Comparison

Simplex Spelling HD vs Monster Spelling Piano

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

Head to head
About

Simplex Spelling HD

This app enhances English spelling and reading skills using a unique "reverse phonics" approach and contextually relevant spelling rules. It acts as a personal spelling coach, teaching foundational Dolch sight words through interactive word building and immediate feedback.

Highlights
  • Teaches Dolch Sight words
  • Reverse phonics approach
  • Contextual spelling rules
  • Interactive word building
  • Phonics hint feature
  • Letter-by-letter feedback
  • Multiple user accounts
Features
Read full description

Simplex Spelling improves English spelling and reading skills in a fun and interactive way by combining a unique “reverse phonics” approach with contextually relevant spelling rules that explain why words are spelled in a particular manner. It works like a personal spelling coach with every word. Simplex Spelling HD teaches the Dolch sight words to establish a base foundation in spelling and reading fluency. Please check out the word lists on our website before purchasing to ensure they meet your learning requirements https://pyxwise.com/sight-words-description/#Word-Lists Rather than using flash cards, Simplex Spelling enables the student to build each word. Students gain skills above and beyond the sheer memorization of words. Simplex Spelling is great tool to have for kids learning to spell and read, remedial students, or those learning English as a second language. Recommended for ages 5+. Note: You can not create your own spelling lists in Simplex Spelling HD. Features: - All of the more than 300 Dolch Sight words to help build literacy. - Words are spoken and used in a sentence to establish context. - Introduction seamlessly leads a student through the application’s features by providing spoken information while having the student spell new words. - Powerful phonics hint feature sounds out each word and provides a list of possible phonograms for each sound. - A full “reverse phonics” approach that includes sounds made by all the different letter combinations. - Contextually relevant spelling rule hints that help explain “how to spell” English words. - Unique letter by letter feedback system that provides immediate feedback. - Guaranteed success on every word. - Support for multiple user accounts. - User stats screen that allows you to see words that have been mastered and words that require further practice. - Export & email student progress reports. - Remembers each user’s position and progress. - Supports both upper and lower case letters. - Supports both alphabetic and QWERTY keyboard layouts. - Supports US, UK and Canadian English spelling. - An approach that appeals to audio, visual and tactile learners. Privacy Disclosure: - No 3rd party ads - Does not share any data - No In-App purchases - Contains child protected links in app to developer's website for additional information, support and teaching tips. - Contains child protected link to developer email support. COPPA Compliant 
https://pyxwise.com/privacy-policy/

About

Monster Spelling Piano

This app makes learning letters and sounds engaging for children through fun characters and visual aids. It helps develop phonemic awareness and master grapheme-to-phoneme correspondences, supporting neurodiverse learners.

Highlights
  • IPA Phonemies and Speech Sound Monsters
  • Code Mapping® for grapheme clarification
  • Visual aids like highlights and split digraphs
  • Over 100 high-frequency irregular words
  • Supports children with ADHD, autism, and dyslexia
  • Multi-sensory Speech Sound Mapping approach
Features
Read full description

The Monster Spelling Piano app is designed to make learning 'letters and sounds' fun and easy for children. With the IPA Phonemies, fun Speech Sound Monster characters, and Code Mapping® to clarify graphemes, the app offers visual enhancements such as black/white highlights and split digraphs in blue for improved understanding. It also includes over 100 high-frequency 'irregular' words to help children confidently navigate English orthography. Ideal for neurodiverse classrooms, The Monster Spelling Piano app is widely used by speech therapists and educators who follow the Speech Sound Pics Approach and use Speech Sound Play to develop Phonemic Awareness Mastery. It supports children with ADHD, autism, and dyslexia through its engaging, multi-sensory Speech Sound Mapping approach to securing core grapheme-to-phoneme correspondences (GPCs). For more details, see our Privacy Policy and EULA. https://mappedwords.com/privacy

Screenshots

Simplex Spelling HD4 screens
Monster Spelling Piano4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Simplex Spelling HD at $4.99 against Monster Spelling Piano's $14.99. Simplex Spelling HD also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1). Monster Spelling Piano's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 90%) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.0). On update cadence, ads, monetization model 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

Simplex Spelling HD costs $4.99 and Monster Spelling Piano $14.99 up front. Monster Spelling Piano sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. Simplex Spelling HD asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simplex Spelling HD ships an update every 3 months, Monster Spelling Piano every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Simplex Spelling HD versus Monster Spelling Piano: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimplex Spelling HDMonster Spelling Piano
Price$4.99 — better$14.99
Rating3.2 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews90.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size134 MB105 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPyxwise Software Inc.EdCode Ltd

Customer experience

Simplex Spelling HD

All ratings5 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral40.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive90.3%
Neutral3.2%
Negative6.5%

Monster Spelling Piano

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Simplex Spelling HD

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Monster Spelling Piano

Subscriptions1
  • Monster Spelling Piano App$4.991 Year

Questions

Is Simplex Spelling HD free?
Simplex Spelling HD costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Monster Spelling Piano free?
Monster Spelling Piano costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Do Simplex Spelling HD or Monster Spelling Piano have ads?
Neither Simplex Spelling HD nor Monster Spelling Piano shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simplex Spelling HD or Monster Spelling Piano?
Simplex Spelling HD ships an update every 3 months, and Monster Spelling Piano every 4 months. Most recently, Simplex Spelling HD was updated on November 2, 2026 and Monster Spelling Piano on November 4, 2026.

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