Comparison

LetterSchool vs Alphablocks World

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 engaging animations. It offers progress tracking and is designed by educational professionals to be safe and fun for toddlers and preschoolers.

Highlights
  • Block and cursive letter tracing
  • Uppercase and lowercase letters
  • Numbers 1-10 tracing
  • Geometric shape tracing
  • Progress tracking for multiple players
  • Interactive animations and sound effects
  • CVC, CVCC, and long sound word practice
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

Alphablocks World

This app uses videos, games, and interactive books featuring alphabet characters to teach children aged 3+ how to read. It focuses on phonics and builds reading confidence through engaging content.

Highlights
  • Phonics-based learning
  • Interactive reading books
  • Educational videos and songs
  • Letter and sound identification
  • Word spelling practice
  • Ad-free and safe environment
Features
Read full description

Alphablocks World is a fun, educational, KidSAFE certified app filled with videos, games, songs and unique interactive books to help kids aged 3+ learn to read. Who better to show you how words work than the letters of the alphabet themselves? Learning to read is easy when you're having fun and taking in key phonics ideas every minute. Alphablocks World is a fun with phonics video on demand and story app, brought to you by the BAFTA award-winning team at Alphablocks Ltd. and Blue Zoo Animations Studio. With the option to stream or download the videos you and your child can enjoy Alphablocks from home or out and about. How does Alphablocks World help your child? "Alphablocks World is a brilliant interactive companion to learning phonics, helping children to identify each letter and sound, building their confidence in a friendly careful way until they start to spell words." Professor Rhona Stainthorp, Early Years Phonics expert and advisor on Alphablocks 1. More than 80 episodes of fantastic characters, exciting escapades and singalong songs help children master their letters and sounds and conquer increasingly challenging words. 2. Alphablocks is the hit BBC TV show first aired on CBeebies that’s helped millions of children learn to read through adventures, songs and laughter. It’s a ton of fun with letters and words – all built on a firm foundation of key phonics skills. 3. Every episode has been carefully crafted with the help of literacy experts to ensure a best-practice approach to phonics, ensuring that Alphablocks is compatible with early years curricula − and lovingly brought to life by multi-award-winning Blue Zoo Animation Studio. 4. This app is fun, educational and safe, being COPPA and GDPR-K compliant and 100% ad-free. 5. All presented through a safe, 100% ad-free, digital world for your child to explore. N.B. Episode length might vary in different regions. Featuring… • Five easy to follow levels, which introduce your child to the letters of the alphabet, letter blends, letter teams (digraphs and trigraphs) and long vowels. 60 second clips from the full Alphablocks series • Enjoyable songs, to help increase your child's understanding of phonics • 30 unique, interactive books, designed to help your child grow in confidence as they practise reading. N.B. Episode length might vary in different regions. Alphablocks Subscription • Alphablocks World offers a free 7 day trial. • Subscription lengths vary from Monthly to Yearly. • The price of the subscription might differ depending on the plan you choose and the region you are in. • Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at the time of purchase. • You can cancel your subscription at any time through your App Store account settings and turn off auto renewal through your App Store account settings. • Any unused amount of a free trial period, when offered, will be forfeited at the point when a user purchases a subscription, where applicable. • Accounts will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Privacy & Safety At Alphablocks your child’s privacy and safety is the first priority for us. There are no ads in the app and we will never share personal information with any 3rd parties or sell this on. You can find out more in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service: Privacy Policy: https://www.learningblocks.tv/privacy-policy Terms of Service:https://www.learningblocks.tv/terms-of-service

Screenshots

LetterSchool4 screens
Alphablocks World4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: LetterSchool at free with in-app purchases against Alphablocks World's subscription. LetterSchool also leads on review sentiment (54% vs 29%) and ratings volume (17K vs 266). Alphablocks World's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, 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

Both are free to download. LetterSchool sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Alphablocks World sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LetterSchool holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LetterSchool has 17K ratings behind it against 266, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of LetterSchool's written reviews are positive against 29% of Alphablocks World's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LetterSchool ships an update every 2 months, Alphablocks World fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
LetterSchool versus Alphablocks World: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLetterSchoolAlphablocks World
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (17K ratings) — better4.2 (266 ratings)
Positive reviews54.4% of reviews — better29.2% of reviews
Number of ratings17K — better266
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size158 MB567 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLetterschool Enabling Learning B.V.Blue-Zoo

Customer experience

LetterSchool

All ratings16,985 ratings
Positive87.6%
Neutral6.1%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews250 reviews
Positive54.4%
Neutral8.0%
Negative37.6%

Alphablocks World

All ratings266 ratings
Positive77.1%
Neutral7.1%
Negative15.8%
Written reviews195 reviews
Positive29.2%
Neutral15.9%
Negative54.9%

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)

Alphablocks World

From 266 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and engaging learning experience
  • 💡 Helpful for teaching reading with phonics
  • 🚀 Great episodes and content

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
  • 🔍 Missing or incomplete features
  • 💰 Subscription model issues

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

Alphablocks World

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Videos not loading
  • Levels and progress not working properly
  • Subscription not functioning as expected
  • Crashes and freezes on various features

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more Alphablocks and letter teams
  • Improve video loading and stability
  • Allow offline content downloads
  • Fix subscription and unlock issues

In-app purchases

14 purchases

LetterSchool

Subscriptions10
  • Monthly Access Pass7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • LetterSchool - Monthly Pass7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Access Pass7 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Quarterly Access Pass7 Days trial$12.993 Months
  • LetterSchool - Monthly Pass7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Quarterly Access Pass7 Days trial$19.993 Months
  • Annual Access Pass7 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • LetterSchool - Annual Pass$59.991 Year
  • Yearly Access Pass7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • LetterSchool - Annual Pass7 Days trial$74.991 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
2 purchases

Alphablocks World

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$30.991 Year

Questions

Is LetterSchool free?
LetterSchool is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Alphablocks World free?
Alphablocks World is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, LetterSchool or Alphablocks World?
LetterSchool is rated higher. LetterSchool averages 4.5 out of 5 from 17K ratings, while Alphablocks World averages 4.2 from 266 ratings.
Do LetterSchool or Alphablocks World have ads?
Neither LetterSchool nor Alphablocks World shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LetterSchool or Alphablocks World?
LetterSchool ships an update every 2 months, and Alphablocks World fortnightly. Most recently, LetterSchool was updated on October 21, 2026 and Alphablocks World on October 23, 2026.

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