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 transitioning from phonetic sounds to reading words in letters, helping children become independent readers and writers.

Highlights
  • Part of a 14-app reading curriculum
  • Aids transition from sounds to letters
  • Develops independent reading skills
  • Encourages creative writing
  • No ads or in-app purchases
Features
Read full description

Center for Innovation in Education Picture Packets - Transition Dekodiphukan Description The twelfth 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 - Transition The twelfth of the Fourteen Apps The child begins Picture Packets-Transition at the same time as he or she begins the Writing Worksheets. Despite the lack of specific letter instruction accompanying the Picture Packets, the parent will observe that when his or her child reads the Picture Packets-Transition phrases, the child often attempts to read the words in letters, as opposed to the words in sounds.  The sounds above the letters are used when the word they represent is not known.  Children use the sounds to check the accuracy of their reading without having to ask a parent or anyone else a word they do not know. It may seem like more should be said about teaching children how to read the letters in the transition phrases, because it is the transition level of the program that produces the most parental anxiety.  The concern is that a child may not be able to make the switch from sounds to letters to become what the parent feels is a real reader.  But the most difficult learning level has already past.  It passed for each child when that child mastered the art of blending two and three sounds into words.  The child who can read phrases comfortably and who is at the transition level has already cleared all the hurdles.  The child now is merely finishing out the run. Picture Packets - Transition Introduced in tandem with the Writing Worksheets No specific lesson with the letters is given to the child Letter association take place in the Writing Worksheets and Sightword apps

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 2) and update cadence (every 26 months vs every 69 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 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 0% of READING MAGIC 4's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Picture Packets ships an update every 69 months, READING MAGIC 4 every 26 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 7, 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 (2 ratings) — better4.1 (52 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings252 — better
Update frequencyEvery 69 monthsEvery 26 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.613.7 — better
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB208 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBob Baratta-LortonPRESCHOOL UNIVERSITY

Customer experience

Picture Packets

All ratings2 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 2 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 69 months, and READING MAGIC 4 every 26 months. Most recently, Picture Packets was updated on October 13, 2026 and READING MAGIC 4 on October 7, 2026.

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