Movable Alphabet vs Four in a Row
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Movable Alphabet
This app helps young children learn to spell and build words phonetically, mirroring a Montessori approach. It allows them to arrange letters to form words before they master handwriting, with audio support and additional word sets available.
- Phonetic word building
- Montessori methodology
- Audio pronunciations
- Over 40 images with words
- Interactive letter sounds
- Multiple word set expansions
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Mobile Montessori is proud to present the Movable Alphabet! After learning to identify and blend the sounds of the letters of the alphabet children are often ready to build words on their own. However, the ability to write them down with paper and pencil may require much more time and practice to acquire. Therefore, Dr. Montessori prepared the Movable Alphabet for children to “write” words, long before mastering the physical skill of writing. Children can phonetically sound out words, one letter at a time to build words. The app includes over 40 images of simple words, along with audio pronunciations and instructions, for children to practice with. Additional word sets are available via InApp Purchase! One unique feature in this app, are the buttons in the box above each letter. Children can touch the buttons to hear the sound of the letters, giving them the ability to "search" for the sound they are thinking of to build their word! ***** REVIEWS FROM OUR CUSTOMERS: "Thank you so much for the Cursive Edition of the movable alphabet. We've just downloaded it and my son is using it with great success!" ***** About the Word Sets: Once the children begin the process of composing three letter words (consonant-vowel-consonant) with the Movable Alphabet they are encouraged to move on to building four and five letter words. In our experience in the classroom, it is best to follow the CVC words with four letter, CVCC words, which often seems to be easier for the blending of sounds leading up to the actual reading of words. Mastering word building requires lots of practice and repetition. Following this, we introduce four letter, CCVC words and then five letter, CCVCC words. As the children master these skills they often explore the process all on their own and have fun expressing their own ideas using the Movable Alphabet! Word Sets 1 & 2: CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant), three letter words (bat, fin, jug, etc.) Word Set 3: CVCC (consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant), four letter words (fast, bulb, hand, etc.) Word Set 4: CVCC (consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant), four letter words ending with “ck” or “nk” (sack, rink, tack, etc.) Word Set 5: CCVC (consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant), four letter words (clap, flex, spot, etc.) Word Set 6: CCVCC (consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant), five letter words (drink, twist, slept, etc.) Dr. Montessori observed in her work with children that after working with the Movable Alphabet children experienced an “explosion in to reading!” Our goal is to bring a sampling of this excitement to a large audience via the Movable Alphabet on the iPad! We thank you for your support of our apps and hope you enjoy this one! Visit our website: http://www.mobilemontessori.org App page: http://www.mobilemontessori.org/movablealphabetcursive
Four in a Row
This classic strategy game offers a fun challenge for all ages. Players take turns dropping colored discs into a grid, aiming to get four of their color in a row. Customize your game with different difficulty levels and color schemes.
- Adjustable difficulty levels (easy, medium, hard)
- Multiple color schemes
- Single-player mode
- Family-friendly gameplay
- Progressive skill mastery
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Four in a Row-- is a great game for the whole family. Select the opponent, colors, and difficulty level in the "Settings" screen. Progress through the difficulty levels until you master the game. 1) Now has 3 difficulty levels (easy, medium, and hard) 2) More color schemes
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Four in a Row at 67% against Movable Alphabet's 0%. Four in a Row also leads on price (Free vs $4.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On 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
Four in a Row is free to download; Movable Alphabet costs $4.99 up front. Movable Alphabet sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Four in a Row asks for nothing beyond the download.
Movable Alphabet ships an update every 30 months, Four in a Row every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Movable Alphabet | Four in a Row |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | — | 3.7 (10 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 10 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 30 months | Every 5 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 6.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rantek Inc. | Horizon Business, Inc. |
Customer experience
Movable Alphabet
Four in a Row
In-app purchases
Movable Alphabet
- Movable Alphabet Word Set 2 (CVC)$1.99
- Movable Alphabet Word Set 3 (CVCC)$1.99
Four in a Row
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Movable Alphabet free?
Is Four in a Row free?
Do Movable Alphabet or Four in a Row have ads?
Which is updated more often, Movable Alphabet or Four in a Row?
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