Spelling Bee vs The Phonics App
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Spelling Bee
Enhance your spelling skills with interactive exercises and fun quizzes. Track your progress, master challenging words with spaced repetition, and create multiple profiles for family or class learning.
- Interactive spelling exercises
- Progress monitoring
- Spaced repetition learning
- Multiple user profiles
- Vocabulary boost
Read full descriptionHide full description
Welcome to Beezone, your ultimate spelling coach that makes learning both fun and engaging! Beezone is a groundbreaking app designed to help individuals of all ages enhance their spelling skills through a series of short, interactive exercises. Our unique learning approach turns your spelling practice into an enjoyable game, taking the monotony out of learning. Progress With Beezone, you can monitor your progress over time, providing you with a clear picture of your spelling improvements. The app offers a complete overview of the words you've mastered and the ones you're currently working on, enabling you to concentrate on areas that need more practice. Spaced Repetition Our smart software remembers the words you've struggled with and uses a technique called spaced repetition to test you. This scientifically-backed method boosts memory retention, ensuring you conquer even the most challenging words. Profiles Beezone also allows you to add up to 4 profiles, making it perfect for families or classes who want to learn together. Each profile maintains its own progress report, so everyone can learn at their own pace. Join the fun with Beezone and transform your spelling skills today! Turn learning into a fun and rewarding experience. Download Beezone now and start your journey to becoming a spelling champion! Terms of Use: https://prasannag.notion.site/Terms-of-Use-42039e69fda94d998ae242e4c026a5fc
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
Spelling Bee and The Phonics App both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 93% of The Phonics App's written reviews are positive against 41% of Spelling Bee's. The Phonics App also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Spelling Bee's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and ratings volume (791 vs 231). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Spelling Bee sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and The Phonics App sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Spelling Bee against 4.6 for The Phonics App. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 791 and 231 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 41% of Spelling Bee's written reviews are positive against 93% of The Phonics App's.
Spelling Bee ships an update weekly, The Phonics App monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Spelling Bee | The Phonics App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (791 ratings) | 4.6 (231 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 41.5% of reviews | 92.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 791 — better | 231 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 131 MB | 248 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Metronome Software Pty Ltd | Phonics Folk Ltd |
Customer experience
Spelling Bee
The Phonics App
User reviews
Spelling Bee
From 791 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 User-friendly and intuitive interface
- 🎯 Multiple interactive exercise types for reinforced learning
- 🎤 Clear, unaccented voice pronunciation
- 🔧 Customizable word lists and exercise selection
- 👨👩👧👦 Multiple child profiles with individual progression tracking
Room to improve
- 🐛 AI voice glitching or mispronouncing words
- 🐛 App freezing and crashing
- 🐛 Custom word lists cannot be edited after creation
- 🐛 Letters disappearing during gameplay
- 😕 Confusing level progression organization
The Phonics App
From 231 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and to the point
- 👍 Great for teaching phonics sounds
- 👍 Helps children learn to read CVC words
- 👍 Effective for year 1 screening
- 👍 Builds reading confidence
Room to improve
- 🐛 Pronunciation issues with vowels 'o' and 'u' (American English)
- 🐛 Schwa pronunciation for some letters (e.g., 'g')
- 🐛 Some sounds differ from school curriculum
- 💰 Subscription model is a disappointment for some
Bugs and requests
Spelling Bee
Reported bugs
10 issues- AI voice mispronounces certain words (e.g., 'wolves')
- App freezes during gameplay
- Level button doesn't display but remains clickable
- Custom word lists disappear or become inaccessible
- Cannot create additional child profiles
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Level 2 locked despite completing Level 1
- Letters delete during cube exercises requiring restart
- Account access denied after subscription payment
- Forced progression to next exercise set without exit option
- Asks for review before first use
Requested features
10 requests- Return to Main Menu button after completing exercises
- Exit button to cancel exercises without saving progress
- Words used in sentences for context and definition
- Varied praise responses with different pitches
- Disable microphone option
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Display which levels correspond to school grades
- Show estimated time to complete each level
- Lower lifetime subscription pricing
- Edit custom word lists after creation
- Clearer button organization and navigation
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
Spelling Bee
- Premium Monthly2 variants$9.991 Month
- Premium Weekly3 Days trial$9.997 Days
- Premium Yearly$27.991 Year
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Annual3 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Premium Yearly3 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Lifetime$59.99
The Phonics App
- Access Everything Monthly$4.991 Month
- Access Everything Quarterly$12.993 Months
- Access Everything Yearly$29.991 Year
Questions
Is Spelling Bee free?
Is The Phonics App free?
Which has better reviews, Spelling Bee or The Phonics App?
Do Spelling Bee or The Phonics App have ads?
Which is updated more often, Spelling Bee or The Phonics App?
Other comparisons















