Comparison

Reading Machine vs Word Wizard

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

Head to head
About

Reading Machine

This educational app helps beginning and struggling readers learn new words by breaking them down into letters and sounds. It acts as a personal reading tutor, guiding users to decode unfamiliar words independently, enhancing confidence and reading enjoyment.

Highlights
  • Word decoding with phonics
  • Personalized reading tutor
  • Supports over 5,000 words
  • Text-to-speech engine
  • Book suggestions for readers
  • Full decoding support for early reader titles
Features
Read full description

Used by teachers, parents, and learners since 2010, Reading Machine is now available for free! This app for beginning and struggling readers is still 100% satisfaction guaranteed. If you have any technical issues with the app, or if the app does not meet your expectations for any reason, please email us so we can address your needs and strengthen our support for more readers and a better world. Email: diana@dianasharp.com or support@sharpcuriosity.com Reading Machine helps readers learn new words by seeing and hearing how the letters and sounds in a word go together. The app is perfect for times when readers can’t or don’t want to ask someone else for help on unfamiliar words. Like a personal reading tutor, the app guides readers into figuring out a new word based on the word’s letters and sounds. Readers can use the app while they read traditional books or other printed material. They can also use the app alongside e-books, websites, and other digital material on the iPad. The app is a fun addition to parent-child reading time, and it also works well for older readers who do not like to ask for help on words when they read independently. Developing readers of any age can gain self-confidence as they figure out new words on their own with the app’s support. Videos of how the app works are available at www.sharpcuriosity.com. Created by a parent, learning scientist, and reading researcher, the app’s underlying dictionary is powered by a real human voice with support for over 5,000 words, plus a text-to-speech engine for pronouncing all other words. As readers advance from simple to more complex words, the app dictionary provides tailored decoding support for each word, ranging from individual phonemes and letters, to multi-letter sounds, syllables, prefixes, suffixes, root words, and whole words within compound words. The app also includes suggestions for parents about fun books to get at the library or bookstore to match readers’ interests and skill levels. • The Reading Machine is like a secret decoder ring for unlocking printed words. Use it paired with real books – books you already own or books you’ve borrowed from the public library.  Or use it on the iPad alongside e-books or web pages. • Great for early or struggling readers. • Lets you have more fun reading with your child because your child can use the Reading Machine to figure out words instead of having to ask you for help. • Best for children who already know the sounds that go with each letter and can read some words, but still need help reading sentences and books. • Comes with full decoding and phonics support for all the words in over 125 well-loved early reader titles.  Older readers can even use the app with the first chapter of Harry Potter. • The app provides lists of suggested titles (“Book Sets”) for readers with different interests and skill levels.  This is a great guide for finding books your reader will enjoy. These books are easy to find for free at your public library.  Or head to your favorite bookstore.  • All the words in over 125 books, listed in the Book Sets, have phonics support provided by the app, with clear pronunciation recorded by a natural, human voice.  • For any word not in the app’s dictionary, readers can hear the whole word pronunciation with text-to-speech voice.  So they are never stuck on any word. • Among the words that have phonics and decoding support are the 300 most frequent words in the English language, which cover 65% of all English reading material. Many of these words are often called “sight words.” • When new Book Sets and new words are available for the app, they can be downloaded for free from within the app. For more info and videos, see http://www.sharpcuriosity.com

About

Word Wizard

This app helps children aged 4-10 learn to read and spell through interactive word-building and spelling activities. It features a talking movable alphabet, customizable word lists, and progress reports for parents and educators.

Highlights
  • Talking movable alphabet for phonics and word building
  • Customizable word lists with own words and images
  • Multiple spelling activities with increasing difficulty
  • Progress reports for tracking child's development
  • Adaptable settings for letter size, voices, and contrast modes
  • Supports multiple keyboard layouts and letter sizes
Features
Read full description

• "Speak ‘N Spell for the iPad Generation" - The New York Times • Word Wizard is an award-winning app used in schools which offers several unique reading and spelling activities for children ages four to 10. -- Learn to Read by Building Words -- • The Talking Movable Alphabet activity allows kids to experiment with word building and phonics thanks to the advanced text to speech engine (first step in learning to read) • Any text can be written and spoken • 2 child voices + 4 adult voices (US, UK & Australian voices) • Uppercase & lowercase letters, numbers, digraphs, ABC or QWERTY keyboard • Many, many settings to adapt the activities to the child’s needs (letter size, assign images to words, high contrast modes for kids with visual impairment,...) -- Learn to Spell using the Talking Movable Alphabet and your word lists -- • 3 spelling activities that increase in difficulty • 200 built-in word lists (about 2000 words) • Add your own words to create unique spelling quizzes! • Add your own images to illustrate your word lists • Keep tabs on your children’s progress with detailed reports ______ • Used in Schools (140K units sold to schools) • "This is an important breakthrough in reading instruction" - The New York Times • "This is a fantastic app for young children, right through to children in later elementary school " - Wired's GeekDad • Editor's Choice Award for Excellence in Design - Children's Technology Review • Winner of a Parents’ Choice Award • More than 290K units sold! _______ Talking Movable Alphabet Activity _______ • Pronounce and spell-check any word, number or sentence • Natural Sounding Voice - 2 child and 2 adult American voices + 1 British voice + 1 Australian voice • Letter sound (phonic) or name when a letter is touched in the alphabet • 4 keyboards available: letters (ABC or QWERTY, uppercase or lowercase), numbers, consonant digraphs (like “th”) and vowels digraphs (like “oo”) • Keyboard emulation option • 4 letter sizes available (allowing for more or fewer letters on the board) • Customized word pronunciation, if necessary • 4 high contrast modes for kids with vision impairments _______ Fun Spelling Activities _______ 3 spelling activities of increasing difficulty are provided to adapt the activity to the child’s spelling level. You can use the built-in word lists or create your own. 1 - "Word Practice" says and displays the word to spell, and asks the child to spell it 2 - "Scrambled Letters" says the word and displays the letters needed to build the word or sentence, and asks the child to reorder the letters. 3 - “Spelling Quizzes” is a standard spelling test, but the app won’t move onto the next word until the child has correctly spelled the word, helping them to remember its correct spelling. • 200 built-in word lists: Words for beginners (CVC, CCVC, CVCC), Dolch Words, 1,000 most frequently used words, body parts and more • Create custom word lists by entering your own words and sentences • Import and export word lists • Hints are available should kids not know how to spell a word • Once a quiz is completed, interactive animations are available as a reward -- Users & Reports -- • Unlimited number of users • Detailed Spelling Test Reports per user _______ Try it for free, and if you like it, buy the app forever or subscribe monthly for a low fee. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://lescapadou.com/en/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://lescapadou.com/tos/tos-en.html Please send any suggestions to support@lescapadou.com. We listen to our users to improve our products!

Screenshots

Reading Machine4 screens
Word Wizard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Word Wizard at 4.2 against Reading Machine's 3.6. Word Wizard also leads on review sentiment (88% vs 75%) and ratings volume (101 vs 13). Reading Machine's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, 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

Both are free to download. Word Wizard sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Reading Machine asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Word Wizard holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Word Wizard has 101 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Reading Machine's written reviews are positive against 88% of Word Wizard's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Reading Machine ships an update every 14 months, Word Wizard every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Reading Machine versus Word Wizard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReading MachineWord Wizard
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (13 ratings)4.2 (101 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews87.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings13101 — better
Update frequencyEvery 14 monthsEvery 8 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size107 MB113 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDiana Sharp ConsultingPierre Abel

Customer experience

Reading Machine

All ratings12 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

Word Wizard

All ratings101 ratings
Positive82.2%
Neutral1.0%
Negative16.8%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%

In-app purchases

None

Reading Machine

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Word Wizard

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Subscription$0.991 Month
One-time1
  • Unlock Forever$7.99

Questions

Is Reading Machine free?
Reading Machine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Word Wizard free?
Word Wizard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Reading Machine or Word Wizard?
Word Wizard is rated higher. Reading Machine averages 3.6 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Word Wizard averages 4.2 from 101 ratings.
Do Reading Machine or Word Wizard have ads?
Neither Reading Machine nor Word Wizard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Reading Machine or Word Wizard?
Reading Machine ships an update every 14 months, and Word Wizard every 8 months. Most recently, Reading Machine was updated on October 23, 2026 and Word Wizard on October 24, 2026.

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