First Phrases Lite vs Phonological Processes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
First Phrases Lite
This app helps toddlers and children learning basic English phrases to develop language skills. It uses interactive animations and audio to teach verb-noun combinations, encouraging both listening and speaking practice.
- Interactive animations
- Audio and visual learning
- Record and playback speech
- Verb + noun phrase practice
- Speech therapy support
- Early literacy development
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This interactive, beautifully illustrated and animated app for the iPad, iPhone and Mac is perfect for the toddler or speech-delayed child who is learning how to put two-three words together or any child who is learning basic English phrases. Developed by an experienced speech-language pathologist, this app provides many opportunities to both hear (receptive), see, and say/record (expressive) 10 different verb + noun combinations, such as: eat the carrot, drive the train, close the door, drink the juice, sleep on the bed, turn on the light, and more. A delightful cat performs them, with 28 possible animation combinations. It is also a great way to teach the article “the” in a meaningful phrase context. **For more verb and character choices, we suggest upgrading to the full version of this app. First Phrases Lite includes user settings for 1 child and 1 guest player. Only one user can keep data. Hamaguchi Apps is dedicated to the mission of bringing high-quality apps to the general public and professionals for affordable prices. We do not have subscriptions for our apps--you download them and they are yours. How you play: Tell the cat what to do! By touching the illustrated parts of the phrases in order (verb+ object forms: “eat the carrot”) the child hears the pre-recorded spoken phrase modeled. The user has the option to repeat this action once, twice or three times in the settings for maximum auditory input. The child then watches an animation of the cat performing the command to help the child associate the words and their meaning. Now it’s the child’s turn to say it and tell the cat what to do! Touch the microphone and record, listen again, and watch the animal follow your direction. Use the optional visual support by tapping on the shapes above the microphone. An adult can score the parts of the phrases. All correct? The cat gives a thumbs up and we hear a praise phrase such as "Awesome!". Tap on End Session to see the data and replay any missed items. This format is especially powerful for children with speech delays and autism spectrum disorders who need strong visual support with as little background clutter as possible, and for use in speech therapy sessions. The format also is a terrific way to support early literacy for left to right orientation, reading (with text on feature) and word boundaries. Options include text on/text off, recording feature on/off, presentation of the phrase in 3 segments (verb + the + object) or 2 segments (verb + the object). Developed by noted speech-language pathologist Patti Hamaguchi, who is the author of several books in the speech-language pathology field including, "Childhood Speech, Language & Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know". Patti is also the author or co-author of several standardized tests including the RESCA-E, the TAPS4, the ELCI and upcoming tests the RESCA-ELD, RESCA-A and the Hamaguchi Speech-Language Screening Test. PRIVACY POLICY: We do NOT collect personal data from our users and have no ads! Personal data regarding user performance on the tasks on this app are self-contained and not transmitted in any way to any third parties including us. It is on your device only. *Please contact our tech support at info@hamaguchiapps.com if you are experiencing any technical issues with our apps. We will always help you troubleshoot it and get back to you generally within one business day. To find out more about this app and our other upcoming projects, visit our website: www.hamaguchiapps.com
Phonological Processes
This app helps children aged 4 and up with phonological disorders or delays. It uses a research-based linguistic approach with minimal pair contrast therapy through flashcards and an animated board game. Users can record productions, track progress, and share results.
- Minimal pair contrast therapy
- Animated board game
- Flashcard drills
- Production recording
- Data tracking and emailing
- Multiple student profiles
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****The jungle/safari theme is adorable! The kids loved the board game and all wanted to land on the hippo and the snake. I like the multiple ways to target the processes. (Carries Speech Corner)**** ****If you choose the Game Board option, you get to have some fun in the jungle!! My students are always asking if we are playing the jungle game each time I pull out my iPad! This app is great for data collection and sharing information with parents and teachers! (Kristin C., SLP and blogger)**** The Phonological Processes app was created by a certified speech and language pathologist for children ages 4 and up who exhibit phonological disorders or delays. This research-based app implements a linguistic approach for treatment of phonological disorders by engaging users in minimal pair contrast therapy. Children will have fun drilling with flashcards while playing a colorful animated board game full of surprises. In addition, children can record their productions and compare them with the targeted productions pre-recorded in this app. Phonological Processes app includes the most common phonological processes in the following activities: -Auditory bombardment with minimal pairs -Auditory discrimination with minimal pairs -Minimal pair production -Single word production Phonological processes addressed in this app include the following : -Affrication -Deaffrication -Cluster reduction (with “ L”) -Cluster reduction (with “R”) -Cluster reduction (with “S”) -Cluster reduction (mixed) -Final consonant deletion -Fronting -Gliding (with “L”) -Gliding (with “R”) -Gliding (mixed) -Prevocalic voicing -Stopping of fricatives -Stopping of affricates -Stopping (mixed) The Phonological Processes app is easy to navigate and allows users to employ several tools to perform the following tasks: -Enter multiple students -Change settings and use randomization -Select auto-scoring -Select alternate counts for multiple students -Track correct and incorrect responses -E-mail results at the end of the session Background Phonological processes refer to typical patterns that are used by children to simplify their speech. For example, a young child may say “tar” for “car” or “may” for “make.” Phonological processes are very common among three- and four-year-old children, but most of them should spontaneously resolve by approximately age 5. If phonological processes do not disappear by this age, the child may need formal speech evaluation and intervention. Treatment of Phonological Disorders The Phonological Processes app employs minimal pair contrast therapy. The minimal pair approach to phonological remediation teaches children the function of sounds, emphasizing that changing sounds changes the meaning of a word (Barlow & Gierut, 2002). Minimal contrast therapy targets pairs of words that differ only by one sound. It may focus on the perception of contrast or production of contrast. In the perception task, the child is asked to point to target words when presented with two or more pictures (minimal pairs). In the production task, the child is asked to verbally produce minimal pairs (Bernthal and Bankson 1998). REFERENCES Barlow, J. A., and Gierut, J. A. (2002). Minimal pair approaches to phonological remediation. Seminars in Speech and Language, 23(1), 57-67 Bernthal J. E., and Bankson N.W. (1998). Articulation and Phonological Disorders. 4th edition.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: First Phrases Lite at Free against Phonological Processes's $16.99. First Phrases Lite also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 62%) and rating (3.7 vs 3.5). Phonological Processes's advantage is iOS requirement (7.0 vs 16.6). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
First Phrases Lite is free to download; Phonological Processes costs $16.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
First Phrases Lite holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of First Phrases Lite's written reviews are positive against 62% of Phonological Processes's.
First Phrases Lite ships an update every 4 months, Phonological Processes every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | First Phrases Lite | Phonological Processes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $16.99 |
| Rating | 3.7 (3 ratings) — better | 3.5 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 86.0% of reviews — better | 61.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 7.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 612 MB | 109 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hamaguchi Learning & Development, LLC | Virtual Speech Center Inc. |
Customer experience
First Phrases Lite
Phonological Processes
In-app purchases
First Phrases Lite
No in-app purchases
Phonological Processes
No in-app purchases
Questions
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Is Phonological Processes free?
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