Phonics Playtime vs SMARTgame®
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Phonics Playtime
This app offers over 10 engaging Jolly Phonics games designed to help children master phonetic sounds. With over 2000 exercises and adjustable difficulty, it enhances cognitive skills through playful learning experiences. It's optimized for iOS devices and features a child-friendly interface.
- 10 unique phonics activities
- Over 2000 exercises
- Adjustable difficulty levels
- Sticker rewards system
- Child-friendly interface
- Jolly Phonics system based
- Fully voiced pronunciation
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Explore over 10 exciting Jolly Phonics activities that turn phonics learning into a playful adventure, perfect for young learners and teachers alike. Just like our other phonics apps, Phonics Playtime is designed to help children master phonetic sounds instead of just focusing on the alphabet. By completing exercises and practicing different phonics groups, Phonics Playtime enhances your child’s cognitive skills through engaging and playful experiences. With over 2000 unique exercises carefully crafted to teach various phonics sounds and groups, Phonics Playtime allows children to complete activities within specific phonics sets or tackle randomized exercises at easy, medium, hard, or mixed difficulty levels. Phonics Playtime is optimized for iPad and iPhone devices running iOS 12.0 or higher. Features: • 10 unique phonics activities, each with 3 levels of difficulty. • Over 650 phonics pictures and 800 phonics words categorized by difficulty level. • Earn fun stickers for achievements on the sticker board. • Child-friendly interface with large buttons and simple navigation. • Choose to play by phonics group or jump into a quick play game. • Fully voiced with accurate phonics pronunciation by B.J. Rowling, cousin of J.K. Rowling. • Toggle between lowercase and uppercase phonics letters. • Based on the renowned Jolly Phonics system by Jolly Learning Ltd. • No in-app purchases, everything is included! • Vibrant graphics with support for all iOS devices running 12.0 or higher. Included Activities: • Find the Phonic. • Which Phonic Did You Hear? • Sort the Phonics Words. • Unscramble the Word. • Which Word Sounds Like ___? • Find the Odd One Out. • Match the Pictures with the Right Shadow • Find the Missing Phonic. • Pop the Phonics Balloons. • Which Word Did You Hear?
SMARTgame®
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Shaping Tomorrow, Starting Today SMARTgame® is a screen-free life skills game that turns everyday actions into a fun, real-world experience for children ages 4–12. Kids don’t learn by tapping a screen—they learn by doing.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: SMARTgame® at every 6 weeks against Phonics Playtime's every 40 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Phonics Playtime ships an update every 40 months, SMARTgame® every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Phonics Playtime | SMARTgame® |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | — |
| Update frequency | Every 40 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 97 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Bram Van Damme | J. Grace Corporation |
In-app purchases
Phonics Playtime
No in-app purchases
SMARTgame®
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Phonics Playtime free?
Is SMARTgame® free?
Do Phonics Playtime or SMARTgame® have ads?
Which is updated more often, Phonics Playtime or SMARTgame®?
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