Comparison

ABC SPELLING MAGIC vs EarthViewer

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

EarthViewer

Explore Earth's 4.5 billion-year history with this interactive time machine. See how continents, oceans, and climate have changed over eons, track landmarks and fossils, and visualize scientific data like temperature and biodiversity. Discover the dynamic evolution of our planet.

Highlights
  • Continental reconstructions over billions of years
  • Sea level and temperature maps
  • Track landmark and fossil movements
  • Visualize atmospheric composition and biodiversity
  • Explore geological eons, eras, and periods
  • Automated play modes and animations
Features
Read full description

What did Earth’s continents and oceans look like 250 million years ago, or even 1 billion years ago? What do we know about the climate back when our planet formed? How has sea level changed since the melting of the last ice age and what does the future hold? EarthViewer is like a time machine for exploring Earth’s deep history. Based on the latest scientific research, it lets you scroll through the last 4.5 billion years with your fingertips. Follow a favorite landmark, be it Greenland or New York City, as its position shifts through time, or watch a famous fossil like Tiktaalik make an incredible journey from its origin to its current location. Layer your view of shifting continents with data on atmospheric composition, temperature, biodiversity, day length, and solar luminosity, to get a more complete view of our dynamic planet. EarthViewer features include: • Continental reconstructions and accompanying data dating back billions of years • Sea level maps for the last 21,000 year and for 8,000 years into the future • Global temperature maps for the last 100+ years • Ability to manipulate the globe and zoom to any location • Locations of modern cities tracked back over 500 million years • In-depth features on major geological and biological events in Earth history • Clickable details on geologic eons, eras, and periods • Automated play modes • Animations between globe and flat map projections • Extensive reference list • Suggestions for classroom use The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is a non-profit medical research organization that ranks as one of the nation’s largest philanthropies. HHMI’s BioInteractive initiative opens a window on cutting-edge science through interactive web features, short films, virtual labs, and scientific animations. Since teachers play a pivotal role in launching the careers of future scientists and in helping the public understand the beauty and import of science, the BioInteractive team partners with the teaching community to create and distribute media that is engaging and relevant to the science curriculum.

Screenshots

ABC SPELLING MAGIC4 screens
EarthViewer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: EarthViewer at 4.4 against ABC SPELLING MAGIC's 3.8. EarthViewer also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 12.4). ABC SPELLING MAGIC's advantage is review sentiment (94% vs 83%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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. EarthViewer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

EarthViewer holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 42 and 107 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 94% of ABC SPELLING MAGIC's written reviews are positive against 83% of EarthViewer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ABC SPELLING MAGIC ships an update every 6 weeks, EarthViewer every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ABC SPELLING MAGIC versus EarthViewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterABC SPELLING MAGICEarthViewer
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (42 ratings)4.4 (107 ratings) — better
Positive reviews94.2% of reviews — better83.1% of reviews
Number of ratings42107 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.49.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size132 MB108 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPRESCHOOL UNIVERSITYHoward Hughes Medical Institute

Customer experience

ABC SPELLING MAGIC

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

EarthViewer

All ratings101 ratings
Positive86.1%
Neutral2.0%
Negative11.9%
Written reviews124 reviews
Positive83.1%
Neutral5.6%
Negative11.3%

User reviews

ABC SPELLING MAGIC

From 42 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for learning basic CVC words
  • 👍 Helps build and spell words
  • 👍 Good introduction to phonics
  • 👍 Focuses on spelling and building CVC words
  • 👍 Teaches letter sounds effectively

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Letters won't move for spelling
  • 🇺🇸 American accent only
  • 🤔 Vowels in blue, consonants in red is confusing
  • 🖼️ Pictures can be misleading
  • 🎨 Interface could be more attractive

EarthViewer

From 107 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌍 Comprehensive geological history visualization from 4.6 billion years ago to present
  • 📚 Excellent educational resource for teachers and students
  • 🎨 Beautiful and intuitive interface design
  • 🆓 Free app with extensive features and data
  • 🔄 Smooth continental drift animation and timeline controls

Room to improve

  • 🚫 Cannot exit app without force-closing or restarting device
  • 🐛 App freezes when switching between map projections
  • 📱 Not optimized for newer iOS versions
  • 🌏 Australia appears incorrectly in ancient Earth viewer
  • 🔲 Grid coordinates (lat/lon) not displaying properly

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

EarthViewer

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • App cannot be closed normally - requires force quit or device restart
  • App freezes when switching from flat map to globe view
  • Australia appears in incorrect locations in ancient Earth viewer
  • Grid coordinates (latitude/longitude) not displaying
  • Globe transparency and image distortion on iPad
Show 7 more
  • Geological Events toggle switch not functioning
  • Incompatible with iOS 13 and newer versions
  • Timeline scrolling limited when entire era not visible
  • App won't open or close on some devices
  • Hadean Epoch atmosphere incorrectly shown as blue
  • Antarctica appearance inconsistent between Paleo and Ice Age views
  • Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum information inaccurate

Requested features

16 requests
  • Add Pangea Proxima/Pangea Ultima supercontinent visualization
  • Add Kenorland supercontinent (2500 Mya)
  • Include future Earth continental drift predictions (0-250 million years)
  • Add Pleistocene ice age details with smaller time increments
  • Include ground-level view of Earth with animals and landscapes
Show 11 more
  • Add 2D map projection option (Plate Carree, Mollweide)
  • Add period/stage names to timeline
  • Implement location services to show current user location
  • Add search functionality for extinct species
  • Increase zoom capability for detailed regional analysis
  • Add plate tectonics layer with labeled plates and spreading zones
  • Include other planets and solar system formation
  • Add French language support
  • Add smooth video-like morphing between time periods
  • Fixed rotation axis option for Earth
  • Multiple globe views from different vantage points

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ABC SPELLING MAGIC

One-time1
  • Deluxe Upgrade$1.99
None

EarthViewer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ABC SPELLING MAGIC free?
ABC SPELLING MAGIC is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is EarthViewer free?
EarthViewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ABC SPELLING MAGIC or EarthViewer?
EarthViewer is rated higher. ABC SPELLING MAGIC averages 3.8 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while EarthViewer averages 4.4 from 107 ratings.
Do ABC SPELLING MAGIC or EarthViewer have ads?
Neither ABC SPELLING MAGIC nor EarthViewer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ABC SPELLING MAGIC or EarthViewer?
ABC SPELLING MAGIC ships an update every 6 weeks, and EarthViewer every 2 months. Most recently, ABC SPELLING MAGIC was updated on November 1, 2026 and EarthViewer on November 1, 2026.

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