Comparison

Jolly Phonics vs Edves

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, aligning with the Science of Reading.

Highlights
  • Explore 42 letter sounds with audio
  • Interactive tools for reading practice
  • Step-by-step handwriting animations
  • Fun 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!

About

Edves

This application facilitates quality education delivery by connecting school administrators, teachers, and parents. It streamlines school operations and improves communication regarding student learning outcomes in primary and secondary schools.

Highlights
  • School operations automation
  • Teacher-parent engagement
  • Learning outcome tracking
  • K-12 school support
  • Administrator tools
  • Teacher tools
  • Parent tools
Features
Read full description

This app enhances the effective delivery of quality education to learners with the collaboration of School Administrators, Teachers, and Parents. It automates school operations to save time, aids teacher-parent engagement on learning outcomes of the kids in primary and secondary (k-12 Schools)

Screenshots

Jolly Phonics4 screens
Edves4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Edves at 5.0 against Jolly Phonics's 4.4. Edves also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 7). Jolly Phonics's advantage is ratings volume (4.8K vs 2). 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. Edves asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Edves holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Jolly Phonics has 4.8K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Jolly Phonics ships an update every 6 weeks, Edves monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Jolly Phonics versus Edves: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJolly PhonicsEdves
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (4.8K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings4.8K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size122 MB103 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJolly LearningEdves Nigeria Limited

Customer experience

Jolly Phonics

All ratings4,840 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral6.3%
Negative10.4%
Written reviews248 reviews
Positive42.3%
Neutral10.1%
Negative47.6%

Edves

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Edves

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

Edves

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Jolly Phonics free?
Jolly Phonics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Edves free?
Edves is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Jolly Phonics or Edves?
Edves is rated higher. Jolly Phonics averages 4.4 out of 5 from 4.8K ratings, while Edves averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Jolly Phonics or Edves have ads?
Neither Jolly Phonics nor Edves shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Jolly Phonics or Edves?
Jolly Phonics ships an update every 6 weeks, and Edves monthly. Most recently, Jolly Phonics was updated on November 12, 2026 and Edves on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons