Comparison

Writing Worksheets vs Buzz 'n' Read (Standard)

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

Head to head
About

Writing Worksheets

This app is part of a comprehensive reading and writing curriculum designed for beginning readers and children who have struggled with traditional methods. It helps transition learners from reading with sounds to reading with letters, fostering creative writing and reading enjoyment.

Highlights
  • Part of a 14-app reading and writing curriculum
  • Transitions from sound-based to letter-based reading
  • Focuses on developing reading enjoyment
  • Encourages creative writing
  • Used in classrooms since 1985
Features
Read full description

Center for Innovation in Education Writing Worksheets Description The eleventh 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. Writing Worksheets The eleventh of the Fourteen Apps The Writing Worksheets in combination with the Decoding Chart transition the child from reading with sounds to reading with letters. The Writing Worksheets are introduced when the child is comfortable and confident reading and writing with the sounds.  This confidence is measured by how easily the child reads the phrases at the phrase levels of the Reading Worksheets and Picture Packets-Phrases, and by the quality of the stories the child stamps out.  Quality in this case means how well the sounds in words are heard, and not is the child a budding Shakespeare. Writing Worksheets Transition the child from reading with sounds to reading with letters Use of the Worksheets and the Decoding Chart is learned by the parent-teacher first, who then teaches the child

About

Buzz 'n' Read (Standard)

This app teaches beginner readers foundational phonics skills through interactive stories and games. It uses speech recognition to listen to children read, providing immediate feedback to help them sound out and blend words. Designed for independent learning, it makes the reading process engaging and fun.

Highlights
  • Phonics-based learning
  • Speech recognition for reading practice
  • Interactive stories
  • Letter-sound matching
  • Word blending exercises
  • Immediate feedback
Features
Read full description

FOR BEGINNER READERS-- This Standard version of Buzz 'n' Read teaches reading by using important step-by-step techniques based on the PHONICS and structure of Standard English. Both Buzz 'n' Read apps are designed for children to learn to read by using stories with characters that look and sound like them so they can get excited about reading! This app will help your child to learn to read faster! Buzz ‘n’ Read (Standard/Phonics) focuses on teaching the BASICS OF PHONICS so that your child can learn to read by decoding letters rather than memorizing what every word looks like. Phonics is well-supported by research on learning to read because it gives your child a way to sound out almost any word they come across, even if they have never seen it before. This approach to reading will help your child become a strong reader! Buzz ‘n’ Read will help to make the process fun! Unlike other learn-to-read apps, this app begins with the very important first step in reading: learning to match letters to sounds so that your child can sound out words. This stage of reading using phonics is called DECODING. After learning this connection, a fun target game is used in this app to help strengthen your child’s learning. The next step in phonics is to learn to BLEND the letter sounds together to figure out what the word is. After learning to decode, your child will be taught how to blend sounds together to make a word and then will be given feedback on whether they sounded out the word correctly. Buzz ‘n’ Read is very unique in that it LISTENS TO YOUR CHILD while he or she is reading. The app uses speech recognition to listen to your child slowly sound out each word until he or she identifies it correctly. A happy sound is played when they say the word. Your child will then get to practice blending sounds together to make words by reading stories with simple words and beautiful illustrations. The words on the screen are read in part by the app’s narrator and in part by your child, with feedback for your child when the word is read correctly. This feedback is important in helping them to learn to read more accurately! The instructions and stories in Buzz ‘n’ Read are all spoken out loud to your child for easier navigation. The voice of the child is engaging and relatable. In most other reading apps, the instructions are written for a parent who is expected to help the child use the app to read. Having a narrator explain the reading process to your child and provide instructions for using the app not only makes learning a friendly process, but your child could even use this app to learn to read all by him- or herself! Best of all, BUZZ ‘n’ Read is COMPLETELY FREE, with no in-app purchases or membership fees, unlike any major other reading app available for iOS. This app was developed by Jackson Lasaga-Ivey.

Screenshots

Buzz 'n' Read (Standard)4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) at 100% against Writing Worksheets's 0%. Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 67 months). 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

Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Writing Worksheets's written reviews are positive against 100% of Buzz 'n' Read (Standard)'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Writing Worksheets ships an update every 67 months, Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Writing Worksheets versus Buzz 'n' Read (Standard): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWriting WorksheetsBuzz 'n' Read (Standard)
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 67 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size71 MB315 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBob Baratta-LortonJLI AppStudio LLC

Customer experience

Writing Worksheets

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Buzz 'n' Read (Standard)

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

In-app purchases

None

Writing Worksheets

No in-app purchases

None

Buzz 'n' Read (Standard)

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Writing Worksheets free?
Writing Worksheets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) free?
Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Writing Worksheets or Buzz 'n' Read (Standard)?
Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) is rated higher. Writing Worksheets averages 4.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Writing Worksheets or Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) have ads?
Neither Writing Worksheets nor Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Writing Worksheets or Buzz 'n' Read (Standard)?
Writing Worksheets ships an update every 67 months, and Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) every 3 weeks. Most recently, Writing Worksheets was updated on November 1, 2026 and Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) on October 30, 2026.

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