Comparison

PocketPhonics (basic edition) vs Starfall Numbers

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

Starfall Numbers

This app uses interactive activities and songs to help children learn number recognition and counting skills. It connects numbers to real-world objects and introduces basic math concepts for early learners.

Highlights
  • Number symbol and value recognition
  • Counting activities
  • Interactive introductions for numbers 0-100
  • Coin counting and math expressions
  • 15 animated math songs
  • Closed captioning for songs
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Explore numbers through the magic of curiosity and the power of motivation: the Starfall way! With this app, your child will learn to recognize number symbols and values by connecting them to real-world objects (such as 1 sun, 5 fingers, and 10 toes). Your child will then apply these concepts with counting activities and songs! Starfall Numbers includes interactive introductions for numbers 0-20, 25, 50, and 100. Counting activities introduce coins, math symbols, and simple expressions while building counting skills from 0 to 100 in entertaining and practical ways. Your child will also enjoy singing along with 15 Starfall math songs! Counting song favorites and calendar concepts are animated playfully, with a closed caption option to display song lyrics. Each activity and song reinforces simple language and basic vocabulary, making this app an excellent choice for pre-readers, emerging readers, and English language learners alike.

Screenshots

PocketPhonics (basic edition)4 screens
Starfall Numbers4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PocketPhonics (basic edition) at 89% against Starfall Numbers's 25%. PocketPhonics (basic edition) also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.2) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 11 months). Starfall Numbers's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and chart position (#160 vs unranked). On ratings volume, 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

PocketPhonics (basic edition) costs $6.99 and Starfall Numbers $4.99 up front. PocketPhonics (basic edition) sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Starfall Numbers asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PocketPhonics (basic edition) holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 68 and 35 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of PocketPhonics (basic edition)'s written reviews are positive against 25% of Starfall Numbers's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PocketPhonics (basic edition) ships an update every 5 weeks, Starfall Numbers every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
PocketPhonics (basic edition) versus Starfall Numbers: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocketPhonics (basic edition)Starfall Numbers
Price$6.99$4.99 — better
Rating4.4 (68 ratings) — better3.2 (35 ratings)
Positive reviews88.7% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings68 — better35
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#160 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size778 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperApps in My Pocket LtdStarfall Education Foundation

Customer experience

PocketPhonics (basic edition)

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

Starfall Numbers

All ratings35 ratings
Positive51.4%
Neutral8.6%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative68.8%

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

Starfall Numbers

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

Starfall Numbers

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PocketPhonics (basic edition) free?
PocketPhonics (basic edition) costs $6.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Starfall Numbers free?
Starfall Numbers costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PocketPhonics (basic edition) or Starfall Numbers?
PocketPhonics (basic edition) is rated higher. PocketPhonics (basic edition) averages 4.4 out of 5 from 68 ratings, while Starfall Numbers averages 3.2 from 35 ratings.
Do PocketPhonics (basic edition) or Starfall Numbers have ads?
Neither PocketPhonics (basic edition) nor Starfall Numbers shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PocketPhonics (basic edition) or Starfall Numbers?
PocketPhonics (basic edition) ships an update every 5 weeks, and Starfall Numbers every 11 months. Most recently, PocketPhonics (basic edition) was updated on October 7, 2026 and Starfall Numbers on October 6, 2026.

Other comparisons