Comparison

Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite vs Bookshare Reader

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

Head to head
About

Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite

Features
Read full description

"Learn to Read, Write and Spell" app is designed for the IOS platform iPad Users and made for "Made For Ages 5 and Above". This iPAD app teaches advanced reading and spelling skills to adults, adolescents and children, who * Are non-readers, or are reading below their expected level * Know many sight words but cannot decode or encode new words * Are learning disabled - LD * Have an attention deficit disorder - ADD/HD This iPAD app is Recommended for: * Public/private schools (resource rooms, special education classes, ESL programs) * Libraries /literacy centers * Home computers - Home schooling * Correctional, rehabilitation, youth detention centers and vocational facilities * Community colleges (LD resource centers) This multisensory reading, spelling and penmanship program builds an association between symbols and sounds in the English language through self-paced repetition. It utilizes the close association of visual, auditory and kinesthetic elements to help students improve their language skills. The beginning of the iPAD app assumes the student does not know the letters of the alphabet. The app then proceeds to teach all the skills one needs to read on a sixth grade level. This INTERACTIVE iPAD app uses graphics as a vehicle to teach: The sound & key word for each letter of the alphabet * Blending letters to form words * Reading Lessons * Writing Lessons * Spelling Skills * Language Skills * Dictionary Skills Extensive practice in reading, spelling and penmanship throughout the app Specific language skills taught include suffixes, prefixes, the six syllable types, consonant digraphs and blends, diphthongs, singular and plural nouns, apostrophe and contractions, punctuation, exceptional words (words to be memorized), sentence and paragraph structure, etc. Students and teachers can move to different lessons/modules in the program by utilizing the progress report. They can click on the "DOWN ARROW" after the short introduction. This will take them to a progress report. The names of the modules, in the program, are located on the left side of the screen (letter, reading, spelling, writing, language and dictionary lessons). When you "click" them, the voice will identify the name of the module. Next to each module are numbered buttons. These numbers correspond to the numbered lessons in the table of contents in the manual. One may click on the numbered button and go right to the lesson of their choice. Teachers can decide if they wish to have a student follow the sequence, as it is presented on the program, or may decide to use the program to reinforce a particular reading skill which was just introduced in class. The FREE version of "Learn to Read, Write and Spell" iPAD app contains the Introduction, History of English and First Lesson of each module.

About

Bookshare Reader

Access a vast library of ebooks designed for individuals with reading barriers. Enjoy high-quality audio narration and customize your reading experience with adjustable fonts, colors, and speeds. Continue reading seamlessly from where you left off.

Highlights
  • Access millions of ebooks
  • High-quality audio narration
  • Customizable reading experience
  • Adjustable font size and colors
  • Follow along with highlighted text
  • Offline reading
Features
Read full description

Get the official Bookshare Reader app. Access millions of ebooks from Bookshare, the world's largest library of ebooks for people with reading barriers like dyslexia, blindness, low vision, and physical disabilities. Listen to books in high quality audio and customize your reading experience in ways that work for you. Read bestsellers, new releases, textbooks and educational books, children’s books, young adult, mysteries, biographies, and more. Read your way with these customizable features: • Listen to books in high quality audio • Adjust reading speed, font size, and colors • Follow along with highlighted text • Navigate by page and chapter • Stop reading and pick up from your last spot • Download books and read offline To use Bookshare Reader, you must have a Bookshare membership. Learn more by visiting the Bookshare website.

Screenshots

Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite1 screens
Bookshare Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Bookshare Reader at every 3 weeks against Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite's every 32 months. Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite ships an update every 32 months, Bookshare Reader every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite versus Bookshare Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLearn to ReadWriteSpell LiteBookshare Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.3 (68 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—35.7% of reviews
Number of ratings—68 — better
Update frequencyEvery 32 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size586 MB81 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRogers Center for LearningBenetech

Bugs and requests

Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Bookshare Reader

Reported bugs

42 issues
  • Prolonged pauses in text-to-speech
  • Library not syncing across devices
  • Reading lists not syncing
  • Reading progress not saved across devices
  • Manga stuck on copyright page
Show 37 more
  • Pages disappear during reading
  • Trouble downloading books
  • Frequent app crashes
  • App won't load books
  • App shuts down when typing
  • App crashing repeatedly
  • Books disappearing from library
  • Cannot download added books
  • Search tab closes the app
  • Poor VoiceOver compatibility
  • App crashes on any click
  • Text-to-speech voice change kicks user out
  • Copyright issues preventing audio playback
  • Download errors
  • Playback stops when screen is locked
  • Clunky user interface
  • Picture books not displaying images
  • Unable to play videos from other sources
  • Form controls not coded correctly for VoiceOver
  • Cannot delete searched titles from library
  • App requires screen to be on for reading
  • Blank screen after orientation change
  • Too many bugs and crashes
  • Next chapter fails to load
  • Blank white page after pausing and resuming
  • Table of Contents only shows first few chapters
  • App displays as phone screen on iPad
  • Cannot access reading lists
  • Synthesized speech has limited control
  • Speech randomly cuts off
  • Reading stops if phone ringer is off
  • Pause/Play restarts from chapter beginning
  • Text-to-speech voices do not indicate language
  • Voice selection process is cumbersome
  • No functional stop and start button
  • Limited speaking speed options
  • Paragraph by paragraph reading limitation

Requested features

38 requests
  • Fix prolonged pauses in text-to-speech
  • Sync library across devices
  • Sync reading lists across devices
  • Save reading progress across devices
  • Fix manga page navigation
Show 33 more
  • Fix disappearing pages bug
  • Improve book download reliability
  • Fix app crashes
  • Fix app shutdown when typing
  • Improve VoiceOver compatibility
  • Allow adjustment of speaking rate by specific value
  • Make reading lists accessible
  • Add highlighting for textbooks
  • Improve navigation of Contents menu
  • Highlight current location in Contents menu
  • Include missing video content in textbooks
  • Fix copyright issues for audio playback
  • Allow background playback
  • Add ability to listen to human-narrated audiobooks
  • Add 'Read Now' for periodicals
  • Add VoiceOver gestures for page turning
  • Add percentage of reading completed on mobile devices
  • Make downloaded books tab default on opening app
  • Fix inability to delete searched titles
  • Add 'where am I' feature (page/percentage)
  • Fix blank screen after orientation change
  • Make app accessible for students without teacher assignment
  • Fix next chapter loading issue
  • Fix blank white page after pause
  • Fix incomplete Table of Contents
  • Improve app scaling on iPad
  • Fix inability to access reading lists
  • Allow users to choose which word reader begins reading
  • Fix paragraph by paragraph reading limitation
  • Indicate language for text-to-speech voices
  • Improve voice selection process
  • Add functional stop and start button
  • Increase speed options for text-to-speech

In-app purchases

None

Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite

No in-app purchases

None

Bookshare Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite free?
Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bookshare Reader free?
Bookshare Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite or Bookshare Reader have ads?
Neither Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite nor Bookshare Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite or Bookshare Reader?
Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite ships an update every 32 months, and Bookshare Reader every 3 weeks. Most recently, Learn to ReadWriteSpell Lite was updated on October 30, 2026 and Bookshare Reader on October 24, 2026.

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