Comparison

Oz Phonics 1 vs Bubbles

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

Head to head
About

Oz Phonics 1

This app focuses on phonemic awareness and letter/sound knowledge for early readers. It offers 10 interactive exercises and sound reference screens to help children differentiate sounds, match them to letters, and build foundational spelling and reading skills. It aligns with US Common Core State Standards for kindergarten.

Highlights
  • Phonemic awareness exercises
  • Letter-sound matching
  • Sound differentiation games
  • Beginning and ending sound identification
  • Rhyme recognition
  • Sound reference screens
Features
Read full description

Visit ozphonics.com for free worksheets to accompany this app. Exercises covering US Common Core State Standards: RF/K/2a, RF/K/2d, RF/K/3a, RF/K/3b(short vowels only). This app is focused on phonemic awareness and letter/sound knowledge. Oz Phonics 1 has 10 exercises and 2 sound reference screens, covering the beginning steps of both spelling and reading. Students are trained to listen first, before they even see the letters written down. Matching the sounds they hear to the written letters is the next step. 1.Sound Match Being able to differentiate between sounds and match identical ones is fundamental to the reading and spelling process. Here we play a sound matching game with a random selection from the 28 sounds covered in this app. 2.Odd One Out – Beginning Sound Listen to all the beginning sounds, then drag the odd one out into the basket. 3. Odd One Out – Rhyme This activity is quite difficult and requires careful listening and remembering. Note that some of the words in this exercise are nonsense words. 4. Phonics Sounds Reference We learn to read and spell by listening to the sounds in the words, not the names of the letters, (though these will be important later on). This screen allows the student to listen to the word first, then hear the sound at the beginning. Note the first sound in ‘quiz’ is /k/ (not /kw/). At this point we teach the sounds of the letter ‘x’ when it comes at the end of the word six, /ks/. We introduce the end sound in the word sunny /ee/. Another new sound is /th/at the beginning of this. Because we could not represent this word with a picture, we have shown it in letters. It is underlined because it is a voiced sound. (An unvoiced /th/ is heard at the beginning of thin.) 5. Odd One Out – Beginning Vowel Vowels are more difficult than consonants. Careful listening is necessary for this activity. Tap the tiles again if you don’t get it the first time. The word honest begins with a silent ‘h’ – the first sound we hear is the short /ŏ/. 6. Missing Beginning Sound Tap on the middle and end tiles to hear that part of the word. Think which sound is missing, then tap on the colored tiles until you find it. Drag that tile onto the question mark. The whole word will then be sounded out. Note that the tiles represent sounds not letters – the word egg has two sounds and therefore only two tiles. 7. Missing End Sound Tap on the first tiles to hear that part of the word. Think which sound is missing, then tap on the colored tiles until you find it. Drag that tile onto the question mark. The whole word will then be sounded out. 8. Missing Middle Sound Tap on the first and last tiles to hear those parts of the word. Think which sound is missing, then tap on the coloured tiles until you find it. Drag that tile onto the question mark. The whole word will then be sounded out. Note that most students find the middle sound most difficult to identify. 9. Sound Match (letter visible) Consonants are black and vowels are red. Tap on the tiles until you find a matching pair. When you tap them quickly, one after the other, the lizards will gobble them up. You may play this again. 10. Phonics Touch Pad Tap on each tile to hear the sound. Make up some two-letter words like on, in, up, at; three-letter words like cat, dog, man, fox, big, sun, ten; four-letter words like this, that, then. You will be surprised how many words the student will be able to make. 11. Vowel Test Test how many vowel sounds your student knows. 12. Phonics Sound Test – 28 sounds Note there are three letters that make the /k/ sound – ‘c’, ‘k’ and ‘q’. It does not matter in which order you tap on them. When the letter ‘y’ is a consonant and says /y/, it is black. When it is a vowel and says /ee/, it is red.

About

Bubbles

This interactive digital book teaches New Zealand Sign Language and English vocabulary through engaging animations, sound effects, and read-along features. It offers options for children to read independently or with narration, and includes coloring activities for illustrations.

Highlights
  • Swipe-to-Read™
  • Touch-to-Hear™
  • Touch-to-Spell™
  • Read-to-me and read-it-myself options
  • Record narration
  • Color illustrations
  • Animation and sound effects
Features
Read full description

Bubbles by Dot Meharry illustrated by Fraser Williamson This app is intended as a New Zealand Sign Language resource. FEATURES: - Swipe-to-Read™ - Touch-to-Hear™ - Touch-to-Spell™ - Read-to-me and read-it-myself options - Record your narration - Colour in the illustrations - Animation and sound effects - A child-friendly user interface - Parents/Teachers Notes This digital book contains text and audio in English and a video readthrough and vocabulary in NZSL NEED HELP? Contact us: support@kiwadigital.com KIWA® is the world’s leading production house for experiential digital books. We partner with publishers and other content owners, using our patented technology to bring content to life in revolutionary new digital formats that deepen your child’s engagement and understanding. Check out our website: www.kiwadigital.com Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KiwaDigital

Screenshots

Bubbles4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Bubbles at Free against Oz Phonics 1's $2.99. Bubbles also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 71%) and device support (3 vs 1). Oz Phonics 1's advantage is update cadence (every 11 months vs every 37 months). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Bubbles is free to download; Oz Phonics 1 costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Oz Phonics 1 ships an update every 11 months, Bubbles every 37 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Oz Phonics 1 versus Bubbles: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOz Phonics 1Bubbles
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 months — betterEvery 37 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB86 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDSP Learning Pty LtdMinistry of Education

Customer experience

Oz Phonics 1

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%

Bubbles

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Oz Phonics 1

No in-app purchases

None

Bubbles

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Oz Phonics 1 free?
Oz Phonics 1 costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bubbles free?
Bubbles is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Oz Phonics 1 or Bubbles have ads?
Neither Oz Phonics 1 nor Bubbles shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Oz Phonics 1 or Bubbles?
Oz Phonics 1 ships an update every 11 months, and Bubbles every 37 months. Most recently, Oz Phonics 1 was updated on October 23, 2026 and Bubbles on October 10, 2026.

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