Comparison

Picture Packets vs Artista

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 developing the ability to blend sounds and remember words to read entire phrases, building upon foundational phonetic skills.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

Artista

Access thousands of high-quality reference photos for your art. Share your creations, learn from others' interpretations, and track your artistic progress over time. This app also features an art community for inspiration and feedback.

Highlights
  • Thousands of reference photos
  • Share your drawings
  • View others' interpretations
  • Track progress
  • Art community
Features
Read full description

A photo reference tool and art community! - Thousands of high quality reference photos - Share your drawings with others - See how others drew a reference to help improve your own - See previous sessions and your progress over time

Screenshots

Artista4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Artista at every 3 weeks against Picture Packets's every 69 months. Artista also leads on ratings volume (22 vs 2). Picture Packets's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (100% vs 89%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Artista has 22 ratings behind it against 2, 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 89% of Artista's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Picture Packets ships an update every 69 months, Artista every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Picture Packets versus Artista: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPicture PacketsArtista
Price—Free — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.7 (22 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better88.9% of reviews
Number of ratings222 — better
Update frequencyEvery 69 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB18 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperBob Baratta-LortonMax Buster

Customer experience

Picture Packets

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

Artista

All ratings22 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral9.1%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral11.1%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Picture Packets

No in-app purchases

None

Artista

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Picture Packets free?
Pricing for Picture Packets is not currently listed on the App Store.
Is Artista free?
Artista is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Picture Packets or Artista?
Picture Packets is rated higher. Picture Packets averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Artista averages 4.7 from 22 ratings.
Do Picture Packets or Artista have ads?
Neither Picture Packets nor Artista shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Picture Packets or Artista?
Picture Packets ships an update every 69 months, and Artista every 3 weeks. Most recently, Picture Packets was updated on October 12, 2026 and Artista on October 24, 2026.

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