READING MAGIC 3 vs Sensory Goo
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
Sensory Goo
Explore liquid fun and creative drawing with this accessible app designed for early learners. Experiment with touch and motion to create unique, layered tanks of goo, varying line size and bubble speed. Offers multiple pre-defined modes for diverse artistic experiences.
- Liquid fun bubble drawing
- Layered goo tank creation
- Adjustable line size and bubble speed
- Symmetry drawing options
- Multiple pre-defined drawing modes
- Controller support (Xbox, Adaptive)
Read full descriptionHide full description
Be creative with Sensory Goo using Liquid Fun Bubble drawing. An easy to use app that is accessible and good for early learners exploring touch and motion. Create layered tanks of goo. Create some unusual looking symmetry. Vary the size of the drawing line, and the speed of the liquid bubbles. 8 different pre-defined modes are; 1. Bubble color changes for each new line draw 2. Bubble color change is on a timer 3. Creations bounce around the tank 4. Fast bubble drawing with a shimmer effect 5. Choose your colors from the palette 6. Choose your colors from the palette and draw with symmetry 7. Choose your colors from the palette and draw with symmetry, fixed shapes, bouncing shapes and flow. Change the flow speed and the line width. 8. Full mode - Choose your colors from the palette and draw with symmetry, fixed shapes, bouncing shapes, flow, full bubbles and eraser. Change the flow speed and the line width. Sensory Goo contains no adverts, no in-app purchases and does not require end user login. Sensory Goo can be used remotely for bubble drawing with an XBox Controller and the Microsoft Adaptive Controller.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: READING MAGIC 3 at 89% against Sensory Goo's 0%. READING MAGIC 3 also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.3) and ratings volume (16 vs 3). Sensory Goo's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 22 months). On price, 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
Both are free to download. READING MAGIC 3 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sensory Goo asks for nothing beyond the download.
READING MAGIC 3 holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: READING MAGIC 3 has 16 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of READING MAGIC 3's written reviews are positive against 0% of Sensory Goo's.
READING MAGIC 3 ships an update every 22 months, Sensory Goo every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | READING MAGIC 3 | Sensory Goo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (16 ratings) — better | 3.3 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 89.5% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 16 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 22 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.7 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 250 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | PRESCHOOL UNIVERSITY | Sensory App House Ltd |
Customer experience
READING MAGIC 3
Sensory Goo
In-app purchases
READING MAGIC 3
- Deluxe Upgrade$3.99
Sensory Goo
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is READING MAGIC 3 free?
Is Sensory Goo free?
Which has better reviews, READING MAGIC 3 or Sensory Goo?
Do READING MAGIC 3 or Sensory Goo have ads?
Which is updated more often, READING MAGIC 3 or Sensory Goo?
Other comparisons















