Comparison

ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 vs Square Panda Lagoon

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2

This app teaches early readers the essential sounds of lowercase letters, a foundational skill for reading success. It uses science-backed phonics, engaging visuals, and multi-sensory learning to help children decode words and build a strong reading foundation.

Highlights
  • Master lowercase letter sounds
  • Science of Reading based
  • Engaging phonetic visuals
  • Multi-sensory learning
  • Repetition and rhythm
  • Distraction-free environment
Features
Read full description

ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 - Learn Letter Sounds the Right Way! Science-Backed Phonics for Early Reading Success! Unlock your child's reading journey with ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2! Built on the foundational Science of Reading, this engaging app focuses on the crucial alphabetic principle, teaching your child the essential sounds of lowercase letters – the key to unlocking reading success. Give your child the fundamental tools they need to become a confident reader. Just as numbers form the basis of math, understanding letter sounds is the cornerstone of reading. By mastering these sounds, your child gains the power to decode words and build a strong reading foundation. ABC Magic Phonics 2 directly addresses the alphabetic principle – the understanding that letters represent sounds and that these sounds can be blended together to form words. Grounded in the Science of Reading, our app prioritizes teaching letter sounds, the most effective way to initiate reading skills. *Master Letter Sounds: Learn the primary sounds of all lowercase letters – the building blocks of 95% of printed text. *Scientifically Sound: Based on the Science of Reading, focusing on the proven method of teaching letter sounds first. *Engaging Visuals: Each letter is paired with four phonetic photo images that clearly represent its sound. *Multi-Sensory Learning: Combines visual (colored letters, photos), auditory (letter sounds, photo names), and kinesthetic (touching to hear) learning. *Repetition & Rhythm: The app's design incorporates repetition and rhythm to aid memorization of letter sounds. *Lowercase Focus: Smartly prioritizes lowercase letters, which make up the vast majority of written words. *Distraction-Free Learning: All unnecessary elements are removed, allowing your child to concentrate on letter-sound associations. *Builds on Prior Learning: A natural progression for children who may have used previous apps in the series. *Prepares for Future Reading: Lays a solid foundation for more advanced phonics skills and reading fluency. Give your child a smart start! Unlike traditional methods, ABC Magic Phonics 2 focuses on lowercase letters first. Why? Because 95% of the words in books and periodicals are in lowercase. By prioritizing these essential letters, you're maximizing your child's learning efficiency. Children actively engage by touching letters to hear their sounds and touching photos to hear their names. This auditory reinforcement, combined with clear visual associations, makes learning fun and effective. Young learners will enjoy repeating the sounds they hear, solidifying their understanding. Created by a team of experienced educators using accelerated learning techniques and Montessori principles, ABC Magic Phonics 2 has been rigorously tested and loved by preschool children. Help us make learning even better! Please share your feedback and suggestions as we continue to improve ABC Magic Phonics 2. Give your child the magic of phonics! Download ABC Magic Phonics 2 today and set them on the path to reading success!

About

Square Panda Lagoon

This educational game uses a dancing chameleon to teach children letter sounds and phonics, helping them learn to spell independently. It tracks progress, adapts gameplay, and allows for creative word building with smart letters for a fun learning experience.

Highlights
  • Teaches letter sounds and phonics
  • Adaptive gameplay for spelling progress
  • Supports smart letter interaction
  • Over 2,500 pictures for first words
  • Inventive spelling with no 'failing'
  • Real-time performance tracking
Features
Read full description

A goofy chameleon with a love for dancing introduces children to letter sounds and phonics in a fun way as kids learn to spell independently. This game tracks individual spelling progress and adapts the gameplay to help children understand how to correct their spelling as they experiment with letters and explore word construction. Compatible with the Square Panda Playset, children stay engaged in their learning while using Square Panda smart letters to hear their chameleon friend sound out any letter or word, even silly words! In exploratory mode as children spell out real words, a picture of the word will appear and a celebratory animation and dance will reinforce the learning! This also helps them understand where the sounds in the words originate. Great for children who have limited knowledge of how to spell and need additional guidance. In word mode, words are leveled from CVC to CCVC/CVCC and the curriculum provides consistent exposure to vowel sounds as well as common consonant blends. Square Panda Lagoon will help them learn: the Alphabet, letter sounds, word construction, vocabulary comprehension, spelling and reading fluency. Phonics Benefits: Children learn that symbols correspond with specific phonemic sounds and when placed individually or together create brand new sounds. These sounds tied-together have meaning and this meaning is the construct for the entire English language. Features: · Over 2,500 pictures of children’s first words · Over 100,000 possible phonemic word creations · Fun game modes that engage children and encourage them to practice spelling (Exploratory Mode and Word Mode)! · Enter your own pictures of family, familiar objects and even words in the Square Panda Parent Playground and see them appear! · Inventive spelling: children can play without "failing" and build confidence · Adaptive learning: children start in assessment mode and Square Panda track's their ability to spell real words in real time. From there, children are prompted with specific words at their level or stay in exploratory mode and spell their own words. · Scaffolded feedback: children who misspell words will be given prompts repeating the whole word back, breaking down individual sounds and providing visual cues. Square Panda's tracks letter and word mastery for future sessions. · Real time performance tracking: reporting in Square Panda’s Parent and Teacher Portals now includes detailed analysis of spelling errors and more.

Screenshots

ABC MAGIC PHONICS 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 at 4.3 against Square Panda Lagoon's 2.7. ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 also leads on ratings volume (715 vs 17) and review sentiment (72% vs 60%). Square Panda Lagoon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 12 months). On price and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Square Panda Lagoon asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 has 715 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2's written reviews are positive against 60% of Square Panda Lagoon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 ships an update every 12 months, Square Panda Lagoon every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 versus Square Panda Lagoon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterABC MAGIC PHONICS 2Square Panda Lagoon
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (715 ratings) — better2.7 (17 ratings)
Positive reviews72.2% of reviews — better60.0% of reviews
Number of ratings715 — better17
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS12.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB688 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPRESCHOOL UNIVERSITYSquare Panda Inc.

Customer experience

ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2

All ratings707 ratings
Positive82.6%
Neutral9.2%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive72.2%
Neutral11.1%
Negative16.7%

Square Panda Lagoon

All ratings17 ratings
Positive41.2%
Neutral5.9%
Negative52.9%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

Bugs and requests

ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashes immediately when tapping on letters
  • App crashes upon opening and selecting content

Requested features

3 requests
  • Display both uppercase and lowercase letters
  • Correct the color of the letter 'h' to red
  • Ensure letter pronunciation audio is clear and functional

Square Panda Lagoon

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2

One-time1
  • Full Version$1.99
None

Square Panda Lagoon

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 free?
ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Square Panda Lagoon free?
Square Panda Lagoon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 or Square Panda Lagoon?
ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 is rated higher. ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 averages 4.3 out of 5 from 715 ratings, while Square Panda Lagoon averages 2.7 from 17 ratings.
Do ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 or Square Panda Lagoon have ads?
Neither ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 nor Square Panda Lagoon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 or Square Panda Lagoon?
ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 ships an update every 12 months, and Square Panda Lagoon every 2 months. Most recently, ABC MAGIC PHONICS 2 was updated on October 29, 2026 and Square Panda Lagoon on October 29, 2026.

Other comparisons