.8 (1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews | 81.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 68 | 1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 559 MB | 29 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Drew Badger | Woodpecker Learning Limited |
Customer experience
Frederick
Woodpecker
Bugs and requests
Frederick
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Woodpecker
Reported bugs
3 issues- Netflix subtitles not working
- App crashing or not opening
- Inconsistent subtitle display
Requested features
4 requests- Support for more languages
- Improved subtitle synchronization
- Clearer pricing structure
- Better user interface and navigation
In-app purchases
Frederick
- 50 indirim!$19.99
- Unlock Game 25% off$59.99
- Unlock Game$79.99
Woodpecker
- Unlimited Video Player Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Woodpecker Tools Subscription7 Days trial$7.991 Month
- Unlimited Video Player Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Export Word History$0.99
- Woodpecker Web Browser$14.99









