Comparison

Spelling Notebook vs Spelling Bee

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

Spelling Bee

Practice spelling with this app that offers adjustable difficulty, spoken words, definitions, and example sentences. Customize your learning with various pronouncers, track progress with charts, and set reminders for consistent practice.

Highlights
  • Adjustable difficulty levels
  • Hear words spoken
  • Word definitions and sentences
  • Multiple pronouncer options
  • Practice history and progress charts
  • Customizable word lists
  • Practice reminders
Features
Read full description

With Spelling Bee, you are free to practice at any time! Adjust the difficulty level when needed. Hear the word spoken, get the definition, and a sentence, then give it a shot. Choose from several pronouncers. Review your history. Several graphs and charts to display your progress. Set reminders to keep up with your practice. Import your own custom word lists. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://anthonyharveyapps.com/privacy-policy-spelling-bee

Screenshots

Spelling Notebook4 screens
Spelling Bee4 screens

Verdict

The call

Spelling Notebook and Spelling Bee both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 86% of Spelling Notebook's written reviews are positive against 50% of Spelling Bee's. Spelling Notebook also leads on ratings volume (2.7K vs 270) and device support (3 vs 1). Spelling Bee's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Spelling Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Spelling Bee sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Spelling Notebook against 4.5 for Spelling Bee. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spelling Notebook has 2.7K ratings behind it against 270, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Spelling Notebook's written reviews are positive against 50% of Spelling Bee's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spelling Notebook ships an update every 3 months, Spelling Bee monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Spelling Notebook versus Spelling Bee: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpelling NotebookSpelling Bee
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (2.7K ratings) — better4.5 (270 ratings)
Positive reviews86.3% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2.7K — better270
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.1
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAko Software Ltd.Anthony Harvey

Customer experience

Spelling Notebook

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

Spelling Bee

All ratings270 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral4.1%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral5.6%
Negative44.4%

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

Spelling Bee

From 270 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great tool for spelling practice
  • 👍 Highly recommended for spelling bees
  • 👍 Good format for spelling bee simulator
  • 👍 Offers harder spelling levels
  • 👍 Uses real spelling bee regulations

Room to improve

  • 🤖 SOOO robotic voice
  • 🤖 Annoying AI voice
  • 🤖 Cheaply made app
  • 🤖 Voice doesn't pronounce words correctly
  • 🤖 Robotic pronunciation makes words fluctuate

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

Spelling Bee

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Forces purchase after few practice words
  • Screen shrinks to iPhone size on iPad
  • Misclick locks and asks for subscription

Requested features

3 requests
  • Family sharing on paid subscription
  • More sampling of audio for better pronunciation
  • Record actual words on app's vocab lists

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Spelling Notebook

One-time1
  • Upgrade to Premium$1.99
2 purchases

Spelling Bee

Subscriptions2
  • Learn More Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Learn More Yearly$12.991 Year

Questions

Is Spelling Notebook free?
Spelling Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Spelling Bee free?
Spelling Bee is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Spelling Notebook or Spelling Bee?
Spelling Notebook is rated higher. Spelling Notebook averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while Spelling Bee averages 4.5 from 270 ratings.
Do Spelling Notebook or Spelling Bee have ads?
Neither Spelling Notebook nor Spelling Bee shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spelling Notebook or Spelling Bee?
Spelling Notebook ships an update every 3 months, and Spelling Bee monthly. Most recently, Spelling Notebook was updated on October 29, 2026 and Spelling Bee on October 30, 2026.

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