First Words Phonics Pro vs First Words Learning
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
First Words Phonics Pro
This educational app teaches children reading and spelling through synthetic phonics. It offers two learning levels and various hint options to customize difficulty, making learning engaging with colorful visuals and sound effects.
- Synthetic phonics learning levels
- Learn words and spelling
- Letter recognition and matching
- Interactive exploration interface
- Child-friendly user interface
- Engaging artwork and sound effects
- 121 words in 5 categories
Read full descriptionHide full description
"First Words for Kids" includes all 121 words across Animals, Vehicles, Shapes and Colours, Household Items and Numbers. Everything is included with no in-app purchases needed. Three hint settings (colour hints, letter hints, and combined hints) together with five difficulty settings let you fine-tune the challenge as your child grows. The thumbnail navigation lets children explore all words freely, with no time pressure and no countdowns. Used by parents and educators. Featured by Apple on the US App Store in Games/Educational and Games/Kids. ________________________________ SYNTHETIC PHONICS "First Words for Kids" uses synthetic phonics to help children learn to read by linking each letter and letter combination to its sound, then showing how those sounds blend into full words. This is the evidence-based approach recommended by national literacy frameworks in the UK, the US and Australia. Two phonics levels are included: Synthetic Phonics Basic: introduces blending using simple, single-sound phonemes. Designed for children who are just starting out. Synthetic Phonics Advanced: introduces graphemes (letter groups that represent one sound), digraphs (two letters that together make a new sound), and letters with more than one sound. For children ready for a bigger challenge. The app was designed with children who have autism and speech delay in mind. No timers. No pressure. A clean interface that moves at the child's pace. ________________________________ THE MISSION ReadnLearn exists because of Marios. Aris's son has autism and speech delay. Every design decision in every ReadnLearn app comes from watching Marios learn. What works for him works for every child who learns differently. readnlearn.com/the-mission-autism-educational-tools/ ________________________________ FEATURES ● All 121 words across 5 categories, fully included ● Letter sounds through two levels of synthetic phonics, plus letter names ● Learn words and how to spell them ● Recognise upper and lowercase letters and match them to words ● Three hint settings to control how much support the child receives ● Six difficulty settings that grow with the child ● Thumbnail navigation so children can explore all words freely ● Tap any image to hear its sound and name ● Interface designed for small fingers ● Colourful artwork with animations and sound effects ● Studio recordings of all letters, words and spelling ● No timers. No pressure. No ads. No in-app purchases. ● Flight Mode reminder for uninterrupted offline use ________________________________ KNOW WHAT'S INSIDE We follow the Know What's Inside best practices for children's apps, set by Moms with Apps. ________________________________ DISCLOSURE At ReadnLearn, children's privacy and safety come first: ◇ Does not collect or share personally identifiable information ◇ No social network links or social features ◇ No ads ◇ No in-app purchases ◇ Feedback and Tell a Friend buttons are behind a parental gate ◇ More Games button and page are behind a parental gate Privacy policy: readnlearn.com/kids-learning-apps/privacy/ Support: readnlearn.com/kids-learning-apps/#support ________________________________ IF THIS APP HELPED YOUR CHILD Leaving an honest review helps other families with autism, speech delay and learning differences find this app. And if there is something you want added or changed, tell us. Every piece of feedback shapes the next update. app-feedback@readnlearn.com ________________________________ ABOUT ReadnLearn ReadnLearn was founded by Aris Karavias, a children's illustrator and educational app developer with 27 years of experience and 25 published educational apps. His son Marios has autism and speech delay. Every design decision in every app comes from watching Marios learn. The apps have been downloaded over a million times across six languages. Questions or feedback: app-feedback@readnlearn.com Support: app-support@readnlearn.com readnlearn.com
First Words Learning
This app helps babies and toddlers learn their first words through interactive flashcards and games. It features colorful illustrations, animations, and sounds covering animals, vehicles, food, and everyday objects, designed for early learners aged 1-3.
- Interactive flashcards
- Touch-based learning games
- Animal sounds and object noises
- Hand-drawn graphics and animations
- Offline access
- Available in 25 languages
Read full descriptionHide full description
Spark your child's curiosity and boost their vocabulary with First Words for Baby & Toddler! Explore animals, vehicles, food and everyday objects, brought to life with hand-drawn graphics, interactive animations and adorable sounds. Our unique mix of flashcards and touch-based games makes language learning a fun and educational experience for 1, 2, and 3-year-olds. Touch, tap, and discover a world of words! 'First Words for Baby & Toddler' makes learning fun from the very beginning: - Designed for Early Learners: Whether you have a newborn baby or a one year old, our app is tailored to suit your infant's unique developmental stage. - Interactive and Playful: Our colorful high contrast babies games / flashcards with my first 100 words & animal sounds are thoughtfully designed to captivate your child's attention, encouraging them to tap, touch, swipe and explore their way through the content of first words. Very much like a digital baby rattle. - First words for babies & toddlers: Explore a carefully curated selection of baby and toddler flashcards, introducing vehicles, farm animals for toddlers, fruits and food, forest, music, jungle creatures, pets, clothes, sea life, and everyday objects. We continuously expand our word collection and baby touch games for 1yr 2yr 3yr old. - Colorful hand-drawn high contrast graphics and animations: We know that children love bright colors and cute animals, so we've designed our montessori preschool app with this in mind. More than 100 illustrations were hand-drawn especially for our baby sensory games for preschoolers. - Bonding Time with Mommy and Daddy: First Words for Baby & Toddler offers quality family time. Share moments of discovery and joy as you and your child explore the animal sounds for babies, flash cards and baby touch games together. - Interactive and Fun: Learning is all about fun! This playfully sensory baby toddler learning games app includes interactive mini baby sensory high contrast games for babies from one year old that keep your kid entertained while they absorb new words effortlessly. - Voiceovers and sound effects: The app features voiceovers and sounds that help to bring the content to life. Toddlers will love learning their first words with audio, hearing animal sounds for babies and the noises of a car engine revving up. - All first words for baby & toddler flashcards are available in 25 languages (including English, Spanish, German, Portugese, Japanese and Chinese). This way, your baby can develop in their native language through engaging baby sensory games. - Offline Access: All content is available offline, ensuring uninterrupted baby sensory: high contrast adventures. - Ad-free: No ads interrupt the magic within the app. First Words for Baby & Toddler is the gateway to fun learning games for preschool & kindergarten, offering a variety of animal sounds for babies and flash cards for 1yr 2yr 3yr olds. Dive into our colorful high contrast flash cards and interactive toddler games for 1+ year olds where little ones can tap, touch, swipe, and explore their way through the world of first words. Explore animals for toddlers, vehicles, farm animals, fruits, and food, all within a playful, sensory baby toddler learning environment. Enjoy interactive baby sensory games for infants, and witness your baby's vocabulary grow. For questions and feedback please contact support [@] wienelware.nl
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: First Words Learning at Free against First Words Phonics Pro's $4.99. First Words Learning also leads on ratings volume (273 vs 22) and update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). First Words Phonics Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (67% vs 43%). On ads 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
First Words Learning is free to download; First Words Phonics Pro costs $4.99 up front. First Words Learning sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. First Words Phonics Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.
First Words Phonics Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: First Words Learning has 273 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of First Words Phonics Pro's written reviews are positive against 43% of First Words Learning's.
First Words Phonics Pro ships an update every 2 months, First Words Learning monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | First Words Phonics Pro | First Words Learning |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (22 ratings) — better | 4.1 (273 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better | 42.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 22 | 273 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 84 MB | 110 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Read 'n' Learn | Lidwien Veugen |
Customer experience
First Words Phonics Pro
First Words Learning
In-app purchases
First Words Phonics Pro
No in-app purchases
First Words Learning
- First Words for Baby & Toddler$5.991 Month
- First Words for Baby & Toddler$19.991 Year
- First Words for Baby & Toddler$34.99
Questions
Is First Words Phonics Pro free?
Is First Words Learning free?
Which has better reviews, First Words Phonics Pro or First Words Learning?
Do First Words Phonics Pro or First Words Learning have ads?
Which is updated more often, First Words Phonics Pro or First Words Learning?
Other comparisons















