# Elmo Loves ABCs vs PLAY

The clearest difference is price: PLAY at Free against Elmo Loves ABCs's $4.99. PLAY also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.1). Elmo Loves ABCs's advantage is chart position (#82 vs unranked) and ratings volume (138 vs 25). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

PLAY is free to download; Elmo Loves ABCs costs $4.99 up front. Elmo Loves ABCs sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PLAY sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PLAY holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Elmo Loves ABCs has 138 ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 52% of Elmo Loves ABCs's written reviews are positive against 51% of PLAY's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Elmo Loves ABCs ships an update every 5 months, PLAY every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and August 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Elmo Loves ABCs | PLAY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.1 (138 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elmo-loves-abcs/id426747278/reviews) | **[4.4 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-doh-create-abcs/id652113712/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **138** | 25 |
| Positive reviews | **52.3% of reviews** | 51.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#82** | — |
| Size | 548 MB | 243 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sesame Workshop (Apps)](https://appshunter.io/developer/339077104) | [PlayDate Digital](https://appshunter.io/developer/652113715) |

## What reviewers say

### Elmo Loves ABCs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elmo-loves-abcs/id426747278)

**Currently charting:** #82 Top Paid · Education (US App Store)

Explore the alphabet with interactive games, songs, and videos featuring beloved characters. This app offers engaging activities to help children learn letter identification, sounds, and tracing, fostering art and music appreciation.

**Highlights:** Interactive letter games, Songs and videos about letters, Coloring pages, Letter tracing activities, Personalization options, Progress tracker for adults

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seasonal Fun Pack | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Engaging and educational for children
- 🎨 Customizable with personal videos and photos
- 🎥 Classic Sesame Street videos and songs
- 🤖 Elmo is a beloved character
- 💡 Wide variety of activities per letter

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Tracing letters can be difficult and unresponsive
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes reported
- 🔇 Audio issues like missing sounds or echoes
- 🛑 Paid version has intrusive ads
- 🔍 Difficulty finding/accessing all content

**Reported bugs**

- Tracing not working as expected
- Crashes and freezes on various devices
- Audio issues like missing sounds
- Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
- Difficulty downloading/accessing full version

**Requested features**

- Improved letter tracing functionality
- Ability to disable ads in paid version
- More customization options
- Expanded content beyond just letters
- Better organization and navigation


### PLAY

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-doh-create-abcs/id652113712)

This app uses virtual Play-Doh to teach children the alphabet. Kids can trace letters, learn new vocabulary, and create custom Play-Doh scenes. It also includes letter matching games and progress tracking for parents.

**Highlights:** Virtual Play-Doh letter tracing, Vocabulary association with letters, Customizable Play-Doh creations, Play-Doh scene building, Letter matching games, Progress tracking for parents

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock All Alphabets | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Elmo Loves ABCs free?

Elmo Loves ABCs costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is PLAY free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Elmo Loves ABCs or PLAY?

PLAY is rated higher. Elmo Loves ABCs averages 4.1 out of 5 from 138 ratings, while PLAY averages 4.4 from 25 ratings.

### Do Elmo Loves ABCs or PLAY have ads?

Neither Elmo Loves ABCs nor PLAY shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Elmo Loves ABCs or PLAY?

Elmo Loves ABCs ships an update every 5 months, and PLAY every 2 months. Most recently, Elmo Loves ABCs was updated on September 26, 2026 and PLAY on August 28, 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.*