# READING MAGIC 5 vs Hairy Phonics 3

The clearest difference is price: READING MAGIC 5 at Free against Hairy Phonics 3's $2.99. READING MAGIC 5 also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.6) and review sentiment (90% vs 50%). Hairy Phonics 3's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 13.7). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

READING MAGIC 5 is free to download; Hairy Phonics 3 costs $2.99 up front. READING MAGIC 5 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Hairy Phonics 3 asks for nothing beyond the download.

READING MAGIC 5 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of READING MAGIC 5's written reviews are positive against 50% of Hairy Phonics 3's.

READING MAGIC 5 ships an update every 11 months, Hairy Phonics 3 every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | READING MAGIC 5 | Hairy Phonics 3 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-magic-5/id587172901/reviews)** | [3.6 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hairy-phonics-3/id938109519/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **11** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **90.0% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 11 months** | Every 12 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 226 MB | 270 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.7 | **9.3** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PRESCHOOL UNIVERSITY](https://appshunter.io/developer/404048727) | [Nessy Learning Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/410276291) |

## What reviewers say

### READING MAGIC 5

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-magic-5/id587172901)

This educational app teaches children the rules of the silent final 'e' in English phonics through engaging games. It helps develop essential reading skills like blending and segmenting, fostering phonemic awareness and phonological processing.

**Highlights:** Teaches silent final 'e' rules, Develops phonemic awareness, Enhances phonological processing, Includes engaging blending and segmenting games, Discourages picture guessing, Offers lesson tracking (deluxe version)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Deluxe Upgrade | $3.99 | one-time |


### Hairy Phonics 3

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hairy-phonics-3/id938109519)

This educational app teaches children phonics, focusing on vowel-r and magic 'e' sounds. It uses animations, tracing activities, and games to help kids blend sounds into words and improve reading and spelling skills.

**Highlights:** Teaches vowel-r sounds, Teaches magic 'e' rules, Phonic animations, Letter tracing, Word blending games, Structured learning sequence

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is READING MAGIC 5 free?

READING MAGIC 5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Hairy Phonics 3 free?

Hairy Phonics 3 costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, READING MAGIC 5 or Hairy Phonics 3?

READING MAGIC 5 is rated higher. READING MAGIC 5 averages 4.8 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Hairy Phonics 3 averages 3.6 from 5 ratings.

### Do READING MAGIC 5 or Hairy Phonics 3 have ads?

Neither READING MAGIC 5 nor Hairy Phonics 3 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, READING MAGIC 5 or Hairy Phonics 3?

READING MAGIC 5 ships an update every 11 months, and Hairy Phonics 3 every 12 months. Most recently, READING MAGIC 5 was updated on October 23, 2026 and Hairy Phonics 3 on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*