Comparison

SPELLING MAGIC 2 vs Hairy Phonics 1

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

Hairy Phonics 1

This educational app helps children aged 4-6 develop phonemic awareness by introducing consonant digraphs. It features interactive animations, letter tracing, and games to blend sounds into words, making learning fun and engaging.

Highlights
  • Learn 9 consonant digraph phonemes
  • Structured learning sequence
  • Phonic animations with actions
  • Interactive letter tracing
  • Word blending games
  • Save and collect characters
Features
Read full description

The ideal app to follow the award-winning Hairy Letters. Hairy Phonics develops phonemic awareness with the introduction of the 9 most common consonant digraphs. This is where two consonants join and make one sound. - Learn 9 phonemes (sounds): sh, ch, th, ck, ff, ll, ss, zz, ng. - Guides your child through a structured sequence of learning. - Phonic animations link an action with the sound. - Trace the letters with your finger. - Play games to blend the phonemes into a whole word and improve understanding - Sound out words and understand how the phoneme changes the sound of the word - Save all the Hairies and see them dance. This is a particularly important skill for those with dyslexia. Designed for 4-6 year olds. This app is strictly educational and has no in-app purchases. **************************************************** REVIEWS **************************************************** This is a really great app my son loves it. All the Nessy products are amazing and my son thinks it's such a funny game, so learning and laughing fab. – 100CoolCat My kids loved the first Hairy app and were excited to play this one. It didn't disappoint as they really enjoyed it. It has a different game to the first one where you build a word for the Hairy guy to slide over. – OJRocks

Screenshots

SPELLING MAGIC 24 screens
Hairy Phonics 14 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SPELLING MAGIC 2 at 63% against Hairy Phonics 1's 10%. SPELLING MAGIC 2 also leads on rating (4.3 vs 2.7) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 12 months). Hairy Phonics 1's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 12.4). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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. Hairy Phonics 1 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SPELLING MAGIC 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 19 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of SPELLING MAGIC 2's written reviews are positive against 10% of Hairy Phonics 1's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SPELLING MAGIC 2 ships an update every 4 months, Hairy Phonics 1 every 12 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
SPELLING MAGIC 2 versus Hairy Phonics 1: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSPELLING MAGIC 2Hairy Phonics 1
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (16 ratings) — better2.7 (19 ratings)
Positive reviews62.5% of reviews — better10.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1619 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 12 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
Size185 MB239 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPRESCHOOL UNIVERSITYNessy Learning Limited

Customer experience

SPELLING MAGIC 2

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

Hairy Phonics 1

All ratings19 ratings
Positive36.8%
Neutral5.3%
Negative57.9%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive10.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative70.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SPELLING MAGIC 2

One-time1
  • Deluxe Upgrade$1.99
None

Hairy Phonics 1

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SPELLING MAGIC 2 free?
SPELLING MAGIC 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hairy Phonics 1 free?
Hairy Phonics 1 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SPELLING MAGIC 2 or Hairy Phonics 1?
SPELLING MAGIC 2 is rated higher. SPELLING MAGIC 2 averages 4.3 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Hairy Phonics 1 averages 2.7 from 19 ratings.
Do SPELLING MAGIC 2 or Hairy Phonics 1 have ads?
Neither SPELLING MAGIC 2 nor Hairy Phonics 1 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SPELLING MAGIC 2 or Hairy Phonics 1?
SPELLING MAGIC 2 ships an update every 4 months, and Hairy Phonics 1 every 12 months. Most recently, SPELLING MAGIC 2 was updated on November 1, 2026 and Hairy Phonics 1 on November 1, 2026.

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