READING MAGIC 3 vs 12Bart
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
READING MAGIC 3
This app makes learning to read an exciting adventure for children. It uses interactive activities and science-backed methods to help master words with two or more syllables, building essential literacy skills.
- Science of Reading methodology
- Focus on multi-syllable words
- Blending and segmenting skills
- Phonemic awareness development
- Three engaging learning modes
- Interactive reading games
- Progress tracking
Read full descriptionHide full description
Unlock the Magic of Reading with READING MAGIC 3! Transform your child into a confident reader with READING MAGIC 3! This app makes learning to read an exciting adventure through interactive activities focused on short vowel words containing multiple syllables. Meticulously designed to provide an advanced boost to your child’s phonemic awareness, this app combines three foundational pillars of literacy science into one powerful, interactive ecosystem: Blending (Listening), Segmenting (Speaking), and Decoding (Reading). Grounded firmly in Science of Reading principles and utilizing University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) guidelines, READING MAGIC provides specific, precise training with extensive repetitions to help young brains bridge the gap between spoken sound units and complete words. IDEAL FOR BOTH BEGINNING PRE-READERS AND STRUGGLING READERS For Beginning Pre-Readers: A stress-free launchpad. By practicing words through pure sound sequences first, your child masters the internal mechanics of reading without cognitive overload. This keeps them from being frustrated by trying to learn separate, difficult skills at the same time. For Struggling or Remedial Readers: If your child's reading is hesitant or choppy, or if they guess at words, this app provides the targeted intervention recommended by modern reading science to help young brains bridge the gap. THREE CRITICAL SKILL-BUILDING PILLARS While many phonics programs completely overlook the auditory mechanics of reading, our program systematically guides your child through the complete progression of decoding: Skill 1: Blending (Listening): Interactive listening activities train your child’s neural processing ability to hear isolated sounds in words and join them together mentally. This builds the vital auditory runway required for future fluency. Skill 2: Segmenting (Speaking): True spelling and reading independence require the ability to pull spoken words apart into their individual sound units. These exercises build explicit awareness of the acoustic structure of language. Skill 3: Decoding (Reading): The ultimate bridge to literacy. Your child applies their mastery of blending and segmenting directly to text, smoothly moving from spoken sounds to visual words. STRUCTURAL SPACING & INSTRUCTION (Science-Backed Layout) Our app builds the actual findings of reading science directly into the user interface for maximum visual clarity: Anti-Crowding Design: Peer-reviewed research, including Marinus et al. (2016) and Wery & Diliberto (2017), demonstrates that generous letter spacing is critical for early decoding. By placing each letter on its own isolated card with distinct physical gaps, our layout eliminates visual crowding, allowing your child to isolate each sound unit cleanly. True Comprehension: The app strictly discourages picture guessing, forcing children to rely purely on their decoding skills to foster true comprehension and build lasting confidence. INDEPENDENT LEARNING & AESTHETIC SIMPLICITY Distraction-Free: Our minimalist design eliminates overstimulating audio-visual clutter, excessive sound effects, and animations to keep your child entirely focused on the mechanics of reading. Stress-Free Growth: Built-in natural feedback loops offer gentle corrections, nurturing self-discovery and independent learning at your child's own pace. EXPERT RESEARCH BACKING "Before a child can read fluently with their eyes, they must be able to blend fluently with their ears. Weakness in auditory blending is one of the strongest early predictors of later reading failure." — Dr. Joseph Torgesen, Florida State University. "Teaching students to blend and segment benefited their reading much more than did a multiple-skills approach... and teaching phonemic awareness with letters created effect sizes almost twice as large as teaching children without letters." — The National Reading Panel (NRP) Meta-Analysis
12Bart
Read full descriptionHide full description
This app is only for people who own or use Levels 1 and 2 of the Barton Reading & Spelling System. You will be charged $29.99 as soon as you download this app. This app is only a small part of the Barton Reading & Spelling System. So, if you do NOT already own Levels 1 and 2 of the Barton System, do NOT download this app. If you own, Barton Reading and Spelling System Level 1 and Level 2, please contact 408-559-3652 or info@BartonReading.com to get login credentials. More than just tiles on an iPad, this app will save Barton tutors at least 10 minutes each session. To see how, watch the demo videos that are on www.BartonTiles.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: READING MAGIC 3 at Free against 12Bart's $29.99. READING MAGIC 3 also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.7 vs 15.0). 12Bart's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 22 months). On 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
READING MAGIC 3 is free to download; 12Bart costs $29.99 up front. READING MAGIC 3 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 12Bart asks for nothing beyond the download.
READING MAGIC 3 ships an update every 22 months, 12Bart every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | READING MAGIC 3 | 12Bart |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $29.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (13 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 89.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 13 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 22 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.7 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 250 MB | 29 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | PRESCHOOL UNIVERSITY | Bright Solutions for Dyslexia, Inc. |
In-app purchases
READING MAGIC 3
- Deluxe Upgrade$3.99
12Bart
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is READING MAGIC 3 free?
Is 12Bart free?
Do READING MAGIC 3 or 12Bart have ads?
Which is updated more often, READING MAGIC 3 or 12Bart?
Other comparisons















