Comparison

MDS Phonics vs Snap Spell

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

Head to head
About

MDS Phonics

Features
Read full description

Are you parenting a young English learner? Have you tried phonics? We all know that little kids usually get bored when it comes to studying a foreign language. Have you thought of giving up? Yeah, it IS tough! What many people don’t know is that learning phonics provides a solid foundation for your kids to keep learning English. The question is “How to grab their attention?” Like you, we as parents have struggled to make our kids and students learn phonics effectively. You are all too familiar with the frustration and difficulty of this task. The best way that we have found to tackle this problem is by playing simple, fun and engaging games. In addition, we have put together a set of textbooks, workbooks and cards within this app to reinforce the many different ways of learning English. We passionately designed this with the textbook and workbook audio tracks inside the app so that students can study and play all in one place. All the games are directly connected to the 28 units from the textbooks, which can be used in a 41 lesson yearly program. Everything you could want and need in the convenience of one place. We hope from the bottom of our hearts that your kids can enjoy and want to learn English more and more! It doesn’t have to hard anymore, but fun.

About

Snap Spell

Easily create custom spelling practice lists from photos, text, or typed words. Hear words read aloud with adjustable speed and accent options. Track progress and organize lists for focused learning.

Highlights
  • Scan word lists from photos or text
  • Create custom practice lists
  • Read words aloud with adjustable speed
  • Track mastered and challenging words
  • Organize lists by week or profile
  • Supports various English accents
Features
Read full description

Snap Spell turns real school spelling lists into read-aloud practice for home, classroom, tutoring, and ESL/EFL study. Scan a printed word list, import a photo or screenshot, paste text, or type your own words. Review the list before saving, fix recognition mistakes, then practice with the exact words students need for weekly spelling work, spelling tests, homework, or spelling bee prep. Snap Spell helps you spend less time reading and rewriting spelling lists, and more time practicing the words that still need work. Use it to: • Turn school word lists, photos, screenshots, or pasted text into clean practice lists • Let students hear tricky words aloud instead of relying on a parent's pronunciation • Practice together or independently without memorizing the word order • See which words still need attention and which are already mastered • Keep practice organized across weekly lists, family profiles, PDFs, and iCloud backup Snap Spell keeps your school's spelling exactly as written, including spellings such as color, favorite, center, or harbor. It works well for weekly school lists, custom practice lists, spelling tests, spelling bee prep, ESL/EFL families, teachers, tutors, and parents who want a simple way to turn real words into focused practice. Pronunciation can be one of the hardest parts of spelling practice. Snap Spell can read words aloud using Apple speech voices, lets you choose available English voices and accents, and supports reading speed adjustments for clearer practice. Snap Spell is not an official spelling bee app, a complete English course, a translation tool, or a general document reader. It is a focused spelling practice tool for real word lists students need to learn. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MDS Phonics4 screens
Snap Spell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MDS Phonics at none against Snap Spell's 3. MDS Phonics also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.0). Snap Spell's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months). On price 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. Snap Spell sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. MDS Phonics asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MDS Phonics ships an update every 3 months, Snap Spell every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
MDS Phonics versus Snap Spell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMDS PhonicsSnap Spell
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 days — better
Ads—Yes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS11.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size354 MB34 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMaykon MarcidelliZheng Xu

In-app purchases

None

MDS Phonics

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Snap Spell

Subscriptions2
  • Snap Spell Pro Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Snap Spell Pro Yearly3 Days trial$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Snap Spell Pro Lifetime$8.99

Questions

Is MDS Phonics free?
MDS Phonics is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Snap Spell free?
Snap Spell is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which is updated more often, MDS Phonics or Snap Spell?
MDS Phonics ships an update every 3 months, and Snap Spell every 5 days. Most recently, MDS Phonics was updated on October 5, 2026 and Snap Spell on October 8, 2026.

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