SymbolSupport vs i Can Spell with Phonics
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SymbolSupport
This iPad utility app enhances text by automatically adding symbols above typed or pasted content. It features text-to-speech with word-by-word highlighting and offers extensive symbol libraries. Documents can be easily shared as PDFs or in a proprietary format.
- Automatic symbol addition to text
- Text-to-speech with highlighting
- Pre-loaded and searchable symbol libraries
- Image import from camera roll and internet
- Customizable symbol assignment
- Document sharing via AirDrop, email, and cloud storage
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SymbolSupport is an iPad utility app that effortlessly adds symbols to text. As textis typed, symbols are automatically added above it. Text can also be copied from pre-existing written materials and pasted into SymbolSupport where symbols are instantly added. Documents are read with a high-quality text-to-speech voice and include word-by-word highlighting. This support helps students better understand class assignments.Symbols from Slater Literacy Support Pictures™ and Attainment’s Image Library are included. Plus, there is easy access to your camera roll and a built-in internet image search.Easy-to-use editing tools include changing auto-assigned symbols to other symbols or imported images and removing symbols from text to reduce the number of symbols on a page. SymbolSupport is designed to create symbolized text quickly and easily. Sharing these documents is equally important. Share documents via AirDrop, email, or send to any cloud storage setup on the iPad. Documents can be sent as a PDF for studentportfolios or shared with parents. Documents can also be sent as a SymbolSupport file which can be opened by SymbolSupport or SymbolSupport Lite apps. SymbolSupport Lite is a separate and free app. It can receive, read aloud, and print documents that have been created with the SymbolSupport app. SymbolSupport Lite cannot create or edit documents.
i Can Spell with Phonics
This app teaches 150 sight words through phonics and sentence context with vibrant photos. It breaks words into "phonic chunks" and sounds them out, offering a fun, independent learning experience for young children and those needing remedial support.
- Teaches 150 sight words
- Breaks words into phonic chunks
- Words in meaningful sentence context
- Vibrant photos for visual learning
- Independent use for children
- Reward games for motivation
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Easy to use – Top quality recorded speech – Educationally sound – It gets results! Teaches 150 sight words with regular spelling. Breaks words into "phonic chunks" and sounds them out. Words are taught in meaningful sentence context with vibrant photos. It's like training wheels for spelling success! Ages 5 to 7, plus Remedial, ESL and Special Needs. Designed for children to use independently – Hours of learning fun. Begin learning two letter words, CVCs, short vowel sounds and simple rimes, before moving on to consonant blends, common digraphs, including: sh, ch, th, ck, oo, ee, ow, ou, ay, ai, oa, and r-controlled vowels: ar, ir, or, er. i Can Spell with Phonics provides an easy introduction for beginning spellers, with no irregular words, no typing, and no spelling tests (these will be introduced in our later apps!) TO PLAY... Simply tap "PLAY" and pick one of the five words to start (from easy to hard). Or pick a word list from 1 to 15, CVC words, a short vowel or digraph, or pick your own "My Words" list. Each 10-word-lesson is made up of three activities, followed by a reward game. Activity 1: Tap on the "phonic chunks" to build and sound-out each spelling word. Activity 2: Name the pictures: Drag the vowels, beginning letters, rimes or digraphs to complete the words. (This may be completed strategically, or by trial and error.) Activity 3: More "phonic chunks", but this time the spelling words are put in context, with engaging sentences and vibrant photographs. Reward Game: Choose between "Match the Pairs", "Word Search", "Fish Food" and "Space Rescue". NO ADS – NO IN-APP PURCHASES – NO WORRIES! All links and app settings are placed behind a parental gate. VOICE OPTIONS: American, British and Australian English TEACHERS: If you find the reward arcade games too distracting for your classroom, these may be turned off (in "Settings"), enabling students to play word games only. Please visit our developer website (link found at the bottom of this page) to view videos, get the app guide, and free worksheets! SYNTHETIC OR ANALYTIC PHONICS? Our apps systematically break words into phonemes and sound them out. The whole word and phonics are presented together. Neither is given priority, because the phonemic and visual aspects are BOTH important when learning to read and spell. i Can Spell with Phonics teaches spelling through immersion and repeated exposure both visually to the correct spelling, as well as hearing and actively sounding out the words. Phonics is taught explicitly, and the words are also placed in meaningful sentence context. The words included are phonemically regular sight words, however the vocabulary is not limited to the extent required by most "synthetic phonics" programs, which tend to dictate a specific order in which to introduce phonemes. If required, teachers can pick their own words for the lesson using "My Words" (words must be chosen from the 150). We use a traditional pronunciation of "w" and "y" ("wuh" and "yuh"). Our apps are designed to be highly educational, fun to play, and also take into consideration the needs of struggling literacy learners. A GREAT START... Whether you are buying this app for your four year old who has already mastered the sounds of the alphabet, or for your eight year old who still struggles to read, i Can Spell with Phonics will provide them with intensive phonics practice which is easy, fun and effective. *Get a 50% discount for quantities of 20 or more = ($1.49 each), via Apple’s Education Volume Purchase Program (VPP)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: i Can Spell with Phonics at 100% against SymbolSupport's 50%. i Can Spell with Phonics also leads on price ($1.99 vs $59.99) and rating (4.8 vs 4.0). SymbolSupport's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 5 months). 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
SymbolSupport costs $59.99 and i Can Spell with Phonics $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
i Can Spell with Phonics holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: i Can Spell with Phonics has 17 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of SymbolSupport's written reviews are positive against 100% of i Can Spell with Phonics's.
SymbolSupport ships an update every 5 weeks, i Can Spell with Phonics every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SymbolSupport | i Can Spell with Phonics |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $59.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (3 ratings) | 4.8 (17 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 17 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 6.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 293 MB | 111 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Attainment Company | Michael Harvey |
Customer experience
SymbolSupport
i Can Spell with Phonics
In-app purchases
SymbolSupport
No in-app purchases
i Can Spell with Phonics
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SymbolSupport free?
Is i Can Spell with Phonics free?
Which has better reviews, SymbolSupport or i Can Spell with Phonics?
Do SymbolSupport or i Can Spell with Phonics have ads?
Which is updated more often, SymbolSupport or i Can Spell with Phonics?
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