Comparison

Shape Coding Lite vs Monster Spelling Piano

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

Head to head
About

Shape Coding Lite

This app uses a visual coding system to help children and young people with language disorders improve sentence structure and grammar. It employs colors, arrows, lines, and shapes to represent word classes, tense, and sentence structure, aiding in understanding and producing English sentences.

Highlights
  • Visual coding system for grammar
  • Color-coded word classes
  • Arrow indicators for tense
  • Line indicators for plurality
  • Shape indicators for syntax
  • Text-to-speech functionality
Read full description

SHAPE CODING® Lite is a free demonstration version of the full SHAPE CODING® app. This is designed for teachers and speech and language therapists / pathologists to use with children and young people who are having difficulties producing and understanding English sentence structure and grammar. As with the full SHAPE CODING® app, it uses the SHAPE CODING® system which has been shown in several research projects to help children and young people with language disorders increase the length and complexity of sentences they can understand and use and improve the accuracy of their sentence production. The SHAPE CODING® Lite app has less functionality and flexibility than the full SHAPE CODING® app but can be used to form simple sentences. The SHAPE CODING® system uses a visual coding system to show the rules for how words are put together in sentences, to develop the child’s understanding of spoken and written grammar and to develop their ability to use grammar successfully to express themselves. The system includes use of colours (word classes), arrows (tense and aspect) , lines (singular and plural) and shapes (syntactic structure). These are all included in the app (although not all are enabled in the Lite version), but the professional controlling the app can choose which features display for the student, so that it is personalised to their current levels and targets. Settings are preserved for the student between uses. The Lite app allows only a single teacher and student, but the full version can have multiple teachers and students. The SHAPE CODING® Lite app is equipped with a basic set of words which can be inserted into those shapes which are enabled to make simple sentences. A much wider range of shape options are enabled in the full version than the Lite version, so more grammatical rules can be taught and more complex sentences created. The app uses text-to-speech, so that students who struggle to read can also use the app. This app assumes a certain degree of familiarity with the SHAPE CODING system. For more information see www.shapecoding.com. Training on how to use the SHAPE CODING(R) system is available from https://training.moorhouseinstitute.co.uk/. For a demonstration of the features of the full version of the app (some of which are also enabled in the Lite version), see: https://shapecoding.com/demo-videos/, and for Frequently Asked Questions see: https://shapecoding.com/app-info/faqs/ Follow us on Twitter @ShapeCoding, Facebook @ShapeCoding and Instagram @shape_coding or if you have any problems or feedback, please contact us at training@moorhouseschool.co.uk Please review our privacy policy https://shapecoding.com/privacy-policy-apple/

About

Monster Spelling Piano

This app makes learning letters and sounds engaging for children through fun characters and visual aids. It helps develop phonemic awareness and master grapheme-to-phoneme correspondences, supporting neurodiverse learners.

Highlights
  • IPA Phonemies and Speech Sound Monsters
  • Code Mapping® for grapheme clarification
  • Visual aids like highlights and split digraphs
  • Over 100 high-frequency irregular words
  • Supports children with ADHD, autism, and dyslexia
  • Multi-sensory Speech Sound Mapping approach
Features
Read full description

The Monster Spelling Piano app is designed to make learning 'letters and sounds' fun and easy for children. With the IPA Phonemies, fun Speech Sound Monster characters, and Code Mapping® to clarify graphemes, the app offers visual enhancements such as black/white highlights and split digraphs in blue for improved understanding. It also includes over 100 high-frequency 'irregular' words to help children confidently navigate English orthography. Ideal for neurodiverse classrooms, The Monster Spelling Piano app is widely used by speech therapists and educators who follow the Speech Sound Pics Approach and use Speech Sound Play to develop Phonemic Awareness Mastery. It supports children with ADHD, autism, and dyslexia through its engaging, multi-sensory Speech Sound Mapping approach to securing core grapheme-to-phoneme correspondences (GPCs). For more details, see our Privacy Policy and EULA. https://mappedwords.com/privacy

Screenshots

Shape Coding Lite4 screens
Monster Spelling Piano4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Monster Spelling Piano at 100% against Shape Coding Lite's 0%. Shape Coding Lite's advantage is price (Free vs $14.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Shape Coding Lite is free to download; Monster Spelling Piano costs $14.99 up front. Monster Spelling Piano sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. Shape Coding Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shape Coding Lite ships an update every 7 months, Monster Spelling Piano every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 4 level
Shape Coding Lite versus Monster Spelling Piano: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShape Coding LiteMonster Spelling Piano
PriceFree — better$14.99
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.4
Further details — not scored
Size357 MB105 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMoor House School & CollegeEdCode Ltd

Customer experience

Shape Coding Lite

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative75.0%

Monster Spelling Piano

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Shape Coding Lite

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Monster Spelling Piano

Subscriptions1
  • Monster Spelling Piano App$4.991 Year

Questions

Is Shape Coding Lite free?
Shape Coding Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Monster Spelling Piano free?
Monster Spelling Piano costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Do Shape Coding Lite or Monster Spelling Piano have ads?
Neither Shape Coding Lite nor Monster Spelling Piano shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shape Coding Lite or Monster Spelling Piano?
Shape Coding Lite ships an update every 7 months, and Monster Spelling Piano every 4 months. Most recently, Shape Coding Lite was updated on September 26, 2026 and Monster Spelling Piano on October 8, 2026.

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