Comparison

READING & vs Smart Phonics 3rd 1

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

Head to head
About

READING &

Access a vast digital library of high-quality English books from Oxford University Press and Collins. This app offers a multi-dimensional reading system designed for efficient language acquisition, including vocabulary games, listening, reading, and speaking exercises. Enjoy personalized learning with features like pronunciation options, audio speed control, and a built-in dictionary.

Highlights
  • Digital library of Oxford and Collins English books
  • 5-Step Multi-Dimension Reading system
  • Vocabulary games, listening, reading, and speaking exercises
  • British & American pronunciation options
  • Audio speed control and recording feature
  • Built-in dictionary and personalized vocabulary list
  • Offline reading mode
Read full description

Meet the premium readers from the Oxford University Press and Collins at ‘READING &’! Oxford Reading Tree (ORT) and Collins Big Cat series are now available at READING &! ORT, the world’s best-seller readers used in 80% of the primary schools in the UK! Big Cat, is the popular series beloved by over 10,000 libraries in the primary schools in the UK! Have your own digital library that houses a massive collection of high-quality English books, and enjoy reading wherever you are and whenever you want! Awesome #1. 5 times more efficient 5 steps of multi-dimensional reading system is applied in every book. READING & transformed one-dimensional paper books to multi-functional digital contents that carries out the holistic process of language acquisition: vocabulary game, listening, reading, speaking, spelling check and after activities. Users can benefit from 5 times more efficient language learning system through our productive 5-Step Multi-Dimension Reading. Awesome #2. Up to 4 different devices Use up to 4 different mobile devices at a time! Every reading data synchronizes. We also support offline mode. Download your books and read them offline. Awesome #3. Additional features for your self-study - Both British & American pronunciation available (some books might provide only one) - Audio speed control - Record your own speaking - Listen to the audio per page or sentence - Built-in dictionary (Oxford English-Korean dictionary with 185,000 words) - Personalized vocabulary list - Pen tool: highlight or underline important vocabulary, make in-page highlights - Reading Diary: store your own speaking files This application may require access to the permissions below (to avoid the malfunction). - [Optional] Microphone: to record audio in Stage 3 and 4 - [Optional] Photos: to register your profile picture Instructions to turn the permission off: - Microphone: Settings > Privacy > App permissions > Microphone > turn off READING & - Photo: Settings > Privacy > App permissions > Storage > turn off READING & If you disable access for these permissions, you may use the app but several features of your device may no longer function as intended.

About

Smart Phonics 3rd 1

This app makes learning phonics engaging and accessible through a variety of interactive materials. It offers AI-powered speaking practice, animated songs and stories, and a collection of games and flashcards to build essential English literacy skills.

Highlights
  • AI-powered phonics speaking practice
  • Animated chants, songs, and stories
  • Flashcards and practice games
  • Class audio files
  • QR code download
Features
Read full description

Smart Phonics series now in its third edition! Smart Phonics is a five-level series designed to make phonics fun and easy to learn. Students establish key skills that allow them to prepare for the greater world of English education. To ensure a diverse and communicative learning environment, Smart Phonics provides students with a wide variety of materials. Songs, chants, stories, animations, games, and a newly added phonics AI app keep students engaged and invested in their studies. Features 1. Phonics speaking practice assessed by AI Andi 2. Class audio files found in one easy-to-use location 3. Chant, song, and story animations for easy replay 4. Flashcards, practice activities, and games for phonics practice Easy download via QR code!

Screenshots

READING &4 screens
Smart Phonics 3rd 14 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: READING & at 79% against Smart Phonics 3rd 1's 6%. READING & also leads on rating (3.4 vs 2.0) and ratings volume (10 vs 1). Smart Phonics 3rd 1's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

READING & holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: READING & has 10 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of READING &'s written reviews are positive against 6% of Smart Phonics 3rd 1's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

READING & ships an update fortnightly, Smart Phonics 3rd 1 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and June 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
READING & versus Smart Phonics 3rd 1: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterREADING &Smart Phonics 3rd 1
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (10 ratings) — better2.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews79.2% of reviews — better5.7% of reviews
Number of ratings10 — better1
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size251 MB1.6 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperiPortfolio Inc.e-future Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

READING &

All ratings10 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive79.2%
Neutral7.5%
Negative13.2%

Smart Phonics 3rd 1

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive5.7%
Neutral2.9%
Negative91.4%

In-app purchases

None

READING &

No in-app purchases

None

Smart Phonics 3rd 1

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is READING & free?
READING & is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smart Phonics 3rd 1 free?
Smart Phonics 3rd 1 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, READING & or Smart Phonics 3rd 1?
READING & is rated higher. READING & averages 3.4 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Smart Phonics 3rd 1 averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.
Do READING & or Smart Phonics 3rd 1 have ads?
Neither READING & nor Smart Phonics 3rd 1 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, READING & or Smart Phonics 3rd 1?
READING & ships an update fortnightly, and Smart Phonics 3rd 1 every 2 weeks. Most recently, READING & was updated on September 19, 2026 and Smart Phonics 3rd 1 on June 10, 2026.

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