Comparison

Fun With Directions HD Lite vs Phonics Studio

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Fun With Directions HD Lite

This app helps children practice listening, following directions, and working memory through interactive games. It offers customizable challenges from simple to complex, with colorful animations and engaging sound effects. Ideal for toddlers, preschoolers, and young learners to improve auditory processing and language skills.

Highlights
  • Practice listening and following directions
  • Develop working memory
  • Improve auditory processing
  • Customizable difficulty levels
  • Interactive games with sound effects
  • Text on/off for reading practice
  • Record and playback for expressive language
Read full description

Give the boy something to eat. He’ll even say “Thanks!” Touch the violin and it plays for you! Check out our Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXCe1fETCnc Fun with Directions Lite is a ground-breaking app for the iPAD, designed to provide a fun and engaging way to practice listening, following directions, working memory and the auditory processing of language. From the simplest of directions (“Touch the cat”) to the more complex (“Give the boy without a hat or glasses, something round that grows on trees and can be red or green.”) your child can grow and learn with this game over time. Colorful, vivid art and animations against a white background combine to create a complete game experience without visual clutter. Sound effects and surprises keep the game engaging! This app is a great choice for a toddler/preschooler, or any young child who would like to practice listening to or reading directions! Included in the Lite version are two concepts: “give” and “touch.” It allows 2 users to have their data tracked, plus one guest user to play. Features include settings for data tracking, automatic vs. manual advance to the next direction, touch/drag OR touch/tap option, text on/off, (to practice reading vs. listening) and the desired level of play: easy, intermediate, and advanced. An added bonus that is included in this app is the optional “Superstar Direction” which allows additional practice for remembering (“What did you have to do?”) but also expressive language. The child’s response is recorded and played back. Superstar Directions are surprise questions that can be set to a variety of intervals, or turned off. Hamaguchi Apps is dedicated to the mission of bringing high-quality apps to the general public and professionals for affordable prices. *Please contact our tech support if you are experiencing any technical issues with our apps. We will always help you troubleshoot it and get back to you generally within one business day. We cannot respond to reviews and there are generally easy solutions to every issue. info@hamaguchiapps.com Developed by Patti Hamaguchi, M.A., CCC-SLP, a noted speech-language pathologist and author of Childhood Speech, Language & Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know, as well as books on the treatment of auditory processing disorders. 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. There are no in-app purchases in this app. There is a link to our other apps in the iTunes store, which requires internet access if viewing is desired. Find our privacy policy here: https://hamaguchiapps.com/privacy-policy To find out more about this app and our other upcoming projects, visit our website: www.hamaguchiapps.com

About

Phonics Studio

This app makes learning pronunciation enjoyable with over 2,500 flashcards and detailed progress tracking. It's fully customizable for individual student needs and designed to keep children engaged with beautiful images and interactive features.

Highlights
  • 2,500+ flashcards
  • 200+ sound groups
  • In-depth scoring and user tracking
  • Unlimited user tracking
  • Email summary reports
  • Customizable content
  • Record and playback audio
Features
Read full description

"WOW… this is the best app for speech therapy that I have found." Phonics Studio makes learning how to pronounce words fun and easy. Besides mastering pronunciation, your students will also greatly expand their existing vocabulary since the app comes fully loaded with over 2,500 gorgeous flash cards. WHY PARENTS AND TEACHERS LOVE THIS APP ● The app comes loaded with over 2,500 gorgeous flashcards ● Phonic sounds are grouped by letter into 200+ unique sound groups ● Consistent number of phonic words within each sound group ● Beautiful high quality images ● Supports In-depth scoring and user tracking ● Ability to track unlimited number of users ● Ability to email detailed summary reports ● Stores students progress, including their audio so you can clearly hear progress over time ● The app is beautifully designed which makes it great for kids of all ages and all abilities ● This app is FULLY customizable to your students needs ● Can even add own cards, categories, sound groups and more... WHY KIDS WILL LOVE IT TOO ● Gorgeous pictures keep kids engaged ● The app is fun, simple, and easy to use ● The kids love recording and hearing their own voice ● Wrong answers do not interfere with gameplay ● Huge variety of pictures and different sound groups prevent kids from getting bored 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@grasshopperapps.com

Screenshots

Fun With Directions HD Lite1 screens
Phonics Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Fun With Directions HD Lite at every 9 months against Phonics Studio's every 58 months. Fun With Directions HD Lite also leads on review sentiment (92% vs 70%) and price ($0.99 vs $1.99). Phonics Studio's advantage is ratings volume (94 vs 12) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Fun With Directions HD Lite costs $0.99 and Phonics Studio $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Fun With Directions HD Lite against 4.3 for Phonics Studio. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phonics Studio has 94 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Fun With Directions HD Lite's written reviews are positive against 70% of Phonics Studio's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fun With Directions HD Lite ships an update every 9 months, Phonics Studio every 58 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Fun With Directions HD Lite versus Phonics Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFun With Directions HD LitePhonics Studio
Price$0.99 — better$1.99
Rating4.4 (12 ratings) — better4.3 (94 ratings)
Positive reviews91.8% of reviews — better69.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1294 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 months — betterEvery 58 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size290 MB203 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHamaguchi Learning & Development, LLCInnovative Investments Limited

Customer experience

Fun With Directions HD Lite

All ratings12 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews49 reviews
Positive91.8%
Neutral4.1%
Negative4.1%

Phonics Studio

All ratings92 ratings
Positive79.3%
Neutral10.9%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews96 reviews
Positive69.8%
Neutral11.5%
Negative18.8%

Bugs and requests

Fun With Directions HD Lite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Phonics Studio

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Customization features have technical glitches
  • Recording playback issues
  • Inability to delete student profiles
  • Data not tallying correctly for multiple attempts
  • Previous pronunciation unavailable after recording

Requested features

14 requests
  • British English voice option
  • Proper phoneme-based organization (IPA)
  • Separate digraph categories (sh, ch, th, ng, j)
  • Approximation/partial credit scoring option
  • Ability to edit recorded responses
Show 9 more
  • Multiple students simultaneously
  • Delete student profiles functionality
  • Tally multiple attempts on same word
  • Spanish language version
  • Larger touch targets for younger children
  • In-app instructions or tutorial
  • More simple, age-appropriate vocabulary
  • R-controlled vowel decks expansion
  • Batch photo upload feature

In-app purchases

None

Fun With Directions HD Lite

No in-app purchases

None

Phonics Studio

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fun With Directions HD Lite free?
Fun With Directions HD Lite costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Phonics Studio free?
Phonics Studio costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Fun With Directions HD Lite or Phonics Studio?
Fun With Directions HD Lite is rated higher. Fun With Directions HD Lite averages 4.4 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Phonics Studio averages 4.3 from 94 ratings.
Do Fun With Directions HD Lite or Phonics Studio have ads?
Neither Fun With Directions HD Lite nor Phonics Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fun With Directions HD Lite or Phonics Studio?
Fun With Directions HD Lite ships an update every 9 months, and Phonics Studio every 58 months. Most recently, Fun With Directions HD Lite was updated on October 23, 2026 and Phonics Studio on October 22, 2026.

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