Comparison

P21 vs Smart Phonics 3rd 1

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

Head to head
About

P21

This educational app supports a four-level phonics series for young learners. It offers audio tracks, videos, flashcards, and games to help children build foundational skills in phonological awareness, reading, and spelling.

Highlights
  • Audio tracks from student books
  • Educational videos
  • Keyword flashcards
  • Phonics games
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

P21 is a four-level phonics series for young learners. With the P21 App, you can listen to audio tracks from the P21 student books, watch videos in each unit, review keywords with flashcards, and play interesting phonics games. It contains all of the resources you need when learning phonics using the P21 series. Through the P21 series, children are able to build solid foundations in phonological awareness, oral language, phonics, reading, and spelling. The Alphabet, Short Vowels and Special Letters, Long Vowels and Blends, and Controlled Vowels and Digraphs are covered in the series. With P21 and the P21 App, your 21st century kids will become experts in the sounds of English.

About

Smart Phonics 3rd 1

This app makes learning phonics engaging and accessible through a variety of interactive materials. It offers AI-powered speaking practice, animated songs and stories, and a collection of games and flashcards to build essential English literacy skills.

Highlights
  • AI-powered phonics speaking practice
  • Animated chants, songs, and stories
  • Flashcards and practice games
  • Class audio files
  • QR code download
Features
Read full description

Smart Phonics series now in its third edition! Smart Phonics is a five-level series designed to make phonics fun and easy to learn. Students establish key skills that allow them to prepare for the greater world of English education. To ensure a diverse and communicative learning environment, Smart Phonics provides students with a wide variety of materials. Songs, chants, stories, animations, games, and a newly added phonics AI app keep students engaged and invested in their studies. Features 1. Phonics speaking practice assessed by AI Andi 2. Class audio files found in one easy-to-use location 3. Chant, song, and story animations for easy replay 4. Flashcards, practice activities, and games for phonics practice Easy download via QR code!

Screenshots

P214 screens
Smart Phonics 3rd 14 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: P21 at 5.0 against Smart Phonics 3rd 1's 2.0. Smart Phonics 3rd 1's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

P21 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

P21 ships an update every 6 weeks, Smart Phonics 3rd 1 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
P21 versus Smart Phonics 3rd 1: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterP21Smart Phonics 3rd 1
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better2.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—5.7% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS11.011.0
Further details — not scored
Size226 MB1.6 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCAVES BOOKS LTD.e-future Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

P21

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

Smart Phonics 3rd 1

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive5.7%
Neutral2.9%
Negative91.4%

In-app purchases

None

P21

No in-app purchases

None

Smart Phonics 3rd 1

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is P21 free?
P21 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smart Phonics 3rd 1 free?
Smart Phonics 3rd 1 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, P21 or Smart Phonics 3rd 1?
P21 is rated higher. P21 averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Smart Phonics 3rd 1 averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.
Do P21 or Smart Phonics 3rd 1 have ads?
Neither P21 nor Smart Phonics 3rd 1 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, P21 or Smart Phonics 3rd 1?
P21 ships an update every 6 weeks, and Smart Phonics 3rd 1 every 2 weeks. Most recently, P21 was updated on September 28, 2026 and Smart Phonics 3rd 1 on October 17, 2026.

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