Comparison

Puppet Pals vs ABC SPELLING MAGIC

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

Head to head
About

Puppet Pals

Bring your stories to life by creating animated shows in real time. Choose actors and backdrops, then record your movements and voice to produce unique performances. Unleash your creativity with endless storytelling possibilities.

Highlights
  • Real-time animation recording
  • Create actors from photos
  • Use photos as backdrops
  • Zoom and rotate characters
  • Downloadable creative characters
  • Director's Pass for all content
Read full description

Create your own animated shows in real time! Pick your actors and backdrops, drag them onto the stage, and tap record. Your movements and voice are captured live, ready to play back, save, and watch again. Act out a pirate adventure on the high seas, a spooky monster showdown, or a Wild West escape — and mix any characters and scenes however you like. Your shows are only limited by your imagination. FREE FEATURES - A stage full of characters and backdrops to perform with - Turn a photo into a character or a backdrop - Record shows with live animation and audio - Zoom, rotate, and flip characters as you perform - Save shows and watch them anytime CREATIVE CLUB (optional subscription) Join the Creative Club to unlock the full show: - Imagine any character or backdrop, describe it, and watch AI bring it to life - Every character and scene pack included - Record shows up to 10 minutes long - Draw your own characters and backdrops - Export your shows as videos - Widescreen stage and full control over the end-of-show outro Choose your plan, monthly or annual: - Essentials — includes 40 AI creations per month - Unlimited — includes up to 1,000 AI creations per month SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your App Store account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://www.polishedplay.com/puppetpals1/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Puppet Pals is fully usable without a subscription — the Creative Club just adds more magic.

About

ABC SPELLING MAGIC

This educational app helps children learn to spell CVC words using the principles of the Science of Reading. It focuses on letter sounds and word construction with two levels of challenge, aiding early literacy development.

Highlights
  • Teaches letter sounds
  • Word construction with CVC words
  • Two levels of challenge
  • Incorporates Science of Reading principles
  • Montessori-inspired learning
  • Customizable voice and font options (DELUXE)
Read full description

Introducing ABC Spelling Magic, where learning to spell is fun and engaging! ABC SPELLING MAGIC incorporates the main principles of the Science of Reading. This app is designed to teach children the sounds of the letters and how to construct words, aligning with the science of reading. With two levels of challenge, it indirectly imparts the essential reading skill of segmenting while focusing on the skill of learning to spell words with three phonetic sounds using short vowel words. Incorporating the science of reading, the app's comprehensive approach is tailored to assist children in learning the sounds of the alphabet and honing their blending and segmenting skills, essential for early literacy development based on the science of reading. SPELLING MAGIC 1 focuses on CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, such as cat, box, and pig, which are fundamental for phonics instruction based on the science of reading. The app categorizes words by middle vowel sounds in the first part and by categories in the second part, offering a well-rounded approach to phonics and word construction, rooted in the principles of the science of reading. The DELUXE version provides 245 words and offers a variety of options in the menu, including two types of voices, three types of fonts, two letter color styles, a special feature to connect the letters together, and over 185 additional words from the free version, enhancing the learning experience based on the principles of the science of reading. Developed by a team of educators utilizing accelerated learning techniques and Montessori principles, this app has been tested and approved by preschoolers, aligning with the science of reading and providing an enjoyable and beneficial experience in learning letter sounds. We welcome your feedback and suggestions as we strive to provide an enriching educational experience for young learners, rooted in the science of reading.

Screenshots

Puppet Pals4 screens
ABC SPELLING MAGIC4 screens

Verdict

The call

Puppet Pals and ABC SPELLING MAGIC both sit at 3.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 94% of ABC SPELLING MAGIC's written reviews are positive against 71% of Puppet Pals's. ABC SPELLING MAGIC also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 6 months) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Puppet Pals sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and ABC SPELLING MAGIC sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.8 for Puppet Pals against 3.8 for ABC SPELLING MAGIC. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 53 and 42 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Puppet Pals's written reviews are positive against 94% of ABC SPELLING MAGIC's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Puppet Pals ships an update every 6 months, ABC SPELLING MAGIC every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Puppet Pals versus ABC SPELLING MAGIC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPuppet PalsABC SPELLING MAGIC
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (53 ratings)3.8 (42 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.9% of reviews94.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings53 — better42
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.012.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB132 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPolished Play, LLCPRESCHOOL UNIVERSITY

Customer experience

Puppet Pals

All ratings53 ratings
Positive69.8%
Neutral7.5%
Negative22.6%
Written reviews213 reviews
Positive70.9%
Neutral7.5%
Negative21.6%

ABC SPELLING MAGIC

All ratings42 ratings
Positive69.0%
Neutral11.9%
Negative19.0%
Written reviews52 reviews
Positive94.2%
Neutral3.8%
Negative1.9%

User reviews

Puppet Pals

From 53 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Great app for classrooms and education
  • 🤩 Lots of fun and creativity
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 💯 Awesome for making videos and animations
  • 🎨 Ability to use own photos and characters

Room to improve

  • 💰 Many features require paid upgrade
  • 🤬 Frustrating that you can't use own characters without paying
  • 🐛 Bugs with exporting and saving videos
  • 🙄 Limited free content

ABC SPELLING MAGIC

From 42 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for learning basic CVC words
  • 👍 Helps build and spell words
  • 👍 Good introduction to phonics
  • 👍 Focuses on spelling and building CVC words
  • 👍 Teaches letter sounds effectively

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Letters won't move for spelling
  • 🇺🇸 American accent only
  • 🤔 Vowels in blue, consonants in red is confusing
  • 🖼️ Pictures can be misleading
  • 🎨 Interface could be more attractive

Bugs and requests

Puppet Pals

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when trying to export videos
  • Saved videos not playing back properly
  • Issues with using own photos and characters

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more characters, backgrounds, and themes
  • Allow exporting and sharing of videos
  • Improve video editing and recording features
  • Add sound effects and background music options

ABC SPELLING MAGIC

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Letters will not move to be dragged into place
  • Screen freezing

Requested features

8 requests
  • Ability to hear the full word, slowly articulated
  • Option for English accent
  • Vowels in red and consonants in blue
  • More advanced content
  • Animated graphics for interactivity
Show 3 more
  • Option to pick letters from the full alphabet
  • Improve sound quality
  • Improve graphics and sounds

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Puppet Pals

One-time10
  • Wild West$0.99
  • Political Par-tay$0.99
  • Monsters$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Talk Shows$0.99
  • Pirates$0.99
  • Fairytale$0.99
  • Zombie Attack$0.99
  • On the Farm$0.99
  • Christmas$0.99
  • Director's Pass$3.99
1 purchases

ABC SPELLING MAGIC

One-time1
  • Deluxe Upgrade$1.99

Questions

Is Puppet Pals free?
Puppet Pals is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ABC SPELLING MAGIC free?
ABC SPELLING MAGIC is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Puppet Pals or ABC SPELLING MAGIC?
ABC SPELLING MAGIC is rated higher. Puppet Pals averages 3.8 out of 5 from 53 ratings, while ABC SPELLING MAGIC averages 3.8 from 42 ratings.
Do Puppet Pals or ABC SPELLING MAGIC have ads?
Neither Puppet Pals nor ABC SPELLING MAGIC shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Puppet Pals or ABC SPELLING MAGIC?
Puppet Pals ships an update every 6 months, and ABC SPELLING MAGIC every 6 weeks. Most recently, Puppet Pals was updated on November 1, 2026 and ABC SPELLING MAGIC on October 23, 2026.

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