Comparison

SPELLING MAGIC 2 vs Read Live

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

Head to head
About

SPELLING MAGIC 2

This app teaches children to read by focusing on consonant blend words. It uses interactive activities to help build words and understand letter sounds, aligning with Science of Reading principles. Two versions are available, offering different word counts and customization options.

Highlights
  • Teaches CVCC and CCVC words
  • Focuses on letter sounds and word construction
  • Word Building section
  • Moveable Alphabet section
  • Two levels of challenge
  • Developed with educators and Montessori principles
Read full description

Introducing SPELLING MAGIC 2, a key to your child's future reading success. SPELLING MAGIC 2 incorporates the main principles of the Science of Reading. SPELLING MAGIC 2 is tailored to focus on CVCC (consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant) words like "hand," "sent," and "gift," as well as CCVC (consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant) words such as "spin," "flap," and "stop." These types of words are also known as "consonant blend words" and are categorized into themes for enhanced learning. This app is designed to teach children the sounds of letters and how to construct words. It emphasizes the skill of building CCVC/CVCC words with four phonemes using short vowel words, indirectly imparting the essential reading skill of segmenting. With two levels of challenge, it offers a comprehensive learning experience. In the "Word Building" section of the app, only the components (letters) of the word are used for building, while the "Moveable Alphabet" section utilizes the entire alphabet for word construction. Please note that the purpose of this app is to provide ample opportunities for practicing building CCVC & CVCC words, presenting a chance to expand vocabulary. When tapped, the pictures always pronounce the sound of the word that the app prompts the child to build. The free version of SPELLING MAGIC 2 includes 72 words, while the DELUXE version offers 235 words and provides several choices in the options menu, including two types of voices, three font styles, two letter color options, a special feature to connect letters, and over 160 additional words from the free version. Developed by a team of educators using accelerated learning techniques and Montessori principles, this app has been tested and approved by preschoolers, who found it enjoyable and beneficial for learning letter sounds. We eagerly await your feedback and suggestions as we strive to provide a rewarding educational experience for young learners.

About

Read Live

This app provides a structured, audio-supported system to improve reading fluency, phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension for learners of all ages. It offers access to four distinct curriculum options, including support for Spanish readers, and tracks student progress across devices. A Read Live account is required to use the program.

Highlights
  • Four curriculum options
  • Audio-supported system
  • Develops reading fluency
  • Improves comprehension
  • Tracks student progress
  • Spanish reading support
Read full description

Read Live delivers measurable results for struggling and developing readers of all ages. With this app, your students can access their Read Live student stories and exercises in an experience designed to take advantage of the iPad’s capabilities. Improve fluency and phonics skills while supporting vocabulary and comprehension development with Read Naturally Live. Build mastery and automaticity in phonics and decoding with systematic phonics instruction with Word Warm-ups Live. Enable structured, engaging, and independent reading practice with One Minute Reader Live. Help native Spanish speakers or others to learn to read Spanish text fluently with Read Naturally Live–Español. Visit our website to learn more about Read Live: readnaturally.com/go-read-live *** A Read Live account and internet connection are required to use this app. Don’t have an account yet? Don't worry: you can create a free account and start using the program within 1 business day! Read Live was designed by teachers for use in schools. Here's what some teachers are saying: “A great program. Kids enjoy using it. They see their progress in fluency and comprehension skills.” – Special Education Teacher, VT “Love, Love, Love this program to help build our students' fluency. All of the stories are engaging for the students. The technology is easy for both students and teachers to use.” – First-Grade Teacher, WI “This program has dramatically increased the fluency, comprehension and writing abilities of my ELL students. Their MAP scores have risen as much as 15 points in a trimester. It provides great individualization.” – ELL/ESL Teacher, IL KEY FEATURES • Full access to all four curriculum options: Read Naturally Live, Word Warm-ups Live, One Minute Reader Live, and Read Naturally Live–Español. • Structured, audio-supported system keeps students motivated and holds them accountable for their own success. • Develops reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and phonics. • Excellent for Response to Intervention (RTI) or Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). • Student progress syncs across computer and iPad. • Free iPad app for Read Live account holders. ________________________________________ Need support? We’re here to help. Email us at support@readnaturally.com *** IMPORTANT!! You must have a Read Live account to use this app.

Screenshots

SPELLING MAGIC 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Read Live at 5.0 against SPELLING MAGIC 2's 4.3. Read Live also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1). SPELLING MAGIC 2's advantage is review sentiment (63% vs 29%) and ratings volume (16 vs 1). On price, 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. SPELLING MAGIC 2 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Read Live asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Read Live holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SPELLING MAGIC 2 has 16 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 63% of SPELLING MAGIC 2's written reviews are positive against 29% of Read Live's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
SPELLING MAGIC 2 versus Read Live: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSPELLING MAGIC 2Read Live
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (16 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.5% of reviews — better28.6% of reviews
Number of ratings16 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS12.4 — better14.3
Further details — not scored
Size185 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPRESCHOOL UNIVERSITYRead Naturally, Inc.

Customer experience

SPELLING MAGIC 2

All ratings16 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative25.0%

Read Live

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative71.4%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SPELLING MAGIC 2

One-time1
  • Deluxe Upgrade$1.99
None

Read Live

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SPELLING MAGIC 2 free?
SPELLING MAGIC 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Read Live free?
Read Live is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SPELLING MAGIC 2 or Read Live?
Read Live is rated higher. SPELLING MAGIC 2 averages 4.3 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Read Live averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do SPELLING MAGIC 2 or Read Live have ads?
Neither SPELLING MAGIC 2 nor Read Live shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SPELLING MAGIC 2 or Read Live?
SPELLING MAGIC 2 ships an update every 4 months, and Read Live every 4 months. Most recently, SPELLING MAGIC 2 was updated on November 1, 2026 and Read Live on November 1, 2026.

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