Comparison

LetterSchool vs micro

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

Head to head
About

LetterSchool

This app helps young children learn to write letters, numbers, and shapes through interactive tracing and spelling games. It offers progress tracking and engaging animations to make learning fun and effective for toddlers and preschoolers.

Highlights
  • Block and cursive letter tracing
  • Uppercase and lowercase letters
  • Number tracing (1-10)
  • Geometric shape tracing
  • Word spelling and phonics
  • Progress tracking for multiple players
  • Interactive animations and sound effects
Features
Read full description

The #1 alphabet tracing and words spelling app for toddlers & pre-schoolers. Recommended and used by parents, teachers, and occupational therapists! Loved & played by more than 2 million kids and used at more than 5,000 schools! - Winner of 'National Parenting Product Awards' - NAPPA Awards - ‘Best Mobile App Platinum Award’ nominee! – BMA SPECIAL FEATURES: - Block & Cursive Letters, - Uppercase and Lowercase, - Numbers 1-10, - 24 geometric shapes for toddlers! - Keep track of your child’s progress, - Unlock Golden Levels! - 72 CVC words, 36 CVCC words, and 39 long sound words! - Progress and settings stored for up to three players on the same device, - Interactive and visually attractive fun animations, - Available for both iPads and iPhones! IMPORTANT: The first five letters of the alphabet (both uppercase and lowercase), five shapes, and the first three CVC flashcards (nine words) are completely for free. They can be played entirely (on 3 game steps). Enjoy this trial and have fun! PERFECT FOR KIDS: Kids want to have fun and LetterSchool offers an educational journey with the most engaging and entertaining educational material! - Learn while engaging with over 20+ exciting animations, graphics, and sound effects. - Associate letters with words, master and memorize tracing directions and the correct formation of each character. - Learn phonics, the formation of words, understand syllable formations, and spell entire words. - Perfect for home-schooling kids and kindergartens. A user-friendly app for children with special educational needs. PERFECT FOR PARENTS & TEACHERS: - Choice of the three most popular font families in handwriting education (Handwriting Without Tears, D’Nealian, and Zaner-Bloser). - Complete a set of letters, numbers, or shapes to unlock the Golden Levels! - Golden Level allows progress tracking and displays exactly how the letter was drawn! - A new challenge at every step: Your child traces a letter, number or shape 3 times using different parameters. SAFE: - An educational app created together with parents and educational professionals. - NO ADS! - Advanced settings or purchases only accessible by an adult! - Extremely committed Customer Support ready to answer all questions and fix any issues. LET'S PLAY & LEARN! Join LetterSchool on this exciting educational journey! Download the app and allow your toddler to discover the magical world of letters and words. Before you know it, your kid will become a pro in writing and spelling! SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS: LetterSchool offers several auto-renewing subscription options: per month. quarter, and year. - You can cancel your subscription anytime without an extra cancellation fee. - Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. - The account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours before the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. - No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during an active subscription period. - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. - Your iTunes account will be charged automatically after the 7-day free trial. CONTACT For more reviews and information, visit our website www.letterschool.com If you have any question or suggestions, please contact us at support@letterschool.com You can also check our FAQ page on https://www.letterschool.com/en/help. Terms of service and privacy policy: https://www.letterschool.com/legal/terms-of-use & https://www.letterschool.com/legal/privacy-policy

About

micro

This app is the essential companion for the BBC micro:bit, a pocket-sized programmable computer. It allows you to wirelessly beam programs to your micro:bit via Bluetooth and includes access to a block-based programming editor. Monitor sensor data and control your micro:bit in real-time.

Highlights
  • Wireless flashing of micro:bit hex files
  • Access to Microsoft MakeCode editor
  • Bluetooth beaming of programs
  • Real-time sensor data monitoring
  • Control micro:bit buttons and pins
  • Debug running program code
  • Store and manage HEX files
Features
Read full description

The micro:bit app is the essential companion to the BBC micro:bit, the pocket sized programmable computer. The app allows you to flash any micro:bit hex file to your device, as well as including online access to the Microsoft MakeCode editor for simple block-based programming. When your program is ready, the app beams it to the micro:bit via Bluetooth wirelessly. Easy-to-follow screens lead you through the process of pairing your iPad (or iPhone) to the micro:bit and then transferring your program code. Compared with previous versions, the micro:bit app Version 3.1 contains these additional features: • A simpler pairing and micro:bit discovery flow • The micro:bit V2 can be put into pairing mode by triple-tapping the reset button • Retrieval of the micro:bit data log files from off your micro:bit • Pair with any number of micro:bits • Choose which micro:bit is currently connected • Store HEX files in the app • Choose a HEX file for flashing • Export and delete HEX files • Import stored HEX files directly into JavaScript Blocks editor • Rapid download from JavaScript Blocks editor • Monitor data detected by micro:bit sensors • Use the range of micro:bit Bluetooth services in real time • Display messages on the micro:bit LEDs • Send control commands to the micro:bit buttons and pins • De-bug your program code while it is running in the micro:bit • Use a simulated gamepad to send commands to the micro:bit • View camera images ready for taking photos or video As well as providing more flexible handling of your program scripts and HEX files, a major addition in Version 3 is the Monitor and Control page. This lets you observe real-time data from the micro:bit sensors, send messages directly to the LEDs and control the micro:bit buttons and pins from your iPad or iPhone. Monitor is ideal for exploiting Bluetooth services in real time, and for de-bugging your program code while it is running in the micro:bit. The MakeCode code editor now requires iOS 13 or later.

Screenshots

LetterSchool4 screens
micro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: LetterSchool at 4.5 against micro's 3.3. LetterSchool also leads on ratings volume (17K vs 91) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months). micro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, 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

Both are free to download. LetterSchool sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. micro asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LetterSchool holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LetterSchool has 17K ratings behind it against 91, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of LetterSchool's written reviews are positive against 43% of micro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LetterSchool ships an update every 2 months, micro every 7 months. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
LetterSchool versus micro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLetterSchoolmicro
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (17K ratings) — better3.3 (91 ratings)
Positive reviews54.5% of reviews — better42.6% of reviews
Number of ratings17K — better91
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size158 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLetterschool Enabling Learning B.V.Micro:bit Educational Foundation

Customer experience

LetterSchool

All ratings17,001 ratings
Positive87.6%
Neutral6.1%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews253 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral8.3%
Negative37.2%

micro

All ratings90 ratings
Positive57.8%
Neutral2.2%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews129 reviews
Positive42.6%
Neutral10.9%
Negative46.5%

User reviews

LetterSchool

From 17K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Engaging and interactive
  • 🚀 Helps improve handwriting
  • 💡 Supports multiple writing styles (print, cursive, d'nealian)
  • 👍 Motivating with rewards and animations
  • 👍 Useful for children with learning challenges

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Subscription issues (app reverts to lite version, need to restore purchases)
  • 🐛 Glitches and crashes (especially with Dari letters)
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔍 Limited free version
  • 🔍 Inconsistent letter formation (not aligned with school standards)

micro

From 91 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use and quick to set up
  • 💻 Allows coding on mobile devices
  • 🎓 Great for learning and education
  • ⚡ Fast download and installation
  • 🔧 Works well once properly configured

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent Bluetooth pairing failures
  • 🐛 App crashes during code flashing
  • 🐛 Connection drops after flashing
  • 📱 Poor optimization for phone screens
  • 🔌 Requires frequent device reconnection

Bugs and requests

LetterSchool

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Dari letter (پ) keeps glitching
  • Subscription issues (app reverts to lite version, need to restore purchases)
  • Incompatibility with older devices
  • Login screen freezes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more languages (Russian, Serbian, Thai, Korean, Hebrew, Hindi, etc.)
  • Allow creating custom words/names to practice
  • Improve letter sound pronunciations
  • Add more visual options (fonts, themes, etc.)
  • Integrate with International Phonetic Alphabet

micro

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Bluetooth pairing fails or shows false success
  • App crashes when flashing code to micro:bit
  • Connection lost after code flashing
  • White screen display issue
  • Login fails with Google accounts
Show 9 more
  • Text strings display with extra characters
  • Arrow keys non-functional on iPad with Bluetooth
  • Pairing pattern entry buggy and unclear
  • Safari crashes on iPad 2
  • Keyboard blocks code naming on iPhone
  • App crashes when sending feedback
  • Screen freezes during use
  • Recent update broke existing micro:bit connections
  • Flashing takes excessive time (1+ minute)

Requested features

11 requests
  • Offline mode for iOS
  • Integrated IDE in app instead of Safari redirect
  • Support for multiple languages
  • Persistent Bluetooth connection after flashing
  • Mute audio functionality
Show 6 more
  • Better pairing instructions
  • USB cable connection alternative to Bluetooth
  • Improved project save/storage duration
  • WebKit Safari view controller integration
  • Support for actual MicroPython instead of MakeCode Python
  • Device statements for camera operations

In-app purchases

10 purchases

LetterSchool

Subscriptions6
  • Monthly Access Pass7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Monthly Access Pass7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Quarterly Access Pass7 Days trial$12.993 Months
Show 3 more
  • Quarterly Access Pass7 Days trial$19.993 Months
  • Annual Access Pass7 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • Yearly Access Pass7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time4
  • Unlock All Shapes$2.99
  • Unlock Full Block Alphabet$6.99
  • Unlock Full Cursive Alphabet$6.99
Show 1 more
  • All-in-one Package$79.99
None

micro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LetterSchool free?
LetterSchool is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is micro free?
micro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LetterSchool or micro?
LetterSchool is rated higher. LetterSchool averages 4.5 out of 5 from 17K ratings, while micro averages 3.3 from 91 ratings.
Do LetterSchool or micro have ads?
Neither LetterSchool nor micro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LetterSchool or micro?
LetterSchool ships an update every 2 months, and micro every 7 months. Most recently, LetterSchool was updated on November 13, 2026 and micro on November 13, 2026.

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