# Spelling Notebook vs The Spelling Bee

The clearest difference is price: Spelling Notebook at Free against The Spelling Bee's $1.99. Spelling Notebook also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (2.7K vs 148). The Spelling Bee's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Spelling Notebook is free to download; The Spelling Bee costs $1.99 up front. Spelling Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. The Spelling Bee asks for nothing beyond the download.

Spelling Notebook holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spelling Notebook has 2.7K ratings behind it against 148, 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 71% of The Spelling Bee's.

Spelling Notebook ships an update every 3 months, The Spelling Bee every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spelling Notebook | The Spelling Bee |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | **[4.6 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spelling-notebook-learn-test/id461225509/reviews)** | [4.0 (148 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-spelling-bee/id625029839/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.7K** | 148 |
| Positive reviews | **86.3% of reviews** | 70.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 24 MB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ako Software Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/431505822) | [TicTapTech, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/419411017) |

## What reviewers say

### Spelling Notebook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spelling-notebook-learn-test/id461225509)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade to Premium | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Word lists disappearing after device change
- Keyboard issues causing app crashes

**Requested features**

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


### The Spelling Bee

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-spelling-bee/id625029839)

Practice spelling with fun games and customizable word lists. Track progress with badges and history. Ideal for students preparing for tests or learning new words.

**Highlights:** Spelling games (Swarm, Scramble, Alphabetize, Test), Customizable word lists, Pre-loaded word lists (850+ words), Progress tracking with history, Earnable badges for mastery, Multiple user profiles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helps kids learn spelling
- 👍 Keeps kids engaged
- 👍 Solves meltdowns over spelling prep
- 👍 Thriving with the app
- 👍 Best app for studying words

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Games are not great
- 🐛 Super glitchy
- 🐛 Keyboard has too many unneeded features
- 🐛 Microphone feature can be used to cheat
- 🐛 Crashes all the time

**Reported bugs**

- App is super glitchy
- App crashes all the time
- App freezes screen
- App won't record any word
- App keeps crashing

**Requested features**

- Fix the keyboard issue in spelling tests
- Improve the games
- Make letters lowercase
- More user-friendly selection for kids
- Limit honeycombs to 1 or 2 rows


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Spelling Notebook free?

Spelling Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is The Spelling Bee free?

The Spelling Bee costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Spelling Notebook or The Spelling Bee?

Spelling Notebook is rated higher. Spelling Notebook averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while The Spelling Bee averages 4.0 from 148 ratings.

### Do Spelling Notebook or The Spelling Bee have ads?

Neither Spelling Notebook nor The Spelling Bee shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Spelling Notebook or The Spelling Bee?

Spelling Notebook ships an update every 3 months, and The Spelling Bee every 2 months. Most recently, Spelling Notebook was updated on October 17, 2026 and The Spelling Bee on October 17, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*