# Starfall ABCs vs Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC

The clearest difference is price: Starfall ABCs at Free against Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC's $4.99. Starfall ABCs also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.7) and ratings volume (477 vs 9). Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 62%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Starfall ABCs is free to download; Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Starfall ABCs holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starfall ABCs has 477 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 62% of Starfall ABCs's written reviews are positive against 100% of Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Starfall ABCs ships an update every 7 months, Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Starfall ABCs | Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | **[4.2 (477 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starfall-abcs/id395623983/reviews)** | [3.7 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simplex-spelling-phonics-cvc/id580762950/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **477** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 62.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 7 months** | Every 13 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 62 MB | 106 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Starfall Education Foundation](https://appshunter.io/developer/1771099820) | [Pyxwise Software Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/456744015) |

## What reviewers say

### Starfall ABCs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starfall-abcs/id395623983)

This app offers a free introduction to foundational reading skills, featuring interactive activities that engage children through sight, sound, and play. It's designed to help young learners recognize letters and develop essential reading abilities, with special considerations for English language learners and children with disabilities.

**Highlights:** Interactive letter and sound activities, Positive reinforcement and play-based learning, Develops letter recognition, Builds foundational reading skills, Accessible for children with impairments

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy for kids to navigate
- 🚀 Engaging and educational
- 🎓 Helps with letter recognition and sounds
- 💖 Great for young learners
- 🏆 Recommended by teachers and pediatricians

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive for limited content
- 🤔 Misleading advertising for full website features
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🔇 Sound issues and lack of voice assistance
- 🤷‍♀️ Gender representation concerns

**Reported bugs**

- Black screen issues
- Repeated crashes and freezing
- Incompatibility with latest iOS updates
- Inability to exit app on certain devices

**Requested features**

- Expand app to include more Starfall website features
- Add more advanced learning content beyond just ABCs
- Improve compatibility and stability across devices
- Integrate voice assistant and accessibility features
- Address gender representation issues in content


### Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simplex-spelling-phonics-cvc/id580762950)

This app teaches foundational reading skills for young learners, focusing on rhyming, segmenting, and blending CVC words. It uses a unique "reverse phonics" approach with interactive feedback to build phonemic awareness and improve spelling and reading.

**Highlights:** Teaches CVC words and short vowel sounds, Interactive "reverse phonics" approach, Phonics hint feature for blending, Spelling rule hints, Letter-by-letter feedback, Supports up to 40 user accounts, Progress reports and user stats

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Starfall ABCs free?

Starfall ABCs is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC free?

Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Starfall ABCs or Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC?

Starfall ABCs is rated higher. Starfall ABCs averages 4.2 out of 5 from 477 ratings, while Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC averages 3.7 from 9 ratings.

### Do Starfall ABCs or Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC have ads?

Neither Starfall ABCs nor Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Starfall ABCs or Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC?

Starfall ABCs ships an update every 7 months, and Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC every 13 months. Most recently, Starfall ABCs was updated on November 9, 2026 and Simplex Spelling Phonics CVC on November 6, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*