Comparison

English Benchmark vs Reading Forge

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

Head to head
About

English Benchmark

This app uses AI to automatically score English language skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. It provides detailed reports for educators and certificates for parents, making assessments engaging and stress-free for young learners.

Highlights
  • AI-powered scoring
  • Speaking, listening, reading, writing assessment
  • Detailed reports for teachers
  • Certificates for parents
  • Global Scale of English scoring
  • Engaging graphics and fun activities
Read full description

Developed by experts, English Benchmark uses sophisticated artificial intelligence to automatically score students’ abilities in speaking, listening, reading and writing. It delivers results in minutes, with detailed reports for teachers and certificates for parents. Using engaging graphics and fun activities, English Benchmark helps students feel relaxed when they take their English test, ensuring assessment doesn’t become a stressful part of life for young learners. Scored on the Global Scale of English, English Benchmark integrates with any English course and gives detailed recommendations for how to use your Pearson course to help students improve.

About

Reading Forge

Features
Read full description

Words are forged, not memorized. Reading Forge turns learning to read into a warm fantasy craft game. Your child is an apprentice smith, and every phonics skill they master lets them shape letters, sounds, and words into artifacts, tools, and stories. It's explicit, structured-literacy instruction, inspired by the Orton-Gillingham approach, built for beginning readers, kids with dyslexia, tutors, and homeschoolers. WHY FAMILIES CHOOSE IT - Decoding, not memorizing: kids build words from sounds, so they can read words they've never seen. - Multisensory: see it, hear it, say it, and write it with finger or Apple Pencil. - Calm and kind: no ads, no punishing timers, no red X's. - Works offline, on-device. Nothing about your child leaves the iPad. - Starts at the right level with a short placement trial and tracks every skill. A COMPLETE READING JOURNEY Ten regions of the Smithing Lands take kids from first letter sounds and short vowels, through digraphs, blends, magic e, vowel teams, and r-controlled vowels, all the way to syllables and word parts - roughly Pre-K through grade 4, one skill at a time. PLAY THAT TEACHES Build Words, Vowel Valley, Write It, Sound Boxes, Word Chains, and more, plus a Story Vault of decodable readers unlocked as kids progress. FOR GROWN-UPS A parental-gated Guild Office with progress reports, assignments, and a recording booth to use a familiar voice for sounds and words. FREE TO START The first regions - letters, short vowels, and blends - are free forever. A subscription unlocks the full curriculum: $4.99/month or $39.99/year, with a 7-day free trial. Subscriptions renew automatically; manage or cancel anytime in your Apple account settings. Reading Forge is inspired by the Orton-Gillingham approach to structured literacy. It is not an Orton-Gillingham certified or affiliated program. Reading Forge Full Access — auto-renewing subscription. Unlocks all 10 lands and every practice game. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://aceschools.org/reading-forge/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Reading Forge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: English Benchmark at none against Reading Forge's 2. English Benchmark also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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. Reading Forge sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. English Benchmark asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
English Benchmark versus Reading Forge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEnglish BenchmarkReading Forge
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB83 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPearson Education, Inc.Brannon Fissette

In-app purchases

None

English Benchmark

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Reading Forge

Subscriptions2
  • Full Access Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Reading Forge7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is English Benchmark free?
English Benchmark is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Reading Forge free?
Reading Forge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do English Benchmark or Reading Forge have ads?
Neither English Benchmark nor Reading Forge shows ads.

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