Comparison

Syntax City vs Orca Match

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

Head to head
About

Syntax City

This interactive app makes learning English grammar and syntax an adventure for elementary and middle school students. It features themed locations, animations, and play-based learning designed by a speech-language pathologist. The app offers detailed progress tracking and positive reinforcement to motivate practice.

Highlights
  • 8 grammar-focused locations
  • 415 questions across multiple difficulty levels
  • Evidence-based learning by a speech-language pathologist
  • Record and playback for self-correction
  • Collectible rewards and trophy case
  • Detailed progress tracking for individual players
  • Supports 1-5 players per session
Features
Read full description

Syntax City – Where Grammar Comes to Life Welcome to Syntax City! As the mayor of this great city, I must warn you — we take our syntax very seriously here. When Syntax City was founded, our mission was to create a place where verbs agree with their subjects, tenses are always correct, and pronouns live in perfect harmony. Now, you and your students are invited to explore the city — where learning grammar becomes an adventure! Syntax City is an interactive, evidence-based app designed by speech-language pathologist Barbara Fernandes, M.S., CCC-SLP. Created for children in elementary and middle school, the app teaches English grammar and syntax through themed locations, animations, and play-based learning — perfect for speech therapy or classroom use. Explore 8 Grammar-Focused Locations Each area of the city targets a specific grammatical goal, with 415 questions across multiple levels of difficulty: • Gym: Do / Does (3 levels, 50 questions) • Beach: Third Person Singular (1 level, 50 questions) • Bakery: Was / Were (3 levels, 52 questions) • Ski Resort: He / She (2 levels, 50 questions) • Farm: Irregular Past Tense (2 levels, 59 questions) • Grocery Store: Has / Have (1 level, 51 questions) • Park: Is / Are (1 level, 50 questions) • Zoo: Regular and Irregular Plurals (3 levels, 54 questions) Each phrase is professionally narrated and paired with high-quality visuals that support comprehension and engagement. Engaging, Evidence-Based Learning • Multiple levels of difficulty adapt to each student’s learning pace • Visual cues reinforce comprehension and grammar recognition • Record and playback feature helps children hear and self-correct syntax • Positive reinforcement with animations, coins, and treasures • 127 collectible rewards across all locations motivate consistent practice After 10 gold coins, students unlock a treasure — each themed to the location they’re practicing. All earned treasures are stored in the player’s personal trophy case, which can be shared via email or printed. Built for Therapy and Classrooms Syntax City supports 1–5 players per session, allowing flexibility for individual or group practice. Students can work on one or multiple grammar targets at a time — creating nearly endless session combinations. Use two-finger zoom gestures to navigate the city map and assign players to specific locations. Each player’s goals, scores, and rewards are tracked individually. Powerful Data Tracking Just like all Smarty Ears apps, Syntax City offers detailed progress tracking: • Tracks accuracy, goals, and performance for each student • Provides color-coded graphs for visual progress review • Displays session summaries and goal mastery trends

About

Orca Match

Features
Read full description

Features of Orca MatchUp • Three engaging games that help kids (ages 6 to 8) practice matching shapes • Helps train attention, memory and focus for numbers • Difficulty level is automatically adjusted • Two-Player Option is available • Scores are automatically saved to show progress • Scores can also be emailed to keep a record of a child's progress. • Colorful graphics and lively music make this game fun to play • Kid-safe: No third party ads or tracking This game helps children learn to pay attention and use their memory skills by practicing matching shapes. Children, ages 6 to 8, will travel under the seas as they have fun playing and learning. All of our games are specially created to help children practice the cognitive abilities important in school and life. The games automatically adjust to allow children to learn at a level of difficulty personalized for them. As they succeed, new challenges at harder levels will be presented. Children will be challenged to develop their thinking speed as they are required to respond faster and faster in order to win. While a child's difficulty level is automatically adjusted based on his or her performance, it can be easily modified by parents or teachers when necessary. Distraction stimuli can also be added to reinforce increased focus and the ability to stay on task. In addition, a two player option is available which helps children learn how to take turns and be both a good winner and a good loser. A training round must be completed for grades to be saved in single player mode. Please note that no grades are saved in two player mode. Two player mode only records which Player (1 or 2) won after the match is completed. A training session is completed only when the program is stopped and then removed from memory. If the program is left open in the background and it is selected, then the last session started will be continued. The app will start off with a 60 minute trial version. You can modify the options and run the games during this trial period. Once the trial has ended, you will need to make a one-time in-app purchase to unlock the games for unlimited use.

Screenshots

Orca Match4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Orca Match at Free against Syntax City's $24.99. Orca Match also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.6). Syntax City's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 11 months vs every 39 months). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Orca Match is free to download; Syntax City costs $24.99 up front. Orca Match sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Syntax City asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Syntax City ships an update every 11 months, Orca Match every 39 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Syntax City versus Orca Match: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSyntax CityOrca Match
Price$24.99Free — better
Rating3.5 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews72.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 months — betterEvery 39 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.69.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size139 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSmarty EarsBrainTrain Inc.

In-app purchases

None

Syntax City

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Orca Match

One-time1
  • Full Version$2.99

Questions

Is Syntax City free?
Syntax City costs $24.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Orca Match free?
Orca Match is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Syntax City or Orca Match have ads?
Neither Syntax City nor Orca Match shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Syntax City or Orca Match?
Syntax City ships an update every 11 months, and Orca Match every 39 months. Most recently, Syntax City was updated on September 27, 2026 and Orca Match on September 25, 2026.

Other comparisons