Comparison

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.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Phonetic word building
  • Montessori methodology
  • Audio pronunciations
  • Over 40 images with words
  • Interactive letter sounds
  • Multiple word set expansions
Features
Read full description

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

About

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.

Highlights
  • Adjustable difficulty levels (easy, medium, hard)
  • Multiple color schemes
  • Single-player mode
  • Family-friendly gameplay
  • Progressive skill mastery
Features
Read full description

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

Movable Alphabet4 screens
Four in a Row3 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Movable Alphabet versus Four in a Row: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMovable AlphabetFour in a Row
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating—3.7 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—10 — better
Update frequencyEvery 30 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.66.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRantek Inc.Horizon Business, Inc.

Customer experience

Movable Alphabet

Written reviews7 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Four in a Row

All ratings10 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative30.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Movable Alphabet

One-time2
  • Movable Alphabet Word Set 2 (CVC)$1.99
  • Movable Alphabet Word Set 3 (CVCC)$1.99
None

Four in a Row

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Movable Alphabet free?
Movable Alphabet costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Four in a Row free?
Four in a Row is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Movable Alphabet or Four in a Row have ads?
Neither Movable Alphabet nor Four in a Row shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Movable Alphabet or Four in a Row?
Movable Alphabet ships an update every 30 months, and Four in a Row every 5 months. Most recently, Movable Alphabet was updated on October 11, 2026 and Four in a Row on September 26, 2026.

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