Comparison

Phonics Playtime vs SMARTgame®

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 10 unique phonics activities
  • Over 2000 exercises
  • Adjustable difficulty levels
  • Sticker rewards system
  • Child-friendly interface
  • Jolly Phonics system based
  • Fully voiced pronunciation
Features
Read full description

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?

About

SMARTgame®

Features
Read full description

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

Phonics Playtime4 screens
SMARTgame®4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

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

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.

Scorecard1 real difference · 7 level
Phonics Playtime versus SMARTgame®: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhonics PlaytimeSMARTgame®
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 40 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.4
Further details — not scored
Size81 MB97 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperBram Van DammeJ. Grace Corporation

In-app purchases

None

Phonics Playtime

No in-app purchases

None

SMARTgame®

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Phonics Playtime free?
Phonics Playtime is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SMARTgame® free?
SMARTgame® is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Phonics Playtime or SMARTgame® have ads?
Neither Phonics Playtime nor SMARTgame® shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Phonics Playtime or SMARTgame®?
Phonics Playtime ships an update every 40 months, and SMARTgame® every 6 weeks. Most recently, Phonics Playtime was updated on September 29, 2026 and SMARTgame® on September 30, 2026.

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