Comparison

PBPhonics 1 to 3 vs Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

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

Head to head
About

PBPhonics 1 to 3

This app helps adults and young adults improve basic English literacy by practicing phonics. It allows users to hear phonemes, blend them into words, and record themselves to compare pronunciation. Instruction is visual, adapting to the user's progress.

Highlights
  • Hear and blend phonemes
  • Record and compare pronunciation
  • Visual instruction with animated gestures
  • Adaptive vocabulary and test complexity
  • Teacher progress review
  • Australian accent pronunciation
Features
Read full description

PBPhonics is for adults and young adults studying basic English literacy, including those learning English as a second language. It offers students the opportunity to: 1. Hear the phonemes that make up a word 2. Hear those phonemes run together to make the word 3. Hear the whole word 4. Record themselves speaking the word and compare their recording with PBPhonics 5. Take tests matching word sounds to their written form Instruction is provided through animated gestures, with no dependence on written or spoken instructions. The vocabulary and test complexity start simply and automatically adapt as the student passes tests and gains confidence. Teachers may also choose appropriate levels and review student progress on the ⓘ screen. PBPhonics 1 to 3 contains 18 phonemes in 3 sets (S,A,T,I,P,N; CK,E,H,R,M,D; and G,O,U,L,F,B). These are used to build 278 words. Some words have pictures and others have spoken sentences to provide context. The words and phonemes have an Australian accent, and have been recorded with multiple voices for variety. Teachers may replace word and phoneme sounds with their own recordings. When students have mastered all 18 phonemes, they may move to PBPhonics 1 to 7. This more than doubles the material, for a total of 42 phonemes and 619 words. PBPhonics 1 to 7 is a separate app; PBPhonics 1 to 3 does not ask for any In-App Purchases.

About

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

This app helps young learners develop essential handwriting skills by practicing letter and number formation, and shapes. It offers a fun, engaging, and prep-free experience for children, with customizable word lists and offline functionality.

Highlights
  • Letter and number formation practice
  • Shape tracing
  • Fine motor skill development
  • Customizable word lists
  • Offline functionality
  • Multi-language support
Features
Read full description

Take the hassle out of handwriting lessons with the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app! It’s a fun-filled, prep-free way to help your little learners form letters, numbers and shapes, and build those all-important fine motor skills. So, why will you love the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app? Your weekend is safe. Just set them up and watch them practice. You get back the time you’d spend prepping tracing sheets for lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers 1-100, and simple shapes. No more begging to practice! The kids are actually asking to use it. That's a win-win. From the classroom to the car. It works on any device and keeps the learning consistent, no matter where they are. It's built by people who get it. The app has been developed by expert lead teachers and senior practitioners , so you can have total confidence in its standards. Phonics panic, solved. Phase 2/3 sounds and over 100 CVC words are ready-to-go, so you have exactly what you need for your next lesson. Cater to all your learners, wherever you are in the world. The app has specific fonts and professional audio in English for the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, along with Welsh, Spanish, Arabic and Afrikaans. Stress-free screen time. The app works completely offline, so you can breathe easy knowing the kids are safe and the content is secure. Adaptable to your needs. Create your own custom word lists to personalize the experience for your learners. Full support for your teaching. The app is compatible with a great range of supporting printable resources from the Twinkl website. How to access the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app: Twinkl Ultimate members get full access to the app and all of Twinkl’s other mobile and web apps as part of your membership. If you just want app access without the wider benefits of Twinkl, you can take out an in-app subscription. Or, if you want to see how it works, you can try some of the features of the app for free in Try! Mode. Got questions? You can contact our lovely Twinkl Cares team 24/7, and you can always speak to a real human - that’s the Twinkl difference. Our Privacy Policy: https://www.twinkl.com/legal#privacy-policy Our Terms and Conditions: https://www.twinkl.com/legal#terms-and-conditions Apple Standard Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Rated 3+ by the Indonesia Game Rating System (IGRS)

Screenshots

PBPhonics 1 to 34 screens
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Twinkl Formation & Handwriting at 4.5 against PBPhonics 1 to 3's 3.3. Twinkl Formation & Handwriting also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 12 months) and review sentiment (41% vs 17%). PBPhonics 1 to 3's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (4 vs 2). On price 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. Twinkl Formation & Handwriting sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month. PBPhonics 1 to 3 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Twinkl Formation & Handwriting has 63 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of PBPhonics 1 to 3's written reviews are positive against 41% of Twinkl Formation & Handwriting's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PBPhonics 1 to 3 ships an update every 12 months, Twinkl Formation & Handwriting every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
PBPhonics 1 to 3 versus Twinkl Formation & Handwriting: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPBPhonics 1 to 3Twinkl Formation & Handwriting
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (3 ratings)4.5 (63 ratings) — better
Positive reviews16.7% of reviews41.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings363 — better
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB228 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCowirrieTwinkl Limited

Customer experience

PBPhonics 1 to 3

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative66.7%

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

All ratings63 ratings
Positive87.3%
Neutral3.2%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive41.2%
Neutral23.5%
Negative35.3%

In-app purchases

None

PBPhonics 1 to 3

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

Subscriptions2
  • Twinkl Monthly Subscription$0.491 Month
  • Annual Subscription$2.991 Year

Questions

Is PBPhonics 1 to 3 free?
PBPhonics 1 to 3 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Twinkl Formation & Handwriting free?
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PBPhonics 1 to 3 or Twinkl Formation & Handwriting?
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting is rated higher. PBPhonics 1 to 3 averages 3.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Twinkl Formation & Handwriting averages 4.5 from 63 ratings.
Do PBPhonics 1 to 3 or Twinkl Formation & Handwriting have ads?
Neither PBPhonics 1 to 3 nor Twinkl Formation & Handwriting shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PBPhonics 1 to 3 or Twinkl Formation & Handwriting?
PBPhonics 1 to 3 ships an update every 12 months, and Twinkl Formation & Handwriting every 2 months. Most recently, PBPhonics 1 to 3 was updated on November 1, 2026 and Twinkl Formation & Handwriting on October 31, 2026.

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