Spelling Notebook vs Marcus' Story
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Marcus' Story
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Stolen Lives is a learning resource featuring an illustrated comic book. It builds upon extensive research into the use of visual content and mental exploration to aid learning as well as employing the principles of transformative learning techniques. The accompanying teaching and learning resource (available separately) was developed in partnership with children and teachers as a modular programme. It is suitable for use with a whole class or smaller, targeted groups and includes material to explore the attitudes and opinions of young people, specifically around peer pressure. The activities develop over several sessions enabling themes to build and issues to be investigated in depth, with plenty of opportunity for reflection on personal experiences. The programme was commissioned in response to an increasing awareness of the challenges that young people face during the transition from primary to secondary school and the huge impact that inadequate preparation can have on their lives. It’s design brought together a range of partners including local authorities, health and police services. Ultimately the programme aims to increase resilience among primary school pupils by helping them to understand and develop strategies for better-informed choices when faced with negative pressures from their peer group. Following a successful pilot in one area of the UK there are now plans to broaden the range of content and themes included in the programme. During that pilot 80% of the pupils who took part rated the materials as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’. Teachers, schools or other organisations wishing to use the accompanying resource materials and lesson plans or interested in taking part in future pilots should get in touch with us directly to discuss their specific needs. What teachers said: “Literacy skills are incorporated the whole way through the scheme (reading, writing, speaking and listening and drama skills)…and the project fits in well with existing PSHE and Citizenship schemes of work.” “Difficult topics can be addressed in an open and non-threatening way.” “The materials are cross-curricular and can be incorporated easily into any school’s PSHE and Citizenship curriculum…there is room to be flexible with how and when it is taught.” “Awareness and early intervention are key to helping children make positive life choices as they grow into young adults. This resource is an ideal way of preparing children for situations they may encounter as they become more independent.” What pupils said: “I have felt more confident about talking about things that have happened” “Wished we could have done more” “…The best activity was role playing different endings” “...really good because it had a cliff hanger ending which made you think” “It really helped me with bullying problems” “Brilliant, would read it over and over” What teachers reported their pupils had learned: * How to seek out advice for themselves or friends * Co-operation * Confidence to make decisions * Knowledge of gangs and typical behaviours * Looking at issues from different view points * To express themselves in a positive way through the activities * Learnt to reason why some people join or create gangs * To make good decisions
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Marcus' Story at none against Spelling Notebook's 1. Marcus' Story also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). Spelling Notebook's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads 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
Both are free to download. Spelling Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Marcus' Story asks for nothing beyond the download.
Spelling Notebook ships an update every 3 months, Marcus' Story every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Spelling Notebook | Marcus' Story |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (2.7K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 86.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.7K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 103 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Ako Software Ltd. | Lime Social Marketing, Media & Communications Ltd |
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
Marcus' Story
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Spelling Notebook
- Upgrade to Premium$1.99
Marcus' Story
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Spelling Notebook free?
Is Marcus' Story free?
Do Spelling Notebook or Marcus' Story have ads?
Which is updated more often, Spelling Notebook or Marcus' Story?
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