More Fun With Directions vs Smarty Spell
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
More Fun With Directions
This app helps young children practice listening and following directions with fun, colorful activities. It focuses on 12 key concepts and offers adjustable difficulty levels for early language learners and children with autism.
- Teaches 12 directional concepts
- Adjustable difficulty levels
- Focus on listening and following directions
- Supports early language learners
- Ideal for children with autism
- Text on/off for reading practice
- Record and playback for expressive language
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If you liked our “Fun with Directions” app, you’ll also love our More Fun with Directions too! Developed by a speech-language pathologist, Patti Hamaguchi, M.A., CCC-SLP, this app continues with the same playful, colorful and engaging format with a focus on 12 concepts: turn on/turn off; up/down, front/behind, on/under, put in/take out, above/below. This is a great speech-language therapy app for early language learners or children new to the English language! The uncluttered background is also perfect for autistic children so they can focus better and have multiple repetitions of a concept. Help the monkey go up the tree, but watch out! He likes to throw those coconuts! Pop the bubble that is above the bird. Put the elephant under the larger table. Help the squirrel go down the tree. Turn off the red radio. Want more advanced directions? You got it! More Fun with Directions is designed to provide a fun and engaging way to practice listening, following directions, colors, comparatives (larger/smaller) spatial concepts, auditory memory and auditory processing. From the simplest of directions (“Turn on the lamp”) to the more complex (“Do you see a musical instrument with black and white keys? Put it behind the couch”) 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! Features include settings for text on/off, (to practice reading vs. listening) selecting specific concepts, replaying missed items and selecting the desired level of play: easy, intermediate or 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 pop up at random times, but can easily be turned off if desired. 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 an internet connection if viewing is desired, but we have a parent gate in place to restrict internet access. *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 Hamaguchi Apps is dedicated to the mission of bringing high-quality apps to the general public and professionals for affordable prices. 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, a co-author of the RESCA-E test, TAPS-4, ELCI and RESCA-ELD. To find out more about this app and our other upcoming projects, visit our website: www.hamaguchiapps.com
Smarty Spell
This comprehensive literacy platform offers three engaging game modes to improve spelling and reading skills. It features extensive customization options for word lists and audio, along with detailed progress tracking for educators and parents.
- Three distinct game modes
- Over 300 built-in words
- Grade-level and thematic word lists
- Custom word lists with photos
- Real human and TTS audio
- Professional-grade data tracking
- Adjustable font sizes and hints
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Smarty Spell: The Ultimate 3-in-1 Literacy Platform Developed by a certified Speech-Language Pathologist, Smarty Spell has evolved into a comprehensive educational platform designed to take your student’s spelling and reading abilities to the next level. With a highly engaging new interface, friendly animal mascots, and superior data tracking, Smarty Spell is the perfect tool for educators, therapists, and parents alike. While it comes loaded with over 300 built-in words, the true power of Smarty Spell lies in its incredible flexibility. Students can tackle words based on their grade level (Kindergarten to 6th Grade), explore thematic categories, or master completely custom word lists created by their teacher. Three Ways to Play: Smarty Spell now features three distinct, interactive game modes to keep students engaged while targeting different literacy skills: Spelling Game: Drag and drop letters to spell the target word with full visual and auditory scaffolding. Reading Game: Build sight-word recognition by matching the spoken word and image to the correct text. Missing Letter Game: A fun, tactile experience where students fill in the blanks on a beautiful wooden tray to complete the word. Unmatched Customization & Accessibility: Smarty Spell adapts to every learner. Reinforce specific vocabulary by adding your own words and photos! The app seamlessly blends real, recorded human audio with a newly integrated, high-quality, kid-friendly Text-to-Speech engine, ensuring every word—even your custom ones—is pronounced perfectly. You can also adjust font sizes, toggle visual hints, and switch between uppercase and lowercase letters to meet each student's exact needs. Professional-Grade Data Tracking: Tracking progress is a breeze with our completely overhauled "Report Card" suite. Teachers and parents can monitor overall accuracy over time via intuitive line graphs, or drill down into specific word lists. Because the app tracks data by game type, you will know exactly if a student has mastered "Animals" in Reading, but still needs practice with "Animals" in Spelling! Enjoy the benefits of a clean, modern interface, engaging gameplay, and robust tracking. Key Features Include: The Content: 3 Distinct Game Modes: Spelling, Reading, and Missing Letter. Over 300 Built-In Words: Ready to play immediately. Grade-Level Lists: Organized sequentially from Kindergarten to 6th Grade. Thematic Lists: Animals, Numbers, Colors & Shapes, Classroom, Body Parts, Common Nouns, Clothes, Fruits, and Vegetables. Total Customization: Create custom lists, add new words, and even upload your own photos and audio recordings. The Gameplay: Premium Audio: High-quality, kid-friendly Text-to-Speech alongside real human audio recordings. Audio Spell Letters: Option to have each letter spoken aloud as the student drags it. Visual Hints: Toggle picture clues on or off to increase or decrease difficulty. Word Reading: Turn target word dictation on or off. Capitalization Control: Choose between all capitals, all lowercase, or standard capitalization. Adjustable UI: 3 different font size options for accessibility. Automatic Transition: Move immediately to the next word, or manually transition to control the pace. The Data: Multi-Student Support: Manage profiles and avatars for an entire classroom or caseload. Advanced Report Cards: View line graphs of session-by-session accuracy. Skill Isolation: Data is tracked independently for Reading, Spelling, and Missing Letter games so you know exactly where a student excels. Word-Level Mastery: See exactly which specific words a student got correct or needs to practice. Easy Exporting: Generate beautiful, multi-page PDF reports to email or print directly from the app via AirPrint.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: More Fun With Directions at 85% against Smarty Spell's 0%. More Fun With Directions also leads on rating (4.2 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (21 vs 2). Smarty Spell's advantage is price ($14.99 vs $15.99). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
More Fun With Directions costs $15.99 and Smarty Spell $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
More Fun With Directions holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: More Fun With Directions has 21 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of More Fun With Directions's written reviews are positive against 0% of Smarty Spell's.
More Fun With Directions ships an update every 7 months, Smarty Spell every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | More Fun With Directions | Smarty Spell |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $15.99 | $14.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (21 ratings) — better | 4.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.5% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 21 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months — better | Every 9 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 295 MB | 97 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hamaguchi Learning & Development, LLC | Smarty Ears |
Customer experience
More Fun With Directions
Smarty Spell
Bugs and requests
More Fun With Directions
Reported bugs
10 issues- App not opening on newer iPads
- App crashes or returns to home screen
- Constantly deleting all user data and settings
- Items on screen block user actions
- Unable to use individual settings for each child in a group
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Cannot select only 2 users for a session
- App does not keep individual settings when added to a group
- Cannot individualize concepts when users are in a group
- App presents similar instructions repeatedly
- Potential issue with recording child's understanding of 'down' when color differentiation is the issue
Requested features
11 requests- Fix app not opening issues
- Fix data deletion bug
- Fix screen errors
- Allow individual settings for each child in a group
- Allow selection of specific users for a session
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Add more item variety for placement
- Improve color differentiation recording
- Add more variety to directions
- Add option to click objects instead of drag/drop for fine motor issues
- Include synonyms for directional terms (e.g., over/above)
- Ability to track progress within the app
Smarty Spell
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
More Fun With Directions
No in-app purchases
Smarty Spell
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is More Fun With Directions free?
Is Smarty Spell free?
Which has better reviews, More Fun With Directions or Smarty Spell?
Do More Fun With Directions or Smarty Spell have ads?
Which is updated more often, More Fun With Directions or Smarty Spell?
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