Comparison

Dekodiphukan vs Funetix

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

Head to head
About

Dekodiphukan

This app introduces children to the 44 sounds of the English language through a rhyming storybook. It's part of a comprehensive reading and writing curriculum designed for beginning readers and those who have struggled with literacy. The app offers audio support for pronunciation and repeated reading.

Highlights
  • Rhyming storybook format
  • Introduces 44 English phonemes
  • Connects sounds to pictures
  • Audio reading support
  • Part of a comprehensive curriculum
  • No ads
Features
Read full description

Center for Innovation in Education Dekodiphukan Storybook Dekodiphukan Description A children’s storybook written in rhyme. The first of the fourteen apps that comprise the Baratta-Lorton Reading Program. The Reading Program is a reading and writing curriculum for beginning readers and any child who has already experienced difficulty in learning to read. 99% unique – 100% effective - 100% free Background for the fourteen apps The Baratta-Lorton Reading Program also known as Dekodiphukan (pronounced decode if you can) was developed by the Center for Innovation in Education whose many other offerings include Mathematics Their Way, the first non-traditional math curriculum adopted in by the State of California. Dekodiphukan has been in use in classrooms across the United States and Canada since 1985. The Program has been used to teach thousands of children to read and to write regardless of background or supposed lack of reading readiness. To date, no child using the program in a classroom setting has ever failed to learn to read or to write. This Dekodiphukan reading and writing curriculum is now a series of fourteen apps plus a parent-guide for the iPad that, within a period of six months to a year (or occasionally a bit longer for some special needs children), will enable every child using it to read and to write. Reading with enjoyment. Writing creatively. Dekodiphukan is a full fledged curriculum. It is a set of specific learning activities, not a set of games. The curriculum’s fourteen apps are all free with no ads - popup or otherwise - included. While the apps may be downloaded all at once and stored in a folder on the iPad, no more than two or three of the apps are used at any one time by the child. Dekodiphukan Storybook The first of the Fourteen Apps Forty-four sounds or phonemes form the building blocks for every word spoken in English. The Dekodiphukan Storybook, written in rhyme, introduces children to these forty-four sounds and connects each sound to a picture that represents that sound. It is easier to correctly identify the sound of a phoneme when the phoneme is at the end of a word.  Rhyming is used to facilitate correct sound-phoneme pronunciation. The events in the storybook provide the rationale for why each of forty-four sound pictures represents the particular sounds that it does. The Dekodiphukan Storybook is meant to be read initially by the parent to the child.  A play button provides an audio reading for each page to assist parents who are unsure of pronunciations, or who prefer to listen along with their child as the story is being read.  The audio reading of each page also permits the child to “read” and “reread” the storybook as often as he or she wishes, without waiting for an adult reader. Dekodiphukan STORYBOOK A children’s storybook written in rhyme Also available in book form through the Center’s website Introduces the 44 sounds of the English language Uses rhyme for clarity in sound identification To be read the first time by the parent to the child Parents unclear about pronouncements may play audios Child uses audio play buttons for subsequent readings Downloadable sound pictures for wall posting Downloadable Sound Summary for Parents

About

Funetix

This app offers a comprehensive reading learning experience for children, simulating 12 hours of one-on-one tutoring. It guides learners from basic phonics to a second-grade reading level using a unique, patented method with pictograms and tiered support tools.

Highlights
  • Simulates 12 hours of private tutoring
  • Teaches all 44 English sounds with pictograms
  • Progresses from ABCs to 2nd grade reading level
  • Patented Diacritic Support for clarity
  • Uses unique games and challenges
  • Builds reading confidence
Features
Read full description

FUNetix® is a completely new, game changing “Reading Learning” app truly designed “from the ground up,” and proven through 17 years of field testing by the American Youth Literacy Foundation, 501 c 3. -With over 2,000 screens of fully narrated linear content, kids enjoy a confidence building, reading learning experience that simulates 12 hours of private, professional 1-on-1, tutoring. -Forty modules take children from the ABC’s to a 2nd grade reading level in just about 12 hours, giving them powerful, newfound confidence in their ability to decode any English word. -Patented in 2012 (US 8,131,538 B2), FUNetix stands apart from virtually every other reading app in the marketplace for its wholly unique approach to teaching all 44 sounds of the English language (phonemic awareness) using pictograms, and for naming every English sound before moving on to English spelling conventions and irregularities. -FUNetix takes the stress and anxiety out of learning how to read. Children aren’t spooked by Kindercode™, otherwise known as 21E®, the children’s phonetic English code that teaches blending and segmentation with fully predictable symbol/sound correspondences. -Children advance with unprecedented speed to reading everyday English words and sentences (say good-bye to “The cat sat on the mat.”), using powerful, tiered learning support tools to include: Audio Support, Phonetic Support, and our 8-years-patented and proven Diacritic Support. -Learners are systematically weaned off of diacritics when they are ready, and as they become accustomed to English Verbal Word Form Patterns and as they begin to read sentences and stories with comprehension. -Short “phonics” break out sessions populate the later modules to reinforce certain common English letter patterns, but FUNetix is primarily a step by step “treasure hunt” (in the form of unique games and challenges) that leads to fully capable and confident readers in record time. -FUNetix’ success comes, in part, by taking away the intimidation factor many children experience when they can’t “sound out” a word. For example, how is a child supposed to know that the “ea” in the word “read” sounds different than the “ea” in the word “bread?” With FUNetix, children don’t have to guess, or feel anxious, because all of the “sound data” is provided to them by our proprietary learning support tools. -Of note, the patented FUNetix system was created by a former Spanish and Arabic linguist for the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army, in 2003, who, as a father, was driven to find a solution to his 8-year-old son’s reading challenges, and, as a result, stumbled upon the insight of applying the “Diacritic Method” used by the ancient Greeks, Arabs, Hebrews and Persians to clarify their own written codes. Since 2008, the American Youth Literacy Foundation’s mission has been to scale the 100% free, FUNetix reading system to reach every child in America and millions more around the world. -FUNetix is a simple, easy, fun, logical and achievable path to literacy for beginning English readers presented in the form of a smartphone, “treasure hunt” app, that teaches most children how to read in about 12 hours. -Children complete 21 primers and books from K-2nd grade level within the app, and in a “surprise ending / fresh beginning,” kids are treated to a wonderful graduation / trophy ceremony and are invited to become permanent, VIP Members of the “Wonderful Content Library,” where they can browse books, games, puzzles and treasure hunts (all accompanied by the patented, FUNetix learning support tools) each time they return to the app. -If you want your child to become a strong, confident reader, understanding grade level, everyday English, in about 12 hours, with a further understanding of English letters, sounds and phonics patterns, please download and play the FUNetix 12 Hour Reading App. It’s 100% free and presented as a gift to your child from the American Youth Literacy Foundation, 501 c 3.

Screenshots

Funetix4 screens

Verdict

The call

Dekodiphukan and Funetix both sit at 4.2 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Dekodiphukan's written reviews are positive against 75% of Funetix's. Dekodiphukan also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.6). Funetix's advantage is update cadence (every 7 months vs every 35 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Funetix holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 18 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Dekodiphukan's written reviews are positive against 75% of Funetix's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dekodiphukan ships an update every 35 months, Funetix every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Dekodiphukan versus Funetix: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDekodiphukanFunetix
Price—Free — better
Rating4.2 (9 ratings)4.4 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings918 — better
Update frequencyEvery 35 monthsEvery 7 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB99 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBob Baratta-LortonAmerican Youth Literacy Foundation, Inc.

Customer experience

Dekodiphukan

All ratings9 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral22.2%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Funetix

All ratings18 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

Dekodiphukan

No in-app purchases

None

Funetix

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dekodiphukan free?
Pricing for Dekodiphukan is not currently listed on the App Store.
Is Funetix free?
Funetix is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dekodiphukan or Funetix?
Funetix is rated higher. Dekodiphukan averages 4.2 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Funetix averages 4.4 from 18 ratings.
Do Dekodiphukan or Funetix have ads?
Neither Dekodiphukan nor Funetix shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dekodiphukan or Funetix?
Dekodiphukan ships an update every 35 months, and Funetix every 7 months. Most recently, Dekodiphukan was updated on October 5, 2026 and Funetix on October 3, 2026.

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