Comparison

EFL Phonics 3rd Edition vs Spotlight on Phonics

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

EFL Phonics 3rd Edition

This app helps elementary students learning English as a foreign language develop phonics skills. It uses listening and articulation exercises, phonics stories, and chants to teach letter sounds and sight words, building reading confidence.

Highlights
  • Letter-sound connection exercises
  • Enriched listening and articulation practice
  • Phonics stories and chants
  • Sight word introduction
  • Five progressive learning levels
  • Focus on EFL learners
Features
Read full description

EFL Phonics is an easy-to-teach five level series for elementary school students who are learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Through exposure to enriched listening and articulation exercises, students will learn how to connect the sounds of English with single letters or groups of letters more effectively. EFL Phonics also introduces fun phonics stories and chants with common sight words. These allow children to learn sight words more naturally and enable them to build confidence in reading while having fun. ■ Target Sounds and Goals of the EFL Phonics series Book 1 Single Letter Sounds: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x (final), y, z EFL Phonics 1 teaches students how to sound out and write the 26 letters of the English alphabet. Students will also be introduced to new words helping them better understand the letter-sound relationships. Book 2 Short Vowels: a, e, i, o, u EFL Phonics 2 teaches students how to make two and three letter combinations of short vowels and consonants. Students will also be introduced to new words that consist of short vowels. Book 3 Long Vowels: a_e, i_e, o_e, u_e EFL Phonics 3 teaches students long vowels. Students will also be introduced to new words that consist of long vowels. Book 4 Double Letter Consonants: (1) Consonant Blends: bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl, br, cr, dr, fr, pr, tr, sm, sn, st, sw, nk (2) Consonant Digraphs: ch, sh, ph, th, wh, ng EFL Phonics 4 teaches students double letter consonants, such as consonant blends and consonant digraphs. Students will also be introduced to new words that consist of two letter consonants. Book 5 Double Letter Vowels: (1) Vowel Digraphs: ee, ea, ai, ay, oa, ow (bowl), oo (book), oo (moon) (2) Vowel Diphthongs: oi, oy, ou, ow (clown) (3) R-controlled Vowels: ar, er, ir, or, ur EFL Phonics 5 teaches students two letter vowels, such as vowel digraphs, vowel diphthongs, and r-controlled vowels. Students will also be introduced to new words that consist of two letter vowels.

About

Spotlight on Phonics

This app helps young learners master English phonics through interactive lessons, songs, chants, and stories. It offers a multi-level program designed to cater to various learning styles with engaging animations and activities.

Highlights
  • Alphabet songs and chants
  • Phonics flashcards
  • Interactive activities
  • Storybooks for reading practice
  • Multi-level program (1-3)
Features
Read full description

*Spotlight on Phonics* ■ Overview Bricks Spotlight on Phonics, a 3-level program designed for elementary students studying English for the first time, has a mobile app. With animations, chants, activities, storybooks, and a variety of other components, children can study phonics in ways which cater to a multitude of learning styles. *Visit the Bricks website below for further information. https://www.hibricks.com ■ Features Student Book: Level 1 to Level 3 From learning the alphabet letters to reading stories! - Alphabet Song: Reinforcing their sounds of the alphabet through singing a song - Sound: Practicing letter-sound recognition skills through singing chants - Flashcard: Learning phonics words through sounds and images - Activity: Building phonics skills through various activities - Storybook: Reading and chanting stories with phonics words. ■ How to use 1. Install the app and download the appropriate level. 2. Click on the level, and children can learn phonics with the multi-content provided.

Screenshots

EFL Phonics 3rd Edition4 screens
Spotlight on Phonics4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Spotlight on Phonics at every 10 months against EFL Phonics 3rd Edition's every 36 months. EFL Phonics 3rd Edition's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). On price, review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EFL Phonics 3rd Edition ships an update every 36 months, Spotlight on Phonics every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
EFL Phonics 3rd Edition versus Spotlight on Phonics: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEFL Phonics 3rd EditionSpotlight on Phonics
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 36 monthsEvery 10 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size406 MB505 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developere-future Co., Ltd.Bricks Education

Customer experience

EFL Phonics 3rd Edition

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Spotlight on Phonics

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

EFL Phonics 3rd Edition

No in-app purchases

None

Spotlight on Phonics

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is EFL Phonics 3rd Edition free?
EFL Phonics 3rd Edition is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Spotlight on Phonics free?
Spotlight on Phonics is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do EFL Phonics 3rd Edition or Spotlight on Phonics have ads?
Neither EFL Phonics 3rd Edition nor Spotlight on Phonics shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EFL Phonics 3rd Edition or Spotlight on Phonics?
EFL Phonics 3rd Edition ships an update every 36 months, and Spotlight on Phonics every 10 months. Most recently, EFL Phonics 3rd Edition was updated on October 24, 2026 and Spotlight on Phonics on September 24, 2026.

Other comparisons