Comparison

Reading Machine vs SpeakColors

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

SpeakColors

This iPad app helps young children with speech and language delays practice using two-word phrases with colors and objects. It features colorful photos and allows voice recording to build vocabulary and language skills.

Highlights
  • Two-word phrase practice
  • Color and object vocabulary
  • Voice recording
  • Interactive photos
  • Progressive language skills
Features
Read full description

SpeakColors is an iPad app designed to encourage young children to imitate and use two word phrases with color words and common objects. The app is geared toward toddlers with speech and language delays, autism, Down syndrome and other developmental disorders. This motivating app increases vocabulary skills, phrase length, and receptive and expressive language. This lite version of SpeakColors contains 7 common colors and 100 colorful photographs of objects. Children can record their own voice to name colors, food, animals, toys, and common objects. "SpeakColors can do an excellent job of teaching words and sentence structure as a precursor to or in conjunction with other reinforcing hands-on multi-modality activities." ~ SpeechPathologyApps.com *** Free App of the Week in SpeechPathologyApps.com Newsletter (05/31/2012) *** Instructions: - From the main menu, press "Start". - Pick a color from the top of the screen. - Pick a sentence template from the upper-left of the screen. - Swipe left or swipe right (or use arrow buttons) to change objects. - Press a color or object in the middle of the screen to hear the name of the color or object. *** Includes In App Purchase to unlock features of the Full Version. *** *** Disclosure *** At RWH Technology we are committed to the privacy and safety of our customers and their children. This app: - Does not collect/share any user's personally identifiable information. - Does not contain Social Network Integration or Links to Social Media. - Does not contain ads. - Does not contain push notifications. - Does contain In-App-Purchase on a separate, parent oriented screen.

Screenshots

Reading Machine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Reading Machine at 3.6 against SpeakColors's 2.5. Reading Machine also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (75% vs 67%). On price, update cadence 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. SpeakColors sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Reading Machine asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Reading Machine holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Reading Machine's written reviews are positive against 67% of SpeakColors's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Reading Machine ships an update every 14 months, SpeakColors every 16 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Reading Machine versus SpeakColors: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReading MachineSpeakColors
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (13 ratings) — better2.5 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 14 months — betterEvery 16 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size107 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDiana Sharp ConsultingRWH Technology, LLC

Customer experience

Reading Machine

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

SpeakColors

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

None

Reading Machine

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

SpeakColors

One-time1
  • Full Version$3.99

Questions

Is Reading Machine free?
Reading Machine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SpeakColors free?
SpeakColors is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Reading Machine or SpeakColors?
Reading Machine is rated higher. Reading Machine averages 3.6 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while SpeakColors averages 2.5 from 4 ratings.
Do Reading Machine or SpeakColors have ads?
Neither Reading Machine nor SpeakColors shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Reading Machine or SpeakColors?
Reading Machine ships an update every 14 months, and SpeakColors every 16 months. Most recently, Reading Machine was updated on November 1, 2026 and SpeakColors on November 1, 2026.

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