Comparison

Picture Packets vs READING MAGIC 4

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

Head to head
About

Picture Packets

This app is part of a comprehensive reading and writing curriculum designed for beginning readers or those who have struggled with literacy. It focuses on matching words to pictures to reinforce reading comprehension and vocabulary. The program aims to help children read and write creatively within a structured learning environment.

Highlights
  • Word-to-picture matching
  • Reinforces reading comprehension
  • Vocabulary building
  • Part of a 14-app curriculum
  • No audio hints
  • Progressive learning levels
Features
Read full description

Center for Innovation in Education Picture Packets - Words Dekodiphukan Description The seventh 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. Picture Packets - Words The seventh of the Fourteen Apps There are 24 Picture Packets pages at the two-sound level and 20 Picture Packets pages at the three-sound level.  Each Picture Packets page corresponds to a prerequisite Booklet. Picture Packets have sets of ten different words and ten different pictures on each page.  When the child can read a booklet without using audio hints, the child is ready for the corresponding Picture Packets page. The ten words and ten pictures in each Booklet teach the child which picture represents which word for the Booklet’s corresponding Picture Packets page. Picture Packets contain no audio hints.  Children at this level must read each word and match it to its meaning based on their own unaided blending of the sounds into words. The child places his or her finger on a word in the left-hand column and slides it over to the picture in the right-hand column that represents the meaning of that word.  If the child selects the correct picture, the word stays where it is placed.  If an incorrect picture is selected, the word bounces back to its starting point in the words column. A page is complete when ten words are matched to ten pictures. The child may continue to read and reread the words on one page as long as he or she wishes. Each time all the words on a page are matched to all the pictures, pressing the curved arrow in the upper right-hand corner moves all the words to their starting point in a different order. Every time the curved arrow is pressed, the words are randomly distributed once again. Picture Packets - Words The child’s first try at reading sounds with no audio hints 24 two-sound pages and 20 three-sound pages Each Picture Packet has a prerequisite Booklet at the same level

About

READING MAGIC 4

This app uses interactive activities based on the science of reading to help young learners develop essential reading skills. It focuses on phonograms, digraphs, blending, and segmenting through engaging modes and sequential lessons.

Highlights
  • Science of Reading methodology
  • Phonograms and digraphs focus
  • Blending and segmenting modes
  • Reading mode with hidden pictures
  • Sequential lessons
  • Progress tracking for multiple students
  • Diverse male and female voices
Features
Read full description

Unlock the Magic of Reading with READING MAGIC 4! Transform your child into a confident reader with READING MAGIC 4! This app makes learning to read an exciting adventure through interactive activities focused on words containing consonant and vowel digraphs. Meticulously designed to provide an advanced boost to your child’s phonemic awareness, this app combines three foundational pillars of literacy science into one powerful, interactive ecosystem: Blending (Listening), Segmenting (Speaking), and Decoding (Reading). Grounded firmly in Science of Reading principles and utilizing University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) guidelines, READING MAGIC provides specific, precise training with extensive repetitions to help young brains bridge the gap between spoken sound units and complete words. IDEAL FOR BOTH BEGINNING PRE-READERS AND STRUGGLING READERS For Beginning Pre-Readers: A stress-free launchpad. By practicing words through pure sound sequences first, your child masters the internal mechanics of reading without cognitive overload. This keeps them from being frustrated by trying to learn separate, difficult skills at the same time. For Struggling or Remedial Readers: If your child's reading is hesitant or choppy, or if they guess at words, this app provides the targeted intervention recommended by modern reading science to help young brains bridge the gap. THREE CRITICAL SKILL-BUILDING PILLARS While many phonics programs completely overlook the auditory mechanics of reading, our program systematically guides your child through the complete progression of decoding: Skill 1: Blending (Listening): Interactive listening activities train your child’s neural processing ability to hear isolated sounds in words and join them together mentally. This builds the vital auditory runway required for future fluency. Skill 2: Segmenting (Speaking): True spelling and reading independence require the ability to pull spoken words apart into their individual sound units. These exercises build explicit awareness of the acoustic structure of language. Skill 3: Decoding (Reading): The ultimate bridge to literacy. Your child applies their mastery of blending and segmenting directly to text, smoothly moving from spoken sounds to visual words. STRUCTURAL SPACING & INSTRUCTION (Science-Backed Layout) Our app builds the actual findings of reading science directly into the user interface for maximum visual clarity: Anti-Crowding Design: Peer-reviewed research, including Marinus et al. (2016) and Wery & Diliberto (2017), demonstrates that generous letter spacing is critical for early decoding. By placing each letter on its own isolated card with distinct physical gaps, our layout eliminates visual crowding, allowing your child to isolate each sound unit cleanly. True Comprehension: The app strictly discourages picture guessing, forcing children to rely purely on their decoding skills to foster true comprehension and build lasting confidence. INDEPENDENT LEARNING & AESTHETIC SIMPLICITY Distraction-Free: Our minimalist design eliminates overstimulating audio-visual clutter, excessive sound effects, and animations to keep your child entirely focused on the mechanics of reading. Stress-Free Growth: Built-in natural feedback loops offer gentle corrections, nurturing self-discovery and independent learning at your child's own pace. EXPERT RESEARCH BACKING "Before a child can read fluently with their eyes, they must be able to blend fluently with their ears. Weakness in auditory blending is one of the strongest early predictors of later reading failure." — Dr. Joseph Torgesen, Florida State University. "Teaching students to blend and segment benefited their reading much more than did a multiple-skills approach... and teaching phonemic awareness with letters created effect sizes almost twice as large as teaching children without letters." — The National Reading Panel (NRP) Meta-Analysis

Screenshots

READING MAGIC 44 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Picture Packets at 100% against READING MAGIC 4's 0%. Picture Packets also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.1) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). READING MAGIC 4's advantage is ratings volume (52 vs 3) and update cadence (every 26 months vs every 68 months). On ads 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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Picture Packets holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: READING MAGIC 4 has 52 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Picture Packets's written reviews are positive against 0% of READING MAGIC 4's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Picture Packets ships an update every 68 months, READING MAGIC 4 every 26 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Picture Packets versus READING MAGIC 4: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPicture PacketsREADING MAGIC 4
Price—Free — better
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better4.1 (52 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings352 — better
Update frequencyEvery 68 monthsEvery 26 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.613.7 — better
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB208 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBob Baratta-LortonPRESCHOOL UNIVERSITY

Customer experience

Picture Packets

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

READING MAGIC 4

All ratings52 ratings
Positive78.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative21.2%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Picture Packets

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

READING MAGIC 4

One-time1
  • Deluxe Upgrade$3.99

Questions

Is Picture Packets free?
Pricing for Picture Packets is not currently listed on the App Store.
Is READING MAGIC 4 free?
READING MAGIC 4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Picture Packets or READING MAGIC 4?
Picture Packets is rated higher. Picture Packets averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while READING MAGIC 4 averages 4.1 from 52 ratings.
Do Picture Packets or READING MAGIC 4 have ads?
Neither Picture Packets nor READING MAGIC 4 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Picture Packets or READING MAGIC 4?
Picture Packets ships an update every 68 months, and READING MAGIC 4 every 26 months. Most recently, Picture Packets was updated on November 6, 2026 and READING MAGIC 4 on November 2, 2026.

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