Comparison

Kumon Audio 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

Kumon Audio

This app provides audio content for students enrolled in Kumon English programs in Europe and Africa. It supports the development of vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension through listening exercises.

Highlights
  • Audio content for EFL students
  • Supports vocabulary development
  • Enhances grammar skills
  • Improves reading comprehension
  • Pronunciation practice
  • Word recognition support
Features
Read full description

This app is designed for Kumon students in Europe and Africa enrolled in one of the Kumon English programmes. Audio content is an integral part of the Kumon English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Programme. Listening to the English audio while following the content of the worksheets and textbooks helps to develop students’ vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension skills. Audio content is also available for the early levels of the Kumon English Programme for native speakers, as additional support for the development of students’ word recognition, pronunciation and vocabulary, which are important foundations for their learning journey to an advanced level of comprehension and critical reading skills. If you are not yet a Kumon student, find your nearest centre here: www.kumon.org

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

Kumon Audio4 screens
The Phonics App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: The Phonics App at 93% against Kumon Audio's 0%. The Phonics App also leads on rating (4.6 vs 2.3) and update cadence (monthly vs every 7 months). Kumon Audio's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). 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. The Phonics App sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Kumon Audio asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Phonics App holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Phonics App has 233 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Kumon Audio's written reviews are positive against 93% of The Phonics App's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kumon Audio ships an update every 7 months, The Phonics App monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Kumon Audio versus The Phonics App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKumon AudioThe Phonics App
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.3 (16 ratings)4.6 (233 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews92.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16233 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB248 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKumon Europe & Africa LimitedPhonics Folk Ltd

Customer experience

Kumon Audio

All ratings8 ratings
Positive12.5%
Neutral25.0%
Negative62.5%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

The Phonics App

All ratings100 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive92.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.5%

Bugs and requests

Kumon Audio

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

The Phonics App

Requested features

3 requests
  • Option to open pictures for letter sounds
  • Accent options for narration (e.g., American English)
  • Offer app in Mandarin

In-app purchases

None

Kumon Audio

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 Kumon Audio free?
Kumon Audio 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.
Which has better reviews, Kumon Audio or The Phonics App?
The Phonics App is rated higher. Kumon Audio averages 2.3 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while The Phonics App averages 4.6 from 233 ratings.
Do Kumon Audio or The Phonics App have ads?
Neither Kumon Audio nor The Phonics App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kumon Audio or The Phonics App?
Kumon Audio ships an update every 7 months, and The Phonics App monthly. Most recently, Kumon Audio was updated on November 3, 2026 and The Phonics App on November 8, 2026.

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