Comparison

Magic Phonics vs The Phonics App

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

Head to head
About

Magic Phonics

Read full description

This app works with "Magic Phonics", an educative tool made of connected wooden blocks. Magic Phonics introduces grapheme-phoneme correspondence leading to reading skills. The learning process is based on the official UK curriculum and the app has been developed with education experts. It can be used with native and non-native children to learn reading in English. This app contains: - 18 sequences to learn phonics step by step - 150 words to work with - Learning activities to develop phonemic awareness, enrich vocabulary, build the fundamentals of writing and reading.

About

The Phonics App

This app teaches reading through phonics, focusing on sounds and blending words. It offers a research-led, non-addictive approach with expert guidance and informal checks to reinforce learning. Learn to decode nearly every English word with a focus on clear pronunciation.

Highlights
  • Learn a-z sounds and word blending
  • Expert video guidance
  • Simple tap-to-hear sound interface
  • Learn English sound pronunciation
  • Practice with 400+ words
  • Learn irregular (tricky) words
  • Informal learning checks
Features
Read full description

This multi-award-winning phonics app can help absolutely anyone learn to read. Join thousands of people around the world learning to read with The Phonics App! "We loved The Phonics App, as it has been specifically designed NOT to be addictive, and doesn't rely on dopamine hits for kids' rewards." - MadeForMums Tech Awards 2025 Editor's Choice. "A beautifully designed, calm, and research-led approach to early literacy that stands out in a market dominated by highly gamified products" - Digital Education Awards 2025 Highly Commended The Phonics App Features: * Learn the a-z sounds and how to blend 2 and 3 letter words completely free. * Subscribe to learn all the other sounds and practise with 400+ words. * ⁠⁠Video guidance from an expert phonics teacher every step of the way. * Beautifully simple - just tap the words to hear the sounds they're made of. * Learn how to pronounce all of the sounds of English (with an English accent). * ⁠Build up your knowledge of phonics, one sound at a time. * ⁠Learn how to read and understand common irregular (tricky) words. * ⁠Informal checks at the end of each section to reinforce your learning. * ⁠Learn both lower case and capital letters. * Learn to decode nearly every English word. * No collectibles, coins or dopamine rewards! Why did we make this app? Jonny is a father of two and started making this app to teach his kids to read. It worked really well, so he showed it to Miss Mabel (founder of Reading Roots, community of 750k parents and teachers learning phonics) to see if it would be useful to other people. She said yes, and had a lot of ideas how to make it better! So they spent AGES making 'The Phonics App', and now it's finally ready for you. We hope it helps you learn to read too! Miss Mabel & Jonny Subscriptions in this app follow standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA) which you can read here: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

The Phonics App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Magic Phonics at none against The Phonics App's 3. Magic Phonics also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). The Phonics App's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads 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. The Phonics App sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Magic Phonics asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Magic Phonics ships an update every 8 days, The Phonics App monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Magic Phonics versus The Phonics App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagic PhonicsThe Phonics App
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (100 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—91.7% of reviews
Number of ratings—100 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size192 MB248 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHeutink Primair Onderwijs BVPhonics Folk Ltd

In-app purchases

None

Magic Phonics

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

The Phonics App

Subscriptions3
  • Access Everything Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Access Everything Quarterly$12.993 Months
  • Access Everything Yearly$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Magic Phonics free?
Magic Phonics is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Phonics App free?
The Phonics App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Magic Phonics or The Phonics App have ads?
Neither Magic Phonics nor The Phonics App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Magic Phonics or The Phonics App?
Magic Phonics ships an update every 8 days, and The Phonics App monthly. Most recently, Magic Phonics was updated on September 12, 2026 and The Phonics App on September 26, 2026.

Other comparisons