Simplex Spelling Phonics 3 vs Essential Learning System
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Simplex Spelling Phonics 3
This app enhances English spelling and reading skills through phonics lessons, word patterns, and a unique reverse phonics approach. It scientifically helps students improve their spelling, covering over 750 high-frequency words and 52 instructional lists.
- Phonics lessons and word patterns
- Reverse phonics approach
- 750+ high-frequency words
- 52 instructional lessons
- Contextual spelling rule hints
- Progress tracking for 40 users
- Exportable progress reports
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Simplex Spelling is one of the best ways to improve English spelling and reading skills. Using a powerful combination of phonics lessons, spelling/word patterns, syllabication, our unique “reverse phonics” (phonics encoding) approach and contextually relevant spelling rules. Scientifically validated as a highly effective approach to improving spelling skills, a published study revealed that students demonstrated an average spelling improvement of 1.9 grades among children in a classroom setting who regularly used Simplex Spelling over a 18 week period. The largest student improvement observed over the same time period was 4.4 grade levels as assessed by administering the Schonell Spelling Test. Teaching over a year of spelling curriculum with more than 750 high frequency words divided into 52 lists that are organized by spelling patterns and difficulty levels. Each of the 52 lists comes with a lesson that teaches one of the basic building blocks of spelling in the English language. Students learn a new concept for each lesson building on the skills learned from previous lessons and those covered in Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 & 2. Simplex Spelling Phonics Advanced Phonograms guides the student and acts as a personal spelling coach with every word, while teaching students "how to spell" English words. Every word is broken down into its syllables both visually and auditorily to help students build phonological awareness skills. Our “reverse phonics” hint feature breaks each word down further into individual phonemes to improve phonemic awareness, a critical skill in achieving literacy. Simplex Spelling Advanced Phonograms focuses on some of the more difficult phonograms in the English language in addition to lessons covering contractions and the capitalization of proper nouns. Recommended age 9+ Note: You can not create your own spelling lists. Features: - Over 750 high frequency spelling words to help build literacy. - Words are spoken and used in a sentence to establish context and improve vocabulary. - Introductory spelling list seamlessly leads a student through all of the application’s features. - 52 instructional lessons teach phonics, phonograms, spelling rules, contractions and the capitalization of proper nouns. - A full “reverse phonics” approach that builds phonemic awareness. - Contextually relevant spelling rule hints that help explain “how to spell” English words. - Letter by letter feedback system provides feedback while the student is in the process of spelling each word. - Support for 40 user accounts. - Remembers each user’s progress in every list. - User stats screen track progress with every word. - Export and email progress reports. - Ability to set the number of times a word must be spelled correctly to become mastered. - Supports upper and lower case letters. - Supports alphabetic and QWERTY keyboard layouts. - Supports US, UK and Canadian English spelling of words. Please check the word lists provided on www.pyxwise.com to ensure that the word lists provided in Simplex Spelling meet your educational needs. - Advanced Phonograms has previously been featured by Apple as New & Noteworthy in 20 countries. - "Best Educational App of 2014" - Balefire Labs. -iTeach: Apps For The Classroom - "I was immediately in awe of the design and educational thought that has gone into this product." -Teachers With Apps - Certified Developer - Academics' Choice Award. Privacy Disclosure: - Does not contain 3rd party ads - Does not share any data - Does not contain In-App purchases - Contains child protected links in app to developer's website for additional information, support and teaching tips. - Contains child protected link to developer email support. COPPA Compliant https://pyxwise.com/privacy-policy/
Essential Learning System
This program accelerates learning for students facing reading and language challenges. It uses multisensory, interactive lessons to build foundational skills, offering individualized instruction for at-risk learners and those with learning disadvantages.
- Accelerated learning for at-risk students
- Multisensory learning pathways
- Individualized and differentiated instruction
- Interactive learning with feedback
- Systematic phonics instruction
- Language and vocabulary enrichment
- Practice and repetition activities
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After 25+ years of helping millions of students learn to read in schools all across the U.S., CEI is excited to offer a version of our flagship product designed specifically for use in the comfort of your own home. ELSO accelerates learning by focusing on the core of learning problems. “It’s like physical therapy for the brain.” – Parent of CEI student WHY IS ELSO FOR ME? See if any of the following describes the learning challenges that you or your family have been facing: - My child has a distinct learning disadvantage … maybe more than one. - My child is shy, bashful and withdrawn in a classroom setting. - My child is easily distracted by the actions of other students in the classroom. - My child is learning at a level far below that of fellow classmates. - My child is falling further and further behind in school. - English is a second language for my family. - Our hectic family schedule prevents me from helping in our children’s learning. - I need extra help in home-schooling my child. - Tutoring is not available through my child’s school. - Transportation costs and scheduling prevent me from traveling to tutoring centers. - Effective tutoring with proven results costs too much. - Being older than the other students who are being tutored embarrasses my child. - I, as an adult learner, personally experience some of the above. If you relate to even one of these statements, ELSO is the answer! HOW DOES ELSO WORK? The overwhelming strength of CEI programs is the ability to accelerate learning among the most at-risk students — those with the strongest of learning disadvantages. Just as our school-based learning solutions do, ELSO accelerates learning by focusing on the very core of learning problems … faulty sensory processing. All CEI products include activities that link visual, auditory, and motor, or “hands-on,” pathways in the brain, and ELSO is no exception. ELSO capitalizes on the brain’s ability to develop more fluid pathways for automatic recognition, retention, comprehension, and application of information. Throughout over 200 lessons, the program accelerates student learning by delivering automated, individualized, and differentiated instruction that addresses the most critical instructional processes: INDIVIDUALIZATION — Self-paced instruction to meet the individual needs and skill level of each student MULTISENSORY LEARNING — A series of exercises that stimulate the visual, auditory, and motor-kinesthetic pathways in the brain. INTERACTIVE LEARNING — Five steps (external stimulation, mental processing, response, immediate feedback, and reinforcement) to keep learners engaged in activities SYSTEMATIC PHONICS INSTRUCTION — Focused instruction on how to link letters and sounds to form sound-symbol relationships and spelling patterns LANGUAGE ENRICHMENT — Words, definitions, and sentences to aid in vocabulary development and retention and to provide background knowledge. PRACTICE AND REPETITION — A wide variety of activities to provide practice in several different contexts MASTERY — Instruction, practice, and review learners need to master the program’s content. HOW IS ELSO DIFFERENT FROM OTHER ONLINE READING PROGRAMS? * ELSO adheres to educational research regarding presentation, and CEI designs its programs to limit distractions. There are no busy screens, music, or animation. Exercises present simple illustrations that reinforce instructional goals. As a result, ELSO users can focus on the information presented. * Exercise introductions and feedback are available in English and Spanish, so learners with limited English skills can use the program immediately. * Nine fonts — including one designed for users with dyslexia — are available so learners may select the one that provides the best readability for their needs. We share in your goal of achieving remarkable results, and we are committed to helping you achieve academic, social and professional success! Learn more at www.ceilearning.com.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Essential Learning System at Free against Simplex Spelling Phonics 3's $4.99. Essential Learning System also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 14.0). Simplex Spelling Phonics 3's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (5 vs 1). On update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Essential Learning System is free to download; Simplex Spelling Phonics 3 costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Simplex Spelling Phonics 3 holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simplex Spelling Phonics 3 has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Simplex Spelling Phonics 3 ships an update every 13 months, Essential Learning System every 16 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Simplex Spelling Phonics 3 | Essential Learning System |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (5 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 92.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 13 months — better | Every 16 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 230 MB | 398 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pyxwise Software Inc. | Creative Education Institute |
Customer experience
Simplex Spelling Phonics 3
Essential Learning System
In-app purchases
Simplex Spelling Phonics 3
No in-app purchases
Essential Learning System
No in-app purchases
Questions
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