Reading Machine vs Dyslexia Screening Test App
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Dyslexia Screening Test App
This app offers a screening test to identify potential signs of dyslexia in individuals aged 7 to 70. It assesses key brain functions related to reading and spelling, providing a detailed report with scores, recommendations, and resources for further support.
- Dyslexia screening for ages 7-70
- MIND-Strengths self-assessment
- Informative videos about dyslexia
- Pre-test for risk assessment
- Detailed individualized reports
- Recommendations and resources
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Are You Dyslexic? Why Wait and Wonder? Let the Dyslexia Screening Test App from Neurolearning show you how you think and learn, and get you started on the road to a successful future. Our Dyslexia Screening Test quickly and accurately lets users ages 7 to 70 who have not previously received intensive dyslexia-appropriate reading instruction be screened for signs of the thinking and processing traits associated with dyslexia. The initial app download gives users access to the following free content: --The MIND-Strengths self-assessment surveys (for ages 7 and older), which allow users to discover their relative abilities in 4 key strengths areas associated with dyslexia --5 short videos describing what dyslexia is and is not, common signs of dyslexia, and what our screener can do for users --A brief pre-test to determine if you might be at risk for dyslexia --Comments by previous users on their experience with our app To take the dyslexia screener requires an in-app purchase of a testing slot. ---- The Neurolearning Dyslexia Screening Test App measures several key brain functions that underlie reading and spelling skills, and that work differently in individuals with dyslexia. It combines these measures with an assessment of current reading skills to determine the likelihood that the test user is experiencing challenges at school or work related to dyslexia. After the screening, users are provided with a detailed and individualized report of their results. This report includes: - A Total Dyslexia Score, which measures the overall likelihood that any problems they have with reading and spelling are related to dyslexia - Six Dyslexia Subscale Scores, which measure the key brain processing functions that underlying dyslexia-related challenges - Detailed and individualized recommendations outlining steps that can be taken to improve performance and limit challenges at school or work - A detailed list of resources that can be used to implement the recommendations - Recommendations on when further professional assessment is needed ---- Who should use the Neurolearning Dyslexia Screening App? Students 7 or older who: - Struggle to read, write, or spell - Have siblings or parents with dyslexia or other learning challenges - Read slowly or avoid reading - Underperform their apparent ability and “can’t show what they know” - Take longer to complete work or tests than expected - Struggle more each year as the workload intensifies - Received an unclear or confusing screening result at school Adults up to age 70 who: - Currently struggle with reading, writing, or speaking - Underperform at work for unclear reasons - Struggled in school but were never tested - Have never enjoyed reading, read slowly, or struggle when reading aloud - Have dyslexic children or grandchildren and recognize similar features in themselves ---- Neurolearning’s mission is to bring quality dyslexia testing within everyone's reach. For 20 years Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide have tested countless individuals with learning differences from all over the world in their Neurolearning Clinic in Seattle, Washington. They’ve also promoted better assessment and understanding of different learners through their influential books (“The Mislabeled Child” (2006) and the internationally best-selling book, "The Dyslexic Advantage" (2011)), and by the formation of the non-profit organization Dyslexic Advantage in 2012. The Eides are also frequent invited lecturers at conferences and meetings around the world, have been visiting lecturers at leading schools of education including Stanford University and Hunter College. In 2014 the Eides joined with pioneering technologist and entrepreneur Nils Lahr to found Neurolearning SPC, and to bring quality testing for learning differences within everyone’s reach.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Reading Machine at none against Dyslexia Screening Test App's 2. Reading Machine also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 11.0). Dyslexia Screening Test App's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 14 months) and ratings volume (131 vs 12). On price, rating, review sentiment 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
Both are free to download. Dyslexia Screening Test App sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Reading Machine asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.8 for Reading Machine against 3.8 for Dyslexia Screening Test App. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dyslexia Screening Test App has 131 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 75% and 74% positive.
Reading Machine ships an update every 14 months, Dyslexia Screening Test App every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Reading Machine | Dyslexia Screening Test App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (12 ratings) | 3.8 (131 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better | 74.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 12 | 131 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 14 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 107 MB | 145 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Diana Sharp Consulting | Neurolearning |
Customer experience
Reading Machine
Dyslexia Screening Test App
Bugs and requests
Reading Machine
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Dyslexia Screening Test App
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashed when trying to examine a sample test
- Error screen when trying sample test
- Tests didn’t work, error message given
- App crashed
- Latest iPad OS app is crashing
Requested features
5 requests- Option for less than one star rating
- Dark mode option
- More clarity on what is included in the cost
- Ability to delete account
- Better recognition of English characters in names
In-app purchases
Reading Machine
No in-app purchases
Dyslexia Screening Test App
- 1 slot$79.99
- Dyslexia Screener$79.99
Questions
Is Reading Machine free?
Is Dyslexia Screening Test App free?
Which has better reviews, Reading Machine or Dyslexia Screening Test App?
Do Reading Machine or Dyslexia Screening Test App have ads?
Which is updated more often, Reading Machine or Dyslexia Screening Test App?
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