Comparison

PocketPhonics (basic edition) vs Monkey Preschool Lunchbox

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

Head to head
About

PocketPhonics (basic edition)

This app teaches young children essential early reading and writing skills, focusing on letter sounds and handwriting. It's designed to help kids master phonics and begin reading simple storybooks with interactive exercises and progress tracking.

Highlights
  • Teaches letter sounds
  • Handwriting practice
  • Word blending
  • Interactive storybooks
  • Progress monitoring
  • Audio pronunciation of words
Features
Read full description

“PocketPhonics teaches the basics of reading and writing to young kids. Most surprising? It seems to work.” 148apps.com PocketPhonics teaches kids letter sounds, first words and handwriting. It is used in hundreds of elementary schools and pre-schools, and tens of thousands of homes. It is aligned with the Common Core State Standards, and independent research (see appsinmypocket.com/research) found children learnt nine times faster using PocketPhonics compared to a classroom lesson.  "One of my children’s favorite early reading apps" New York Times “This app feels much like a private tutoring session for early readers with emphasis on letter sounds and writing.” everythingmom.com -“If you are working on phonics for your kids, this is the best application to have.” Technology in Education -“This app feels much like a private tutoring session for early readers with emphasis on letter sounds and writing.” everythingmom.com -“PocketPhonics is seriously educational and I think it’s a terrific tool for helping early readers. You can tell that a ton of thought and research was put into it and best of all, they talked and listened to teachers. It shows.” iPhoneMom.com -“When it comes to learning apps for young learners and early readers, there is no better choice than PocketPhonics." ipad-applications.neiia.com PocketPhonics is split in to 12 groups of letter sounds, each group is followed by a set of storybooks that use those letter sounds. Kids read storybooks that are on the right level for them. The phonics levels are included in the price of this "basic edition", but the storybooks cost extra. PocketPhonics Stories (full edition) includes the stories in the price. Phonics (letter sounds) help children to read by understanding the sounds that letters make. The National Reading Panel concluded that “children who have phonics instruction read better and spell better than other children”. In the first group of letter sounds, there are six sounds to master before the child will be able to read their first storybook. Most children aged 4+ start to read their first storybook within 10 weeks if they use the app for 15 mins everyday. Parents and teachers can easily monitor children’s progress online. Teachers and parents are emailed a certificate when a child completes a task. Children can tap an unfamiliar word in a story, and the app will sound out the letters to help the child understand what the word says. They can tap again to hear the actual word and see a picture that illustrates its meaning. As the child reads a story, the app tests whether they can read some of the key words. At the end of the story, it quizzes the child on all new words in that story. Children master the following skills: writing letters recognising 72 letter sounds (e.g. ‘ch’ are the letters that make the initial sound in ‘chat’) * blending letter sounds together to make words (e.g ‘ch-a-t’) * hearing a word and selecting its written form (e.g. the app says, “chat”, the child has to select ‘chat’ from a group of words) How it works * The phonics levels are included in the price. * The books are extra, but can be tried for free. $1.49 monthly and $14.49 annual subscriptions unlock access to all books for an unlimited number of children * The subscription gives you access to more books as they are added * Once subscribed, your subscription auto-renews each month or annually. However, you can easily turn auto renew off via the Settings app * Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase * Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period * Cannot cancel current subscription during its subscription period Privacy policy: http://appsinmypocket.com/privacy Terms of use: http://appsinmypocket.com/terms

About

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox

This app offers seven engaging educational games for preschoolers aged 2-5. Children help a friendly monkey pack a lunchbox by learning about colors, letters, counting, shapes, matching, and identifying differences. It provides unlimited play with positive reinforcement through animated stickers and voice recordings.

Highlights
  • 7 educational games
  • Teaches colors, letters, counting, shapes
  • Matching and difference identification
  • Lovable animated monkey guide
  • Animated sticker rewards
  • Unlimited play
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The #1 preschool game in the app store. Learn and have fun by helping monkey pack lunch! Monkey Preschool Lunchbox is a collection of seven exciting educational games for your preschooler (ages 2 to 5). *** FEATURES *** -7 different games that teach kids about colors, letters, counting, shapes, sizes, matching, and differences. -Lovable animated monkey helps kids along as they play the games. -Dozens of sounds and voice recordings of colors, letters, fruit names, and more. -Animated Stickers! Kids get sticker rewards to encourage their progress. -Designed for preschoolers -- no confusing menus or navigation. -Unlimited play! Each game flows right into the next. *** INCLUDED GAMES *** 1. COLORS. This picky monkey only likes fruit of a certain color, touch only the color they like to pack the lunchbox. Teaches colors, color names, and grouping. 2. MATCHING. Match pairs of fruit hidden behind the cards to pack lunch for this monkey. 3. COUNTING. Count off the fruit the monkey is looking for to fill up the lunchbox. Teaches numbers and counting. 4. LETTERS. This monkey only wants fruit that starts with a certain letter, pick the fruit that starts with that letter. Teaches letters and letter sounds. 5. PUZZLE. This monkey's fruit broke into pieces! How odd! Put it back together for them. Teaches shapes and pattern recognition. 6. SPOT THE DIFFERENCE. Help the monkey spot the fruit that looks different, or is a different size. Teaches patterns, bigger, and smaller. 7. SHAPES. Help the monkey find the fruit in the shapes. Contact THUP! Have some comments on our apps? We'd love to hear it! Want to find out what we're doing next? Come visit us: Email us: support@thup.com Like us: http://www.facebook.com/THUPgames Follow us: http://twitter.com/THUPGames

Screenshots

PocketPhonics (basic edition)4 screens
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Monkey Preschool Lunchbox at none against PocketPhonics (basic edition)'s 3. Monkey Preschool Lunchbox also leads on price ($1.99 vs $6.99) and chart position (#37 vs unranked). PocketPhonics (basic edition)'s advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.1) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On review sentiment, 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

PocketPhonics (basic edition) costs $6.99 and Monkey Preschool Lunchbox $1.99 up front. PocketPhonics (basic edition) sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Monkey Preschool Lunchbox asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PocketPhonics (basic edition) holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 67 and 325 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of PocketPhonics (basic edition)'s written reviews are positive against 86% of Monkey Preschool Lunchbox's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PocketPhonics (basic edition) ships an update every 5 weeks, Monkey Preschool Lunchbox every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
PocketPhonics (basic edition) versus Monkey Preschool Lunchbox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocketPhonics (basic edition)Monkey Preschool Lunchbox
Price$6.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.4 (67 ratings) — better4.1 (325 ratings)
Positive reviews88.7% of reviews — better85.6% of reviews
Number of ratings67325 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#37 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size778 MB235 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperApps in My Pocket LtdTHUP Games

Customer experience

PocketPhonics (basic edition)

All ratings68 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral4.4%
Negative7.4%
Written reviews301 reviews
Positive88.7%
Neutral3.3%
Negative8.0%

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox

All ratings324 ratings
Positive73.8%
Neutral7.4%
Negative18.8%
Written reviews299 reviews
Positive85.6%
Neutral4.0%
Negative10.4%

User reviews

PocketPhonics (basic edition)

From 67 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Engaging for kids
  • 💡 Teaches phonics and writing
  • 👍 Customizable settings
  • 👍 Helpful for speech therapy

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🤔 Confusing verification process
  • 🤔 Lack of Australian/non-US accent option
  • 🤔 Doesn't wait for child response

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox

From 325 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and engaging for kids
  • 🎓 Helps with learning colors, shapes, and numbers
  • 💰 Great value for the price
  • 🎉 Keeps kids entertained for long periods

Room to improve

  • 🔁 Repetitive gameplay
  • 🧠 Too easy for older kids
  • 🔇 Annoying monkey sounds
  • 💾 No ability to save progress

Bugs and requests

PocketPhonics (basic edition)

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incorrect answer verification
  • Sudden subscription changes
  • Login issues and account sync problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more words and practice
  • Allow custom word lists
  • Improve letter tracing accuracy feedback
  • Provide letter names along with sounds
  • Add more game-like elements

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Game freezes after extended playtime
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Difficulty levels to challenge older kids
  • More variety of mini-games
  • Option to turn off monkey sounds
  • Ability to save sticker collections

In-app purchases

3 purchases

PocketPhonics (basic edition)

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly subscription for books$1.491 Month
  • Annual subscription for books$14.491 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime subscription - books$16.99
None

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PocketPhonics (basic edition) free?
PocketPhonics (basic edition) costs $6.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Monkey Preschool Lunchbox free?
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PocketPhonics (basic edition) or Monkey Preschool Lunchbox?
PocketPhonics (basic edition) is rated higher. PocketPhonics (basic edition) averages 4.4 out of 5 from 67 ratings, while Monkey Preschool Lunchbox averages 4.1 from 325 ratings.
Do PocketPhonics (basic edition) or Monkey Preschool Lunchbox have ads?
Neither PocketPhonics (basic edition) nor Monkey Preschool Lunchbox shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PocketPhonics (basic edition) or Monkey Preschool Lunchbox?
PocketPhonics (basic edition) ships an update every 5 weeks, and Monkey Preschool Lunchbox every 3 months. Most recently, PocketPhonics (basic edition) was updated on November 13, 2026 and Monkey Preschool Lunchbox on November 13, 2026.

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