Comparison

Decoding Chart vs PowerTools for Reading

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

Head to head
About

Decoding Chart

This app is part of a reading and writing curriculum designed for beginning readers or those who have struggled with literacy. It helps children transition from recognizing sounds to understanding letter spellings, using color-coded charts to guide them.

Highlights
  • Sound-to-letter decoding
  • Color-coded spelling guidance
  • Frequency-based spelling order
  • Part of a comprehensive reading program
  • Supports beginning readers
Features
Read full description

Center for Innovation in Education Decoding Chart - Flip Dekodiphukan Description The tenth 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. Decoding Chart - FLIP The tenth of the Fourteen Apps The Decoding Chart converts words written in sounds to words written in letters.  It is the vehicle for transitioning the child from sounds to letters.  Its use is introduced once the child can comfortably read and write phrases. The Chart contains the pictures of all forty-four sounds arranged in the same rows and in the same order within each row as they are in the Stamping app.  Beneath each sound picture are various ways that sound may be spelled.  The spellings listed beneath each sound appear in order of frequency of occurrence in the words which beginning readers are most likely to encounter. Each of the spellings that appear beneath the sound pictures are color coded.  The first spelling of each sound is coded white.  If a second spelling is listed, it is coded yellow.  Third spellings are red, fourth spellings are blue, fifth are green, sixth are brown, and seventh are purple.  The color codings indicate to the child which spelling is to be used to write the letters for a word. The Decoding Chart does not contain all possible spellings for each sound.  It does, however, contain the spellings that appear in ninety-five to ninety-eight percent of the words the child will encounter while learning to read and write. A parent guide to how to use the Decoding Chart is included in The Guide instructions for the Writing Worksheets. Two Apps and the Decoding Chart Download Chart – Levels The Decoding Chart-Levels app displays the chart in five different levels, each level matching one of the five levels of the Reading Program. Chart - Flip The Decoding Chart-Flip app displays half the chart on one side and half on the other side of a flip view. Download While the Decoding Chart is available in two app formats and moving between apps is possible with a double-click of the Home button on the iPad, the double-clicking process may not be easily managed by the child. A more child-accessible version of the Decoding Chart can be downloaded from the Center’s website and printed out. Decoding Chart Converts words in sounds to words in letters Introduced once the child can comfortably read phrases Available in two different app forms Also downloadable from the Center’s website Instructions for its use are included in The Guide’s Writing Worksheet instructions

About

PowerTools for Reading

This literacy platform uses research-backed methods to help children in kindergarten through third grade develop reading skills. It integrates science content with an intelligent scaffolding system and provides teachers with data to track progress and personalize instruction.

Highlights
  • Literacy learning platform
  • Neuroscience-based approach
  • Intelligent scaffolding system
  • Integrated science content
  • Executive functions practice
  • Teacher dashboard with analytics
  • Personalized feedback
Features
Read full description

PowerTools by Tools of the Mind® is an innovative literacy learning platform based on decades of research on the neuroscience of learning and literacy development. The PowerTools for Reading iPad application was designed from the ground up to support children’s literacy development, with multiple levels of carefully crafted eBook text integrating key science content combined with a proprietary intelligent scaffolding system that supports children in developing core literacy skills. Designed to help all children K-3 learn to read and reach grade level expectations in reading, PowerTools embeds executive functions practice in reading and increases the time spent, level of motivation, and effectiveness of young readers’ decoding practice. Continuous, adaptive, personalized feedback is displayed on a PowerTools dashboard for teachers and literacy specialists, with classroom and child level data and analytics to help teachers improve instruction, track children’s progress, and provide targeted individual scaffolding to each student. Please note: In order to use the PowerTools app, users must have a current contract with Tools of the Mind that includes access to the PowerTools Literacy Learning Platform. For more information or to begin that process please contact us at information@toolsofthemind.org .

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PowerTools for Reading at 5.0 against Decoding Chart's 3.5. PowerTools for Reading also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 71 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PowerTools for Reading holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Decoding Chart ships an update every 71 months, PowerTools for Reading every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and July 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Decoding Chart versus PowerTools for Reading: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDecoding ChartPowerTools for Reading
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (2 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings22
Update frequencyEvery 71 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS15.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBob Baratta-LortonTools of the Mind

Customer experience

Decoding Chart

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

PowerTools for Reading

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Decoding Chart

No in-app purchases

None

PowerTools for Reading

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Decoding Chart free?
Decoding Chart is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PowerTools for Reading free?
PowerTools for Reading is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Decoding Chart or PowerTools for Reading?
PowerTools for Reading is rated higher. Decoding Chart averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while PowerTools for Reading averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Decoding Chart or PowerTools for Reading have ads?
Neither Decoding Chart nor PowerTools for Reading shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Decoding Chart or PowerTools for Reading?
Decoding Chart ships an update every 71 months, and PowerTools for Reading every 3 weeks. Most recently, Decoding Chart was updated on September 9, 2026 and PowerTools for Reading on July 23, 2026.

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