Picture Packets vs Pubbly Player
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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 developing the ability to blend sounds and remember words to read entire phrases, building upon foundational phonetic skills.
- Part of a 14-app reading curriculum
- Focuses on blending sounds to form phrases
- Develops memory for blended words
- Builds upon phonetic skills
- 38 Picture Packets pages
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Center for Innovation in Education Picture Packets - Phrases Dekodiphukan Description The eighth 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 - Phrases The eighth of the Fourteen Apps There are 38 Picture Packets pages. The prerequisites for beginning Phrase Picture Packets are knowing all of the sounds and being able to blend two and three sound words without any audio hints. The difficulty for the child who is learning to blend two and three sound words is in hearing the word formed by the sounds. At the phrase level the child already knows how to blend sounds together to form words. The challenge for the child now is remembering each of the words already blended so that by the time he or she has finished blending the last word, the child still remembers the earlier words blended. The phrase level gives practice in this remembering. Picture Packets - Phrases Prerequisites - knowing all of the sounds and being able to read two and three sound words The skill of reading individual words is expanded to include reading whole phrases
Pubbly Player
Interactive read-aloud books with animations engage young learners aged 4-8. Practice English and Math skills with educational games, and access Spanish support for Math, Reading, and Science content.
- Read-aloud books with animation
- Interactive learning content
- Educational games for Math and English
- Age-appropriate material (4-8 years)
- Spanish language support
- Progress tracking
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The PUBBLY Player App includes read-aloud books with animation and interactions for young learners and readers. Material is sorted by age appropriateness from ages 4-8 years old. Children are free to explore all the material offered in the app. Educational games allow for practicing English and Math concepts. Programs for Math, Reading, and Science samples have Spanish support on each page.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Pubbly Player at monthly against Picture Packets's every 69 months. Pubbly Player also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Picture Packets against 5.0 for Pubbly Player. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Picture Packets ships an update every 69 months, Pubbly Player monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Picture Packets | Pubbly Player |
|---|---|---|
| Price | — | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 69 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 84 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bob Baratta-Lorton | Pubbly LLC |
Customer experience
Picture Packets
Pubbly Player
In-app purchases
Picture Packets
No in-app purchases
Pubbly Player
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Picture Packets free?
Is Pubbly Player free?
Which has better reviews, Picture Packets or Pubbly Player?
Do Picture Packets or Pubbly Player have ads?
Which is updated more often, Picture Packets or Pubbly Player?
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