Comparison

ABC SPELLING MAGIC vs Ultimate Phonics Reading App

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

Head to head
About

ABC SPELLING MAGIC

This educational app helps children learn to spell CVC words using the principles of the Science of Reading. It focuses on letter sounds and word construction with two levels of challenge, aiding early literacy development.

Highlights
  • Teaches letter sounds
  • Word construction with CVC words
  • Two levels of challenge
  • Incorporates Science of Reading principles
  • Montessori-inspired learning
  • Customizable voice and font options (DELUXE)
Read full description

Introducing ABC Spelling Magic, where learning to spell is fun and engaging! ABC SPELLING MAGIC incorporates the main principles of the Science of Reading. This app is designed to teach children the sounds of the letters and how to construct words, aligning with the science of reading. With two levels of challenge, it indirectly imparts the essential reading skill of segmenting while focusing on the skill of learning to spell words with three phonetic sounds using short vowel words. Incorporating the science of reading, the app's comprehensive approach is tailored to assist children in learning the sounds of the alphabet and honing their blending and segmenting skills, essential for early literacy development based on the science of reading. SPELLING MAGIC 1 focuses on CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, such as cat, box, and pig, which are fundamental for phonics instruction based on the science of reading. The app categorizes words by middle vowel sounds in the first part and by categories in the second part, offering a well-rounded approach to phonics and word construction, rooted in the principles of the science of reading. The DELUXE version provides 245 words and offers a variety of options in the menu, including two types of voices, three types of fonts, two letter color styles, a special feature to connect the letters together, and over 185 additional words from the free version, enhancing the learning experience based on the principles of the science of reading. Developed by a team of educators utilizing accelerated learning techniques and Montessori principles, this app has been tested and approved by preschoolers, aligning with the science of reading and providing an enjoyable and beneficial experience in learning letter sounds. We welcome your feedback and suggestions as we strive to provide an enriching educational experience for young learners, rooted in the science of reading.

About

Ultimate Phonics Reading App

This app teaches reading and English pronunciation through a structured phonics system. It's designed for beginners, struggling readers, dyslexic individuals, adult learners, and ESL students. The program offers over 4,400 words and 2,100 sentences across 12 levels, with the first level available for free.

Highlights
  • Phonics-based reading instruction
  • Pronunciation practice for English
  • Suitable for all ages and reading levels
  • Effective for dyslexia and struggling readers
  • Extensive word and sentence library
  • Structured lessons across 12 levels
Read full description

This app is a must-try for parents, teachers, and tutors who teach reading to students of any age. It is also excellent for self-study to improve reading and English pronunciation. Ultimate Phonics is useful in any situation where reading is taught: * Beginning Readers Did you know that many children never become good readers? Reading is the most important skill for education and success. If you have young children first learning to read, you can give them the gift that lasts a lifetime by teaching them with Ultimate Phonics. Just an hour per week can make a huge improvement in their reading ability. * Struggling Readers Do you have children or students who guess and skip when they read? Did you know that word guessing causes poor reading comprehension and terrible spelling? Relying on word guessing prevents students from becoming good readers and cripples their education. A good reader reads by rapidly and accurately sounding out new words. That is exactly what Ultimate Phonics teaches. It develops your students into more accurate, fluent readers with good reading comprehension. * Dyslexia and Orton-Gillingham Ultimate Phonics is very effective for teaching dyslexics to read. The app can be used either by itself or as a supplement for Orton-Gillingham programs or other programs designed to overcome dyslexia. If you are an Orton-Gillingham teacher, you will love this app. It has excellent word lists and decodable sentences, all broken down and sounded out. The app also has a Find feature that lets you look up lessons matching any phonogram in a matter of seconds. This app is a great supplement to any Orton-Gillingham program and is guaranteed to become a useful tool in your teaching toolkit. * Adult Literacy Adult learners love the design of the program because it teaches them to read clearly and directly, without insulting them. And tutors love Ultimate Phonics because it's easy to use and produces great results. Try it for yourself and see why Ultimate Phonics is an essential teaching tool for any adult literacy situation. * ESL and English Pronunciation ESL (English as a Second Language) students need to learn to read English at the same time they are learning to speak it. Ultimate Phonics effectively improves reading, spelling, and pronunciation for ESL students of all ages. If you are a student learning English, you can use Ultimate Phonics to help with both your reading and your pronunciation. The app breaks down thousands of words and sentences by their individual speech sounds, so you learn in detail how to pronounce words more accurately. *** CONTENT The complete program consists of more than 4,400 words and 2,100 sentences organized into 262 lessons. The lessons are grouped into 12 levels, teaching the entire phonics system of English. You get the first level (lessons 1 to 50) for free. You have the option of purchasing additional levels one at a time or purchasing all the levels at once at a discount. Here is a summary of the topics in each level: * LEVEL 1 (Lessons 1 to 50) Simple words with short vowels, single consonants, and consonant blends. * LEVEL 2 (Lessons 51 to 80) Consonant digraphs (sh, ch, th, wh, ck), qu, x, ng and nk patterns, and doubled consonants. * LEVEL 3 (Lessons 81 to 106) Vowel digraphs (ee, ea, oo, ai, ay, oa, ou, ow, aw, au, oy, oi). * LEVEL 4 (Lessons 107 to 124) Endings (s, es, ed, ing, ful), apostrophes and more. * LEVEL 5 (Lessons 125 to 147) Syllables, compound words, and multi-syllable words. * LEVEL 6 (Lessons 148 to 155) Soft c and g patterns. * LEVEL 7 (Lessons 156 to 171) Long vowels in magic e syllables. * LEVEL 8 (Lessons 172 to 183) Long vowels in open syllables. * LEVEL 9 (Lessons 184 to 209) 22 more long vowel patterns. * LEVEL 10 (Lessons 210 to 225) R-controlled vowels (ar, er, ir, or, ur, and more). * LEVEL 11 (Lessons 226 to 239) 13 more short vowel patterns. * LEVEL 12 (Lessons 240 to 262) Silent letters and advanced patterns.

Screenshots

ABC SPELLING MAGIC4 screens
Ultimate Phonics Reading App1 screens

Verdict

The call

ABC SPELLING MAGIC and Ultimate Phonics Reading App both sit at 3.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 94% of ABC SPELLING MAGIC's written reviews are positive against 46% of Ultimate Phonics Reading App's. ABC SPELLING MAGIC also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 9 months). Ultimate Phonics Reading App's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.4). On price, rating, ratings volume 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 SPELLING MAGIC sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Ultimate Phonics Reading App sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.8 for ABC SPELLING MAGIC against 3.8 for Ultimate Phonics Reading App. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 42 and 29 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of ABC SPELLING MAGIC's written reviews are positive against 46% of Ultimate Phonics Reading App's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ABC SPELLING MAGIC ships an update every 6 weeks, Ultimate Phonics Reading App every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ABC SPELLING MAGIC versus Ultimate Phonics Reading App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterABC SPELLING MAGICUltimate Phonics Reading App
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (42 ratings) — better3.8 (29 ratings)
Positive reviews94.2% of reviews — better46.2% of reviews
Number of ratings42 — better29
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.48.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size132 MB100 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPRESCHOOL UNIVERSITYBrian Spencer

Customer experience

ABC SPELLING MAGIC

All ratings42 ratings
Positive69.0%
Neutral11.9%
Negative19.0%
Written reviews52 reviews
Positive94.2%
Neutral3.8%
Negative1.9%

Ultimate Phonics Reading App

All ratings29 ratings
Positive72.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative27.6%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive46.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative53.8%

Bugs and requests

ABC SPELLING MAGIC

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Letters will not move to be dragged into place
  • Screen freezing

Requested features

8 requests
  • Ability to hear the full word, slowly articulated
  • Option for English accent
  • Vowels in red and consonants in blue
  • More advanced content
  • Animated graphics for interactivity
Show 3 more
  • Option to pick letters from the full alphabet
  • Improve sound quality
  • Improve graphics and sounds

Ultimate Phonics Reading App

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ABC SPELLING MAGIC

One-time1
  • Deluxe Upgrade$1.99
10 purchases

Ultimate Phonics Reading App

One-time10
  • Level 2 (Lessons 51 to 80)$3.99
  • Level 3 (Lessons 81 to 106)$3.99
  • Level 4 (Lessons 107 to 124)$3.99
Show 7 more
  • Level 5 (Lessons 125 to 147)$3.99
  • Level 6 (Lessons 148 to 155)$3.99
  • Level 10 (Lessons 210 to 225)$3.99
  • Levels 5-12 (Lessons 125-262)$23.99
  • Levels 4-12 (Lessons 107-262)$25.99
  • Levels 3-12 (Lessons 81-262)$27.99
  • Levels 2-12 (Lessons 51-262)$29.99

Questions

Is ABC SPELLING MAGIC free?
ABC SPELLING MAGIC is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ultimate Phonics Reading App free?
Ultimate Phonics Reading App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ABC SPELLING MAGIC or Ultimate Phonics Reading App?
ABC SPELLING MAGIC is rated higher. ABC SPELLING MAGIC averages 3.8 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while Ultimate Phonics Reading App averages 3.8 from 29 ratings.
Do ABC SPELLING MAGIC or Ultimate Phonics Reading App have ads?
Neither ABC SPELLING MAGIC nor Ultimate Phonics Reading App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ABC SPELLING MAGIC or Ultimate Phonics Reading App?
ABC SPELLING MAGIC ships an update every 6 weeks, and Ultimate Phonics Reading App every 9 months. Most recently, ABC SPELLING MAGIC was updated on November 1, 2026 and Ultimate Phonics Reading App on November 4, 2026.

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