Comparison

Spelling Notebook vs Fry Words

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

Head to head
About

Spelling Notebook

Create personalized spelling lists, practice words with audio pronunciation, and test your knowledge. Earn stars for correct answers and focus on words you need to master. Ideal for students and anyone looking to improve their spelling skills.

Highlights
  • Create personalized word lists
  • Audio pronunciation for words
  • Test spelling knowledge
  • Earn stars for correct words
  • Practice words needing mastery
  • Record your own voice
  • Extensive searchable dictionary
Features
Read full description

Create a personalized list of words to practice. Test your spelling - hear each word spoken. Get a star for each correct word. Practice just the words you have yet to master. Retest your words at anytime. Students can practice their words independently. Originally designed to be a replacement for a student's spelling notebook which lists words to be learnt for school each week. Unlike a paper notebook, SpellingNotebook can speak each of the words to enable testing and practice without seeing the written word. SpellingNotebook contains a full searchable spelling dictionary so that words can be added directly to the student's word list, minimizing entry errors. User Reviews * This app is awesome I have a spelling test coming up and I can spell every word correctly thanks to this app!!! (US) * Makes spelling practice fun (UK) * So fun!!!! This is a great app for kids and adults! (US) * Great App!!! Whole class uses it!! (Australia) Spelling Notebook features: * Students can practice independently * More than 100,000 words - add new words to the built in spelling dictionary when needed * Spelling Notebook has a built in voice that can say all words in its extensive dictionary and any new english words added * Optionally Record your own voice for the word you want to practice. You can record just the word, or even a whole phrase to help you recognize which word to spell. * Multiple English regions: UK, US, Canada, Australia and NZ * Earn a star for correct words * Keep multiple word lists * Edit word lists: add or delete words, add or delete an entire word list, rename your list * Import words from one wordlist into another * Words are selected from an extensive dictionary - minimizing entry errors * Help available in app to guide and support * Word list Copy and Paste * History of Word list tests and practice * Email test results * 8 words per list: Upgrade to Premium for unlimited words per list and a selection of UK, US and Australian voices. The built-in spelling dictionary is automatically selected by region. For countries outside US, Canada, Australia and NZ, the UK spelling dictionary is selected. Follow us on Instagram: @spellingnotebook Recommended Ages: All, Kids Categories: Education, Productivity, Apps for Kids

About

Fry Words

This app helps young children learn to read by providing flashcards for the most common words. It offers customizable lists, engaging audio, and multiple game modes to make learning fun and effective for ages 1-4.

Highlights
  • Customizable word lists
  • Record your own voice
  • Multiple game modes
  • Adjustable speed and font
  • Continuous looping
  • Infant mode
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

"This is exactly what I asked Alligator Apps to develop for my classroom. Thank you so much!" The Fry 1000 Instant Words are a list of the most common words used for teaching reading, writing, and spelling. These high frequency words should be recognized instantly by readers. Dr. Edward B. Fry's Instant Words (which are often referred to as the "Fry Words") are the most common words used in English ranked in order of frequency. In 1996, Dr. Fry expanded on Dolch's sight word lists and research and published a book titled "Fry 1000 Instant Words." In his research, Dr. Fry found the following results: 25 words make up approximately 1/3 of all items published. 100 words comprise approximately 1/2 of all of the words found in publications. 300 words make up approximately 65% of all written material. To make learning the Fry Words fun, simple, and easy, we have broken all 1,000 Fry words into unique sets of 10 words each. Why Fry Words from Alligator Apps? We believe that educational apps should be ridiculously fun, immensely educational, and affordable for all. Ideal for Kids 1 - 4 Years Old Alligator Apps User Stories: "I really love this app! I use it daily with my daughter and she has already picked up on a handful of words within a weeks time. Easy to use and customize to your child needs." "My son is learning the Fry's word list in school and this is the perfect app! What a time saver. Instead of having to create hundreds of flashcards here they are and it's FREE." "Wonderful App! As a mom & as a certified Kindergarten teacher, I love all of the Alligator Apps. I use them with my infant twins daily & am brainstorming ways to use it with my students in the fall (specifically the shapes)!" Why you and your kids will love this app: • Add your own cards - you can add an unlimited number of new words and record your own voice • Add new lists - you can add and group flash cards into customizable lists which is ideal for learning • Fun & engaging voice artist keeps kids engaged • The application works both in portrait and landscape mode • 5 unique game modes from easy (2 words only) to challenging (6 words per page) • Fully customizable font size, font color, spelling (upper case, lower case, etc.) • Unique continuous looping feature so you can go through hundreds of flashcards automatically • Customizable speed - you decide how fast to go from flashcard to flashcard • Infant mode - includes ability to select extra large font size and red font color (ideal for babies less than 12 months of age) • Don't want to teach a given word? No problem, just delete the card • Multi-sensory learning tool - combining audio, voice, and written words HEROIC SUPPORT Heroic Support is not just what we do.  It's really what makes us, well, us.  It's that drive to make a difference in your life - no matter how big or small.  Really, it's our way of life because we want you to be our customer for a lifetime of fun and learning. Have questions?  We are here to help.  Email us at support@alligatorapps.com

Screenshots

Spelling Notebook4 screens
Fry Words4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Spelling Notebook at Free against Fry Words's $0.99. Spelling Notebook also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.6) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 35 months). Fry Words's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#200 vs unranked). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Spelling Notebook is free to download; Fry Words costs $0.99 up front. Spelling Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Fry Words asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Spelling Notebook holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spelling Notebook has 2.7K ratings behind it against 44, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Spelling Notebook's written reviews are positive against 76% of Fry Words's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spelling Notebook ships an update every 3 months, Fry Words every 35 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Spelling Notebook versus Fry Words: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpelling NotebookFry Words
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.6 (2.7K ratings) — better3.6 (44 ratings)
Positive reviews86.3% of reviews — better75.9% of reviews
Number of ratings2.7K — better44
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 35 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank—#200 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB43 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperAko Software Ltd.Innovative Mobile Apps

Customer experience

Spelling Notebook

All ratings2,660 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral3.8%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews270 reviews
Positive86.3%
Neutral5.9%
Negative7.8%

Fry Words

All ratings44 ratings
Positive65.9%
Neutral6.8%
Negative27.3%
Written reviews79 reviews
Positive75.9%
Neutral7.6%
Negative16.5%

User reviews

Spelling Notebook

From 2.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Helps improve spelling
  • 💡 Ability to record own voice
  • 👍 Customizable word lists
  • 👍 Tracks progress and mistakes

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Pronunciation issues with some words
  • 💰 Limited free version, need to pay for more features
  • 🔍 Difficult to manage long word lists in free version

Fry Words

From 44 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Highly customizable word lists
  • 👍 Excellent for learning Fry words
  • 👍 Good variety of modes (flashcard, game)
  • 👍 Useful for various age groups (kindergarten to adult)
  • 👍 Offers spoken pronunciation of words

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sound issues (not working, low volume)
  • 🐛 App freezes/crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Recording feature doesn't work
  • 🐛 Basic functionality, lacks instructions
  • 🐛 Some words not capitalized correctly

Bugs and requests

Spelling Notebook

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Word lists disappearing after device change
  • Keyboard issues causing app crashes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add dictionary definitions
  • Improve pronunciation quality
  • Allow more words in free version
  • Implement a dark mode
  • Add ability to share/sync word lists

Fry Words

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Sound unavailable/not working
  • Volume is too low
  • App freezes often
  • Recording option doesn't work
  • Sound does not remain on in settings
Show 9 more
  • App freezes and requires reinstallation
  • Lost custom lists after app freezes
  • Edit mode not working correctly
  • App freezes on iPhone 6
  • Customized lists not opening
  • Problems recording voice
  • Record option worked once then stopped
  • Buggy app
  • App not working correctly with new iOS

Requested features

14 requests
  • Ability to mark mastered cards
  • Option to create quick lists from all words
  • Improvement to the recording section
  • Update app for new iOS compatibility
  • Correct capitalization of 'I'
Show 9 more
  • Change font for 'a' to circle with a stick
  • Improve edit mode functionality
  • Group words according to current Fry lists
  • Add more games (rhyming, meaning)
  • Add a back button
  • Change transition motion to two-finger tap/swipe
  • Option to put custom lists first
  • Record keeping component for multiple students
  • Ability to self-check by clicking for pronunciation after word is presented

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Spelling Notebook

One-time1
  • Upgrade to Premium$1.99
None

Fry Words

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Spelling Notebook free?
Spelling Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Fry Words free?
Fry Words costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Spelling Notebook or Fry Words?
Spelling Notebook is rated higher. Spelling Notebook averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while Fry Words averages 3.6 from 44 ratings.
Do Spelling Notebook or Fry Words have ads?
Neither Spelling Notebook nor Fry Words shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spelling Notebook or Fry Words?
Spelling Notebook ships an update every 3 months, and Fry Words every 35 months. Most recently, Spelling Notebook was updated on October 29, 2026 and Fry Words on October 26, 2026.

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