First Phrases vs HB Auditory Memory
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
First Phrases
This interactive app helps young children learn to combine words into meaningful phrases. It features animated characters performing actions and allows for recording and playback to aid language development. Ideal for speech therapy and early literacy support.
- 72 verb + noun phrase combinations
- Animated characters performing actions
- Record and playback speech
- Group setting for multiple users
- Data collection and reporting
- Visual support for learning
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From SmartAppsforKids.com: "In my opinion, First Phrases is a must-have for parents of children working on increasing expressive vocabulary, as well as the therapists and teachers who support their learning. First Phrases is creative, utilizes the iPad’s features in effective ways, and is engaging for young children. Highly recommended." This interactive, illustrated and animated app is perfect for a toddler, preschooler, or any child who is learning to put two or three word English phrases together. It provides many opportunities to hear (receptive), see, and say/record (expressive--if the child is talking) 72 different verb + noun combinations, such as: eat the carrot, blow the bubble, ride the bike, throw the ball, sleep on the bed, put away the toys, and more. With 6 different characters performing the actions, there are 456 possible animations so your child will never be bored! Each verb form is paired with several associated nouns to make a logical phrase such as "eat the apple" or "eat the banana" or "eat the carrot". It is also a great way to teach the article “the” in a meaningful phrase context. Use with 20 children, making it an excellent choice for professional use by a speech-language pathologist. There is also a group setting that allows several children to be engaged at once yet still have their own personal settings. Replay missed items, email results or print them out on the Session Results page! How to play: Tell the characters what to do! Touch the illustrated parts of the phrases in order one at a time (e.g. “eat... the... carrot”). The child hears the pre-recorded spoken phrase modeled. You can have this repeated once, twice or three times in the settings for maximum auditory input. Children who are not yet talking can skip the recording option and simply tap/see the associated animation on the Easy Level to learn the meanings of the phrases and to build language comprehension. The child then watches the character (bear, mouse, cat, dog, boy or girl) perform the command to help associate the words with their meaning. Now it’s the child’s turn to say it and tell them what to do! Tap the microphone and record, listen again, and watch the character follow the direction. Use the optional visual support to help remember what to say! On the scoring page, an adult can indicate what parts of the verb phrase were produced correctly for data collection if desired, then tap "Done". When all parts of the phrase are correct the character gives a thumbs-up. This format is especially powerful for children with speech delays and autism spectrum disorders who need strong visual support with as little background clutter as possible, and for use in speech therapy sessions. The format also is a terrific way to support early literacy for left to right orientation, reading (with text on feature) and word boundaries. Options include text on/text off, recording feature on/off, girl or boy narration voice models, presentation of the phrase in 3 segments (verb + the + object) or 2 segments (verb + the object). A perfect speech therapy app for children with special needs! PRIVACY POLICY: We do NOT collect personal data from our users and have no ads. Personal data regarding user performance on the tasks on this app are self-contained and not transmitted in any way. This is a one-time download fee. We do not have subscriptions. Developed by noted speech-language pathologist Patti Hamaguchi, M.A., CCC-SLP who is also the author of books such as "Childhood Speech, Language & Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know", "A Metacognitive Treatment Approach to Treating Auditory Processing Disorders", several tests (RESCA-E, ELCI, TAPS4) To find out more about this app and our other upcoming projects, go to: www.hamaguchiapps.com Questions or need Tech Support? Email us at info@hamaguchiapps.com
HB Auditory Memory
This educational app helps students improve auditory memory, closure, and comprehension skills through engaging, multi-level missions. Players assist characters in saving MemoryTown from a forgetful villain by completing various listening activities.
- Auditory memory training
- Auditory closure exercises
- Comprehension skill development
- Memory for Numbers
- Memory for Words
- Memory for Details
- Auditory Closure
- Memory for WH Information
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HearBuilder is available for all users—families, educators, therapists, schools, and districts. Anyone witha HearBuilder subscription can access the full program. Join Recall Agents Kim and Joey as they race to save MemoryTown from the mischievous Dr. Forgetsit. Students strengthen auditory memory, closure, and comprehension skills through engaging missions that make learning feel like an adventure. Each multi‑level task in HearBuilder Auditory Memory sends students on a new challenge to outsmart Dr. Forgetsit. The humorous storylines and interactive activities keep learners motivated while they build essential skills for recalling verbal information. Program Features HearBuilder Auditory Memory teaches key strategies for remembering important information and includes five essential listening activities: • Memory for Numbers (3–7 digits) • Memory for Words (3–5 words organized by syllable) • Memory for Details (1–4 details) • Auditory Closure (Sentence Completion) • Memory for WH Information (2–3 sentences / 2–4 questions) HearBuilder Online (my.hearbuilder.com) • Access all four HearBuilder programs: Following Directions, Phonological Awareness, Auditory Memory, and Sequencing • Monitor progress and track student performance • Individualize each student’s settings and difficulty levels • Add adjustable background noise to increase challenge • Customize and print detailed reports
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: HB Auditory Memory at Free against First Phrases's $15.99. HB Auditory Memory also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1). First Phrases's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 3.6) and review sentiment (94% vs 64%). On ratings volume, update cadence, 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
HB Auditory Memory is free to download; First Phrases costs $15.99 up front. First Phrases sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. HB Auditory Memory asks for nothing beyond the download.
First Phrases holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 35 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of First Phrases's written reviews are positive against 64% of HB Auditory Memory's.
First Phrases ships an update every 4 months, HB Auditory Memory every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | First Phrases | HB Auditory Memory |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $15.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (13 ratings) — better | 3.6 (35 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 93.8% of reviews — better | 63.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 13 | 35 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 612 MB | 242 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hamaguchi Learning & Development, LLC | Super Duper Publications |
Customer experience
First Phrases
HB Auditory Memory
Bugs and requests
First Phrases
Reported bugs
5 issues- Screen share disconnects during animations
- App crashes frequently
- Settings do not save
- Words do not flip to show phrases after update
- App not working after new iPad purchase (resolved)
Requested features
8 requests- Store recordings for progress tracking
- Add more phrases
- Allow more student profiles
- Save multiple recordings
- Repeat targeted phrase with icons on all pages
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- Data collection feature
- Add more verb-noun combinations
- Data tracker for student progress
HB Auditory Memory
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
First Phrases
- In-app purchase$0.99
HB Auditory Memory
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is First Phrases free?
Is HB Auditory Memory free?
Which has better reviews, First Phrases or HB Auditory Memory?
Do First Phrases or HB Auditory Memory have ads?
Which is updated more often, First Phrases or HB Auditory Memory?
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