# Bob Books Reading Magic #1 vs READING MAGIC

The clearest difference is price: READING MAGIC at Free against Bob Books Reading Magic #1's $2.99. Bob Books Reading Magic #1's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (602 vs 42). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

READING MAGIC is free to download; Bob Books Reading Magic #1 costs $2.99 up front. READING MAGIC sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Bob Books Reading Magic #1 asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Bob Books Reading Magic #1 against 4.6 for READING MAGIC. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bob Books Reading Magic #1 has 602 ratings behind it against 42, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Bob Books Reading Magic #1's written reviews are positive against 62% of READING MAGIC's.

Bob Books Reading Magic #1 ships an update every 4 months, READING MAGIC every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bob Books Reading Magic #1 | READING MAGIC |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.6 (602 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bob-books-reading-magic-1/id405995002/reviews) | **[4.6 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-magic-learning-to-read/id416896853/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **602** | 42 |
| Positive reviews | **65.6% of reviews** | 62.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 175 MB | 208 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 13.7 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bob Books Publications LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/706044387) | [PRESCHOOL UNIVERSITY](https://appshunter.io/developer/404048727) |

## What reviewers say

### Bob Books Reading Magic #1

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bob-books-reading-magic-1/id405995002)

This interactive phonics game helps young children learn to read by connecting letters to sounds and sounding out simple words. With a drag-and-drop interface and engaging animations, it provides a fun and successful first reading experience.

**Highlights:** Phonics-based interactive game, Letter-sound connection, Sounding out simple words, Spelling practice, Drag-and-drop interface, Full-color animations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and interactive learning
- 💡 Great for special needs children
- 🚀 Keeps kids engaged
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Excellent teaching tool

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sound issues
- 💰 Expensive for limited content
- 🤔 Repetitive scenes and activities
- 🤔 Not enough progression in difficulty

**Reported bugs**

- Sound not working
- Inability to progress to higher levels
- Compatibility issues with older devices

**Requested features**

- More books and content
- Ability to vocalize letter sounds
- Varied word choices and sentence structures
- British English voice option


### READING MAGIC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-magic-learning-to-read/id416896853)

This app makes learning to read an exciting adventure for young children. It focuses on CVC words and uses science-based phonics principles to build essential reading skills like blending and segmenting.

**Highlights:** CVC word focus, Blending and segmenting practice, Phonemic awareness building, Phonological processing improvement, Engaging games and activities, Discourages picture guessing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Deluxe Upgrade | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bob Books Reading Magic #1 free?

Bob Books Reading Magic #1 costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is READING MAGIC free?

READING MAGIC is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Bob Books Reading Magic #1 or READING MAGIC?

READING MAGIC is rated higher. Bob Books Reading Magic #1 averages 4.6 out of 5 from 602 ratings, while READING MAGIC averages 4.6 from 42 ratings.

### Do Bob Books Reading Magic #1 or READING MAGIC have ads?

Neither Bob Books Reading Magic #1 nor READING MAGIC shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bob Books Reading Magic #1 or READING MAGIC?

Bob Books Reading Magic #1 ships an update every 4 months, and READING MAGIC every 6 months. Most recently, Bob Books Reading Magic #1 was updated on October 26, 2026 and READING MAGIC on October 23, 2026.

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