Fry Words vs Learning Ally Audiobooks
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Customizable word lists
- Record your own voice
- Multiple game modes
- Adjustable speed and font
- Continuous looping
- Infant mode
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"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
Learning Ally Audiobooks
Access a vast library of human-read audiobooks, including bestsellers, classics, and textbooks. This app offers interactive learning tools like synced text highlighting, speed control, and note-taking to support students with reading deficits or visual impairments.
- Human-read audiobook library
- Synced text highlighting
- Adjustable playback speed
- Bookmarking
- Note-taking
- Textbook access
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This app provides access to Learning Ally’s library of human-read audiobooks, offering an extensive selection of books students want and need to read, including bestsellers, classic literature and textbooks. Now students have interactive learning tools geared to help them succeed, including: highlighted text synced with the audio narration, speed control, bookmarking, highlighting, and note-taking. Learning Ally membership is required to use this app. Learning Ally is for students with dyslexia or other reading deficits who struggle with decoding, fluency or comprehension, who are blind or visually impaired, or who have a physical disability that prohibits them from reading standard print. If you need help getting started with the Learning Ally Audiobook App, please call our Customer Care team at 800-221-4792 or visit LearningAlly.org/Contact-Us to email us.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Learning Ally Audiobooks at Free against Fry Words's $0.99. Learning Ally Audiobooks also leads on update cadence (every 4 months vs every 35 months) and ratings volume (757 vs 44). Fry Words's advantage is review sentiment (76% vs 42%) and rating (3.6 vs 3.4). On ads, in-app purchases 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
Learning Ally Audiobooks is free to download; Fry Words costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Fry Words holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Learning Ally Audiobooks has 757 ratings behind it against 44, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Fry Words's written reviews are positive against 42% of Learning Ally Audiobooks's.
Fry Words ships an update every 35 months, Learning Ally Audiobooks every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Fry Words | Learning Ally Audiobooks |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.6 (44 ratings) — better | 3.4 (757 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.9% of reviews — better | 41.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 44 | 757 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 35 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #152 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Innovative Mobile Apps | Learning Ally |
Customer experience
Fry Words
Learning Ally Audiobooks
User reviews
Fry Words
From 44 App Store ratingsWhat 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
Learning Ally Audiobooks
From 757 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Amazing for people with dyslexia
- 🚀 Helps with reading and learning
- 💡 Allows customization of text and audio
- 👍 Useful for students and college readers
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent playback issues and app crashes
- 🐛 Loses user's place in books
- 🔋 Drains battery when screen is locked
- 🐛 Glitchy user interface and navigation
Bugs and requests
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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
Learning Ally Audiobooks
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to log in or access account
- Books fail to download or disappear from library
- Inconsistent performance across different devices
- Syncing issues between mobile and desktop apps
Requested features
4 requests- Add more recent and popular book titles
- Improve audio playback controls and options
- Implement a sleep timer or auto-off feature
- Better integration with other devices and platforms
In-app purchases
Fry Words
No in-app purchases
Learning Ally Audiobooks
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Fry Words free?
Is Learning Ally Audiobooks free?
Which has better reviews, Fry Words or Learning Ally Audiobooks?
Do Fry Words or Learning Ally Audiobooks have ads?
Which is updated more often, Fry Words or Learning Ally Audiobooks?
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