Comparison

Jolly Phonics vs Colnn

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

Head to head
About

Jolly Phonics

This interactive app teaches children to read and write using a systematic synthetic phonics approach. It offers engaging lessons, songs, and games to build phonemic awareness and handwriting skills, aligned with the Science of Reading.

Highlights
  • Explore 42 letter sounds with songs and audio
  • Interactive tools for reading practice
  • Step-by-step handwriting animations
  • Phonics learning games
  • Progress tracking and assessments
Features
Read full description

Teach Your Children to Read and Write with Jolly Phonics! Unlock reading and writing potential with the literacy programme designed for kids and trusted by teachers worldwide. Aligned with the Science of Reading, this interactive app makes learning to read and write and building phonemic awareness fun and engaging! What is Jolly Phonics? Jolly Phonics is a programme for teaching reading and writing. It is based on a systematic synthetic phonics approach, and was developed by teachers Sue Lloyd and Sara Wernham. It is the first stage in teaching children to read and write using the 5 key skills. It focuses on direct, explicit instruction of phonemic awareness and phonics for both reading (decoding) and writing (encoding). Scientific research has consistently shown phonemic awareness to be essential for building strong reading, spelling and writing skills. Why Choose Jolly Phonics? 1. Proven Success: Used in schools globally for over 30 years with proven literacy outcomes. 2. Science-Based Approach: Aligned with the Science of Reading to ensure kids build effective foundational reading and spelling skills. 3. Engaging and Multi-Sensory: Songs, actions and interactive learning games bring phonics learning to life! Key Features That Make Learning Easy and Fun: 1. Explore All 42 Letter Sounds: Go beyond ABC with free songs and audio to help kids learn every sound. 2. Learn to Read: Build phonemic awareness with our interactive learning tools such as flashcards, wordbank and action images to enhance and support every lesson. 3. Learn to Write: Develop strong handwriting skills with step-by-step visual animations. 4. Learning Games: Learn to read and write with fun phonics learning games that reinforce kids' learning. 5. Progress Tracking: Built-in assessments to monitor children's progress and celebrate achievements. Who Is Jolly Phonics For? 1. Kids: From preschoolers learning their first words and ABC, to confident young readers building their phonics skills. 2. Parents: Support your children's early reading, writing, and spelling journey at home with our guided lessons. 3. Teachers: A valuable classroom resource for phonics instruction. Start Your Kids' Phonics Journey Today! Join the millions of families and educators who have embraced the Jolly Phonics programme of learning for confident readers and writers. Whether at home or in the classroom, this app makes literacy learning simple, effective and enjoyable! Why Phonics Instead of ABC? 1. Phonics focuses on letter-sound relationships and how sounds (phonemes) make up words. It teaches kids the valuable skill of decoding, which is essential for reading and spelling fluency. 2. ABC refers to learning letters and their names rather than their sounds. Knowing the alphabet may be a precursor to phonics but doesn't directly teach reading skills. Learning Beyond ABC! Jolly Phonics doesn't stop at just ABC or phonemic awareness. The app offers: 1. Advanced learning strategies 2. Comprehensive handwriting exercises 3. Fun learning games designed for children to reinforce spelling and letter sounds knowledge Start Your Kids' Phonics Journey Today! Join the millions of families and educators who have embraced the Jolly Phonics programme of learning for confident readers and writers. Whether at home or in the classroom, with our structured lessons, interactive tools, and a focus on foundational phonemic awareness, your kids will learn to read, write and spell confidently. Download now and see how Jolly Phonics can transform your children's literacy learning! https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Colnn

Stay connected with your school, track academic progress, and manage school-related information. Students can view timetables, homework, and grades, while parents can monitor financial data and communicate with the administration.

Highlights
  • Classroom timetable viewing
  • Homework and assignment tracking
  • Digital library access
  • School news updates
  • Attendance monitoring
  • Exam details and results
  • Financial data for parents
  • Direct communication with school administration
Read full description

Whether you are a student or parent, you can keep connected to school, follow-up new feedback and work progress, wherever and wherever you are For students - See your classroom Timetable - Follow recent updated homework - Get recent uploaded books or videos from digital library - Keep yourself updated with school news - Know your attendance all over the year - Get exams details & results directly to your mobile For parents Follow up all your child previous activities in addition to: - Financial data e.g. fees, installments, payments…etc. - Contact box enables you to communicate directly with school administration

Screenshots

Jolly Phonics4 screens
Colnn3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Jolly Phonics at 4.4 against Colnn's 2.1. Jolly Phonics also leads on review sentiment (42% vs 0%) and ratings volume (4.8K vs 21). Colnn's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Jolly Phonics sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Colnn asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Jolly Phonics holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Jolly Phonics has 4.8K ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of Jolly Phonics's written reviews are positive against 0% of Colnn's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Jolly Phonics ships an update every 5 weeks, Colnn every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Jolly Phonics versus Colnn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJolly PhonicsColnn
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (4.8K ratings) — better2.1 (21 ratings)
Positive reviews42.1% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4.8K — better21
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size227 MB80 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJolly LearningTamer Badawy

Customer experience

Jolly Phonics

All ratings4,773 ratings
Positive83.4%
Neutral6.2%
Negative10.4%
Written reviews247 reviews
Positive42.1%
Neutral10.1%
Negative47.8%

Colnn

All ratings20 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Jolly Phonics

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Account login issues
  • Inability to restore purchases
  • Blank/white screen problems
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • More games and interactive activities
  • Print letter option instead of pre-cursive
  • Ability to share purchases across devices
  • Improved customer support and bug fixes

Colnn

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Jolly Phonics

Subscriptions1
  • Full access (monthly)$4.991 Month
One-time6
  • Writing$0.99
  • Sounding$1.99
  • Alternatives$1.99
Show 3 more
  • Tricky Words$1.99
  • Sound Groups 2 to 7$7.99
  • Unlock Everything$9.99
None

Colnn

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Jolly Phonics free?
Jolly Phonics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Colnn free?
Colnn is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Jolly Phonics or Colnn?
Jolly Phonics is rated higher. Jolly Phonics averages 4.4 out of 5 from 4.8K ratings, while Colnn averages 2.1 from 21 ratings.
Do Jolly Phonics or Colnn have ads?
Neither Jolly Phonics nor Colnn shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Jolly Phonics or Colnn?
Jolly Phonics ships an update every 5 weeks, and Colnn every 4 weeks. Most recently, Jolly Phonics was updated on November 8, 2026 and Colnn on November 3, 2026.

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