Bob Books Reading Magic #1 vs READING MAGIC 2
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bob Books Reading Magic #1
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.
- Phonics-based interactive game
- Letter-sound connection
- Sounding out simple words
- Spelling practice
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Full-color animations
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- Winner Editor's Choice Award, Children's Technology Review - 15 Great Apps for Kids, Babble.com - Parenting Magazine “Best App for Kids” - Parents Choice Approved Millions of kids have learned to read with the Bob Books beginning reader series. Kids can watch their favorite Bob Books stories and characters come to life with Bob Books Reading Magic #1! Start your child reading with this phonics-based interactive game. Even very young children love the simple drag-and-drop interface. Your favorite Bob Books characters and full-color animations encourage kids along the path of learning to read. Bob Books Reading Magic continues Bob Books’ commitment to bringing children a satisfying, successful first reading experience, with easy first steps, wholesome values, authentic hand-drawn illustrations, and beautiful full-color animations. Bob Books Reading Magic will show your child how to: -Make the connection between letters and sounds. -Sound out simple words. -Spell the words they’ve read. The game includes twelve scenes for a total of 32 words. Four game levels provide increasing learn-to-read challenges to children as they play. Bob Books Reading Magic follows the same method and principles as the #1 best-selling Bob Books series. Bob Books were created to lead children to the ah-ha moment when letters first turn into words. By slowly introducing new letter sounds, using consistency, repetition and stories that fit short attention spans, your child will quickly find his or her own ah-ha moment. This is the reading magic of Bob Books. Soon your child will join over 10 million children who can proudly say, “I read the whole book!”® Parents and educators rave about Bob Books apps: "Bob Books #1 - Reading Magic is an excellent introduction to phonics for young children... This app will grow with your learning child, and keep their interest as they read and re-read the sentences on each page." --- Common Sense Media "A fantastic tool for a pre- or early reader -- and a fun way to occupy your toddler during a doctor's visit." --- Infant Bibliophile "Bob Books #1 - Reading Magic is a top learning app for toddlers and for sure one of the best apps for toddlers and preschoolers to learn how to read." --- Fun Educational Apps "One of the best learning app for kids." --- Everything Mom Bob Books respects your privacy! We do not collect, store, or share any personal information or location data. All our apps are ad free, without in-app purchases and are safe for young children. Read more at: https://bobbooks.com/privacy-policy *** We love getting feedback from our users. If you have questions or comments, please send them to info@bobbooks.com. *** For more information about Bob Books, visit https://bobbooks.com
READING MAGIC 2
This app helps children master consonant blends, a key skill for reading success. It offers interactive modes for blending sounds, segmenting words, and independent reading practice with over 300 words and engaging themes.
- Blending Mode for sound practice
- Segmenting Mode for word breakdown
- Reading Mode for independent word reading
- Focus on CCVC and CVCC words
- Advanced consonant blend practice
- Over 300 words with male/female voices
- Themed lessons for engagement
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Unlock the Magic of Reading with READING MAGIC 2! Transform your child into a confident reader with READING MAGIC 2! This app makes learning to read an exciting adventure with interactive activities focused on CCVC (Consonant-Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) and CVCC short-vowel blend words. Meticulously designed to provide an advanced boost to your child’s phonemic awareness, this app combines three foundational pillars of literacy science into one powerful, interactive ecosystem: Blending (Listening), Segmenting (Speaking), and Decoding (Reading). Grounded firmly in Science of Reading principles and utilizing University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) guidelines, READING MAGIC provides specific, precise training with extensive repetitions to help young brains bridge the gap between spoken sound units and complete words. IDEAL FOR BOTH BEGINNING PRE-READERS AND STRUGGLING READERS For Beginning Pre-Readers: A stress-free launchpad. By practicing words through pure sound sequences first, your child masters the internal mechanics of reading without cognitive overload. This keeps them from being frustrated by trying to learn separate, difficult skills at the same time. For Struggling or Remedial Readers: If your child's reading is hesitant or choppy, or if they guess at words, this app provides the targeted intervention recommended by modern reading science to help young brains bridge the gap. THREE CRITICAL SKILL-BUILDING PILLARS While many phonics programs completely overlook the auditory mechanics of reading, our program systematically guides your child through the complete progression of decoding: Skill 1: Blending (Listening): Interactive listening activities train your child’s neural processing ability to hear isolated sounds in words and join them together mentally. This builds the vital auditory runway required for future fluency. Skill 2: Segmenting (Speaking): True spelling and reading independence require the ability to pull spoken words apart into their individual sound units. These exercises build explicit awareness of the acoustic structure of language. Skill 3: Decoding (Reading): The ultimate bridge to literacy. Your child applies their mastery of blending and segmenting directly to text, smoothly moving from spoken sounds to visual words. STRUCTURAL SPACING & INSTRUCTION (Science-Backed Layout) Our app builds the actual findings of reading science directly into the user interface for maximum visual clarity: Anti-Crowding Design: Peer-reviewed research, including Marinus et al. (2016) and Wery & Diliberto (2017), demonstrates that generous letter spacing is critical for early decoding. By placing each letter on its own isolated card with distinct physical gaps, our layout eliminates visual crowding, allowing your child to isolate each sound unit cleanly. True Comprehension: The app strictly discourages picture guessing, forcing children to rely purely on their decoding skills to foster true comprehension and build lasting confidence. INDEPENDENT LEARNING & AESTHETIC SIMPLICITY Distraction-Free: Our minimalist design eliminates overstimulating audio-visual clutter, excessive sound effects, and animations to keep your child entirely focused on the mechanics of reading. Stress-Free Growth: Built-in natural feedback loops offer gentle corrections, nurturing self-discovery and independent learning at your child's own pace. EXPERT RESEARCH BACKING "Before a child can read fluently with their eyes, they must be able to blend fluently with their ears. Weakness in auditory blending is one of the strongest early predictors of later reading failure." — Dr. Joseph Torgesen, Florida State University. "Teaching students to blend and segment benefited their reading much more than did a multiple-skills approach... and teaching phonemic awareness with letters created effect sizes almost twice as large as teaching children without letters." — The National Reading Panel (NRP) Meta-Analysis
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: READING MAGIC 2 at Free against Bob Books Reading Magic #1's $2.99. READING MAGIC 2 also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 66%). Bob Books Reading Magic #1's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 19 months). On rating, 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
READING MAGIC 2 is free to download; Bob Books Reading Magic #1 costs $2.99 up front. READING MAGIC 2 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Bob Books Reading Magic #1 asks for nothing beyond the download.
READING MAGIC 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bob Books Reading Magic #1 has 602 ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Bob Books Reading Magic #1's written reviews are positive against 81% of READING MAGIC 2's.
Bob Books Reading Magic #1 ships an update every 4 months, READING MAGIC 2 every 19 months. Both last shipped on October 23, 2026.
| Parameter | Bob Books Reading Magic #1 | READING MAGIC 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (602 ratings) | 4.8 (21 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.6% of reviews | 81.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 602 — better | 21 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 19 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 13.7 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 175 MB | 258 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bob Books Publications LLC | PRESCHOOL UNIVERSITY |
Customer experience
Bob Books Reading Magic #1
READING MAGIC 2
Bugs and requests
Bob Books Reading Magic #1
Reported bugs
3 issues- Sound not working
- Inability to progress to higher levels
- Compatibility issues with older devices
Requested features
4 requests- More books and content
- Ability to vocalize letter sounds
- Varied word choices and sentence structures
- British English voice option
READING MAGIC 2
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Bob Books Reading Magic #1
No in-app purchases
READING MAGIC 2
- Deluxe Upgrade$3.99
Questions
Is Bob Books Reading Magic #1 free?
Is READING MAGIC 2 free?
Which has better reviews, Bob Books Reading Magic #1 or READING MAGIC 2?
Do Bob Books Reading Magic #1 or READING MAGIC 2 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Bob Books Reading Magic #1 or READING MAGIC 2?
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