Hands vs Spelling Balloons
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hands
This app offers a challenging introduction to algebra for students who have completed introductory levels. It introduces negative numbers and new game pieces to solve more complex equations, enhancing self-esteem and understanding.
- Solves equations with negative numbers
- Introduces new game pieces for algebraic concepts
- Video introductions for each lesson
- Includes examples and exercises
- Enhances self-esteem through success
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"Great intro to Algebra!" This Hands-On Equations Level 3 app is intended for students who have already completed Level 1 and 2 of Hands-On Equations and who would like the challenge of more sophisticated equations involving negative numbers. In Level 3, the student solves equations such as 4x – (-4) = -8 and 3(-x) + 2 = -10 + x, which contain negative constants. The green numbered cube, which represents the opposite of the red numbered cube, is introduced at this level. Since the red and green number cubes are opposite of each other, when they are together on the same side of the balance, their value is zero and may therefore be removed without affecting the balance. A video introduction is provided for each lesson. (See the sample YouTube video at http://youtu.be/VFYQ47EAqZw.) Each video introduction is followed by two examples and ten exercises. It is essential for the student to view the lesson video prior to attempting the examples and exercises for that lesson. Hands-On Equations is the ideal introduction to algebra for elementary and middle school students. Not only will students have fun and be fascinated with the program, their sense of self-esteem will be dramatically enhanced as they experience success with sophisticated algebraic equations. High school students struggling with algebra will likely experience success and understanding for the first time as they work with this app. More information on Hands-On Equations can be found at www.borenson.com and on YouTube.
Spelling Balloons
This game helps children learn and practice reading and spelling high-frequency words through a fun balloon-popping activity. It offers customizable word lists, voice recording, and detailed progress reports for educators.
- Switch-accessible gameplay
- Customizable word lists
- Recordable voice pronunciation
- Detailed progress reports
- Adjustable game speed and difficulty
- Supports multiple languages
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Want a switch-accessible app that helps teach and reinforce how to read and spell words, all while playing a game? Crazy Balloons Spelling is an engaging, fun activity that will do just that! Crazy Balloons Spelling was designed with input from kids, parents, teachers and therapists as a way for children to learn, and practice recognising, high-frequency words - all while playing a balloon-popping game that’s easy to learn but also a challenge. Testimonials from people trying Crazy Balloons - Spelling out before launch: "It is helpful, my son love the game. He said is so much fun" "My neighbor’s kids have been fighting over the game when I have gone over there for them to play with it." Why Crazy Balloons Spelling? PKCLsoft creates apps that are affordable, educational, engaging and accessible - because all children deserve to learn and become proficient communicators and readers. The benefits of playing Crazy Balloons Spelling include: • Sight word recognition skills increase • Increased proficiency and fluency in reading • Lots of audio processing practice • Game play requires the player utilise visual scanning and visual discrimination skills Educators will love being able to read a detailed report (which can be shared via eMail, Messages, or Airdrop) on each game a student plays and Crazy Balloons Spelling is also fully customisable: • Create your own word lists, and share them via eMail, Messages or Airdrop. • The app supports iOS localisation features for both language and voices. Word lists are aligned with the language of your device; supporting English, Spanish, French and Dutch. • You can record your own voice for any word in the word lists; or adjust the pronunciation if you need to. • Set up a profile for each player and tailor the game play to suit each child’s strengths and challenges. • Easily turn sounds and music on or off. • Select the speed of play, how many balloons appear on screen and how many questions there are per game. • You can adjust the speed of the audible prompts used. • The game can be played with a compatible switch interface or bluetooth keyboard and switch settings can also be customised. ***** IMPORTANT NOTE: The word lists that come with the app have all been localised for country specific spellings where possible. If you are seeing incorrect spellings (e.g. Grey instead of Gray) then it will be because your device has it's regional setting incorrectly set. Just remove the app, change the regional setting to English and reinstall the app. Regional settings may be found in the Settings app at: General->Language & Region. In here be sure that the language is English, and Region is set to United States (for example). ***** VOICES AND PRONUNCIATION NOTE: Did you know that your iOS device can speak, and that you can improve the quality of the voice? Crazy Balloons - Spelling uses the voice in your device, but if you don't do anything you may be listening to a very computerised voice. You can (for most languages) ask your device to download an "Enhanced Quality" voice by starting the Settings app, and navigating to: General->Accessibility->VoiceOver->Speech->Default Dialect. At this setting you can choose the language you want to use, and whether you want the default computerised voice, or the Enhanced Quality voice. PKCLsoft takes children’s privacy seriously. Our apps have: • a parental gate so children cannot access links outside the app • no ads • no tools for collecting or analysing user data • no social media sharing • no in-app purchases For detailed information on our privacy policy, visit http://www.pkclsoft.com/wp/privacy ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– KNOW WHAT'S INSIDE As a Know What's Inside member, we follow the "Know what's inside" best practices for kids' apps ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– At PKCLsoft we value your feedback so please email any comments or questions about Crazy Balloons Spelling to info@pkclsoft.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Spelling Balloons at 100% against Hands's 75%. Spelling Balloons also leads on price ($2.99 vs $7.99) and device support (3 vs 1). Hands's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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
Hands costs $7.99 and Spelling Balloons $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Hands ships an update every 3 months, Spelling Balloons every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hands | Spelling Balloons |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 | $2.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (27 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 27 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 188 MB | 42 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hands On Equations | pkclSoft |
Customer experience
Hands
Spelling Balloons
In-app purchases
Hands
No in-app purchases
Spelling Balloons
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Hands free?
Is Spelling Balloons free?
Do Hands or Spelling Balloons have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hands or Spelling Balloons?
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