Comparison

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting vs Story Time

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

Head to head
About

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

This app helps young learners develop essential handwriting skills by practicing letter and number formation, and shapes. It offers a fun, engaging, and prep-free experience for children, with customizable word lists and offline functionality.

Highlights
  • Letter and number formation practice
  • Shape tracing
  • Fine motor skill development
  • Customizable word lists
  • Offline functionality
  • Multi-language support
Features
Read full description

Take the hassle out of handwriting lessons with the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app! It’s a fun-filled, prep-free way to help your little learners form letters, numbers and shapes, and build those all-important fine motor skills. So, why will you love the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app? Your weekend is safe. Just set them up and watch them practice. You get back the time you’d spend prepping tracing sheets for lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers 1-100, and simple shapes. No more begging to practice! The kids are actually asking to use it. That's a win-win. From the classroom to the car. It works on any device and keeps the learning consistent, no matter where they are. It's built by people who get it. The app has been developed by expert lead teachers and senior practitioners , so you can have total confidence in its standards. Phonics panic, solved. Phase 2/3 sounds and over 100 CVC words are ready-to-go, so you have exactly what you need for your next lesson. Cater to all your learners, wherever you are in the world. The app has specific fonts and professional audio in English for the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, along with Welsh, Spanish, Arabic and Afrikaans. Stress-free screen time. The app works completely offline, so you can breathe easy knowing the kids are safe and the content is secure. Adaptable to your needs. Create your own custom word lists to personalize the experience for your learners. Full support for your teaching. The app is compatible with a great range of supporting printable resources from the Twinkl website. How to access the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app: Twinkl Ultimate members get full access to the app and all of Twinkl’s other mobile and web apps as part of your membership. If you just want app access without the wider benefits of Twinkl, you can take out an in-app subscription. Or, if you want to see how it works, you can try some of the features of the app for free in Try! Mode. Got questions? You can contact our lovely Twinkl Cares team 24/7, and you can always speak to a real human - that’s the Twinkl difference. Our Privacy Policy: https://www.twinkl.com/legal#privacy-policy Our Terms and Conditions: https://www.twinkl.com/legal#terms-and-conditions Apple Standard Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Rated 3+ by the Indonesia Game Rating System (IGRS)

About

Story Time

Features
Read full description

Story Time helps young children practice reading aloud, one word at a time. As your child reads a story page by page, each word is highlighted the moment it's recognized. When they're stuck, a gentle helper reads the word aloud and celebrates their progress along the way. No red X's, no pressure, just encouragement that keeps them turning the page. **How it works** Pick a level and a story. Choose from 4 levels with 3 original stories each, from first words to confident short chapters. Read aloud while Story Time listens and highlights each word as you go. Get unstuck with a tap. The app reads the current word aloud, or gently assists after a few tries. Finish a page or story and celebrate with a little confetti. **Track progress** A private Parent Area keeps progress for each child. See reading streaks, words read, reading time, accuracy, and tricky words. "Keep going" takes you right back to the last story you were reading. **Private by design** Everything runs on device. Nothing is sent to any server. **For parents** A quick arithmetic gate keeps little ones out of the Parent Area. Recognition settings let you tune how strict the listener is, and even try Mock Speech for a quiet demo. **Privacy & Terms** [Privacy Policy](https://lirazhad.github.io/privacy-policy/policies/story-time/) [Terms of Use (EULA)](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/)

Screenshots

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting4 screens
Story Time4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Story Time at none against Twinkl Formation & Handwriting's 2. Story Time also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Twinkl Formation & Handwriting sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month. Story Time asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting ships an update every 6 weeks, Story Time every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting versus Story Time: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTwinkl Formation & HandwritingStory Time
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (61 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews41.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings61 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size225 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTwinkl LimitedLiraz Hadad

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

Subscriptions2
  • Twinkl Monthly Subscription$0.491 Month
  • Annual Subscription$2.991 Year
None

Story Time

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Twinkl Formation & Handwriting free?
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Story Time free?
Story Time is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Twinkl Formation & Handwriting or Story Time have ads?
Neither Twinkl Formation & Handwriting nor Story Time shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Twinkl Formation & Handwriting or Story Time?
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting ships an update every 6 weeks, and Story Time every 10 days. Most recently, Twinkl Formation & Handwriting was updated on October 18, 2026 and Story Time on October 13, 2026.

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