Hairy Letters vs Alphablocks, How to Write
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hairy Letters
This app helps young children learn letter names and sounds through interactive tracing and word-building games. Animated characters and multisensory learning techniques make phonics engaging for preschoolers.
- Trace letter shapes on screen
- Build letters into words with games
- Animated characters for letter sounds
- Learn to blend sounds into words
- Includes uppercase letter names
- Multisensory learning approach
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Learn the names and sounds of each letter with the Hairies. AWARD WINNING APP! Education Resources Award • Trace the letter shape onscreen with your finger. • Play games to build letters into simple words. • Letter sounds come to life with animated characters. • Learn to blend sounds into words. • Includes upper case letter names. • Multisensory learning by UK specialist teachers. • Letters are introduced in six colour-coded stages Designed for 4-6 years. British English. Nessy apps have no advertisements or in-app purchasing.
Alphablocks, How to Write
This app uses animated characters to teach children how to write letters and numbers. It features a guided learning path with pre-writing exercises, letter families, and tracing practice with rhymes. The app is designed by educational experts and is ad-free.
- Pre-writing line practice
- Letter families based on shape
- Scaffolded learning trajectory
- Letter and numeral tracing
- Writing rhymes for memorization
- Adventure-based learning
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Alphablocks and Numberblocks, How to Write is a hands-on, fun way for children to learn to write, packed with brand new Writing Magic. Imagine if the letters of the alphabet and numbers came to life to teach your child how to write... This is exactly what happens in How to Write! Join your favourite characters from the hit CBeebies shows, Alphablocks and Numberblocks, as they find their way home, helping children practice fine motor skills and letter formation accompanied by catchy rhymes along the way. This app is brought to you by top educators and experts in play from the BAFTA award-winning creators of Numberblocks and Blue Zoo animation studios. How does Alphablocks and Numberblocks, How to Write help your child? "Alphablocks and Numberblocks, How to Write helps children build confidence as they practice fine motor skills covering the foundational line shapes that they will need to form letters. The journey is carefully scaffolded, taking children through generic practice lines, pre-letter lines and letter formation. A brilliant app!" Professor Kate Ruttle, Early Years Writing expert and advisor to Alphablocks Ltd. 1. Carefully scaffolded learning trajectory, designed by top literacy educators and experts in play. 2. This app is fun, educational and safe, being COPPA and GDPR-K compliant and 100% ad-free. 3. All presented through a safe, 100% ad-free, digital game for your child to explore. Featuring… - Pre-writing lines to help children practice fine motor skills. - Letters are carefully broken down into four letter families, based on similarities of shape: Bouncy, Straight Line, Curly and Zigzag letter families. - Within each letter family, letters are introduced with the simplest first, so children can build up their skills confidently. - Pre-letter lines help children to repeat the key movement in each letter and numeral, as carefully specified by our literacy experts. - Letter and numeral tracing practice, accompanied by special writing rhymes for each letter of the alphabet and numbers 0-9 help children to remember the movements! - A fun adventure, helping each Alphablock and Numberblock find their way home... and ultimately customising their home with a fun surprise! Privacy & Safety At Blue Zoo Productions Ltd. and Alphablocks Ltd., your child’s privacy and safety is the first priority for us. There are no ads in the app and we will never share personal information with any 3rd parties or sell this on. You can find out more in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service: Privacy Policy: https://www.learningblocks.tv/privacy-policy Terms of Service: https://www.learningblocks.tv/terms-of-service
Screenshots
Verdict
Hairy Letters and Alphablocks, How to Write both sit at 3.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 56% of Alphablocks, How to Write's written reviews are positive against 44% of Hairy Letters's. Alphablocks, How to Write also leads on ratings volume (24 vs 8). Hairy Letters's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $3.99) and iOS requirement (9.3.5 vs 13.0). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Hairy Letters costs $2.99 and Alphablocks, How to Write $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.9 for Hairy Letters against 3.9 for Alphablocks, How to Write. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 24 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 44% of Hairy Letters's written reviews are positive against 56% of Alphablocks, How to Write's.
Hairy Letters ships an update every 9 months, Alphablocks, How to Write every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hairy Letters | Alphablocks, How to Write |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 3.9 (8 ratings) | 3.9 (24 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 43.9% of reviews | 55.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 24 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 5 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.3.5 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 514 MB | 323 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nessy Learning Limited | Blue-Zoo |
Customer experience
Hairy Letters
Alphablocks, How to Write
Bugs and requests
Hairy Letters
Reported bugs
10 issues- App crashes frequently
- Sound not working on various devices
- App freezes or hangs
- Unable to exit app without restarting
- Capital letters stick and freeze screen
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- Tracing letters not working correctly
- Laggy performance and black screens
- App closes after sounding first letter
- Rotation lock interferes with sound
- Latest update broke functionality
Requested features
9 requests- Option to use cursive script
- More blending games
- Hairy numbers
- Other fonts to match school curriculum
- Reward system (printable creatures)
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- Something to do with capital letters
- More content/higher stages
- Improve pronunciation of specific letters
- Pen tool with more normal movement
Alphablocks, How to Write
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Hairy Letters
No in-app purchases
Alphablocks, How to Write
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Hairy Letters free?
Is Alphablocks, How to Write free?
Which has better reviews, Hairy Letters or Alphablocks, How to Write?
Do Hairy Letters or Alphablocks, How to Write have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hairy Letters or Alphablocks, How to Write?
Other comparisons
