Hooked on Phonics Learning vs AB Sees
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hooked on Phonics Learning
This app transforms screen time into educational fun for children aged 3-8. It offers interactive games and activities across reading, math, and spelling, tailored to individual learning needs. Parents receive real-time progress insights and can track their child's development through a comprehensive ebook library and reward system.
- Reading, Math & Spelling Games
- 1000+ Educational Activities
- 100+ Ebook Library
- Adaptive Learning Program
- Virtual Rewards System
- Multi-device Compatibility
- Customizable Learner Profiles
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Turn screen time into learning time! Hooked on Phonics has been trusted by parents for over 35 years to provide engaging, educational content for kids. Our app uses cutting-edge research and guidance from top educators to teach essential skills. Tailored to support preschool, kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade learners, our adaptive program targets where each child needs practice. This gives parents real-time progress insights! Learn across different subjects with Hooked on Math and Hooked on Spelling included within our Hooked on Phonics app. Kids can learn, gain rewards, and strengthen early skills that align with your family’s educational goals. Hooked on Phonics helps children (ages 3-8) learn across reading, math, and spelling with:: • 1000+ educational activities designed for preschool, kindergarten, and early grade levels • 100+ ebook library with stories to complement every reading lesson • Multi-device compatibility – keep learning consistent across devices • Three customizable learner profiles to track individual progress Children can: • Gain confidence through interactive learning activities * Earn virtual rewards like cosmetic items for your avatar • Practice reading in our extensive ebook library • Easily resume learning on any device, any time WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU DOWNLOAD: Hooked on Phonics offers a 7-day free trial of the entire program, including: reading, math, and spelling content. Experience your child’s excitement as they read their first book or solve their first math problem! Terms of use: - Hooked on Phonics provides a 7-day free trial, which upon completion, becomes a monthly subscription charged by the Apple App Store. - Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user by going to the “Subscriptions” section in the App store after purchase. https://hookedonphonics.com/terms-of-service/ Practice Packs Mailed Home: Catapult your child's progress by purchasing Practice Packs as an add-on to your App (available on our website). The workbooks, storybooks, and celebration stickers work in tandem with the App to help children develop a deeper understanding of literacy (and mathematics!) concepts. Built by educational experts and reinforced with feedback from our customers, the Practice Pack program includes 5 Pre-reader, and 15 Learn to Read packs that include workbooks, stickers, storybooks, and in the first Pre-reader pack, flashcards that are sent to the home, monthly. Subscribers can customize how often they receive these shipments through their account dashboard to tailor the pacing to each family’s needs. Created in conjunction with the App, the Practice Packs allow children to engage in different modalities of learning, review the skills they’ve gained in the App, and practice hands-on skills—like writing and tracing—that are best mastered in a non-digital environment. The result is an immersive program of learning experiences that keeps kids highly engaged in learning to read. Start your child on the path to becoming a confident lifelong learner, and download Hooked on Phonics now!
AB Sees
This app makes writing fun for children, turning it into an engaging, game-like experience. It helps kids learn to write significantly earlier than average, fostering creativity and interactive learning.
- Engaging game-like writing experience
- Accelerated writing development
- Creative and interactive learning
- User-friendly interface
- Smooth performance
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AB Sees encourages kids to put pen to paper while making writing as engaging as a video game. Students who learn to write using AB See can do so two years earlier than the national average.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: AB Sees at 100% against Hooked on Phonics Learning's 42%. AB Sees also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 21). Hooked on Phonics Learning's advantage is ratings volume (18K vs 17) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Hooked on Phonics Learning sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. AB Sees asks for nothing beyond the download.
AB Sees holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hooked on Phonics Learning has 18K ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of Hooked on Phonics Learning's written reviews are positive against 100% of AB Sees's.
Hooked on Phonics Learning ships an update monthly, AB Sees every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hooked on Phonics Learning | AB Sees |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (18K ratings) | 5.0 (17 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 42.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 18K — better | 17 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #69 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 635 MB | 365 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hooked on Phonics | wylan neely |
Customer experience
Hooked on Phonics Learning
AB Sees
User reviews
Hooked on Phonics Learning
From 18K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Helped child learn to read quickly
- 👍 Fun and engaging for kids
- 🚀 Effective for teaching phonics
- 👍 Great customer service
- 👍 Workbooks and app work well together
Room to improve
- 🐛 App freezes and crashes frequently
- 🐛 Progress not saved properly
- 🐛 Difficult to navigate and use
- 🔋 Slow loading times
- 🔒 Subscription issues and billing problems
AB Sees
From 17 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💡 Unique and engaging learning experience
- 👍 Smooth and quick performance
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 💡 Effective for teaching kids reading, writing, and spelling
- 👍 Motivating and fun for children
Bugs and requests
Hooked on Phonics Learning
Reported bugs
4 issues- Avatar creation feature broken
- Incorrect letter pronunciations
- Levels not loading properly
- Login issues after updates
Requested features
4 requests- More variety in activities and games
- Ability to skip or customize lessons
- Offline mode for using the app without internet
- Support for larger families with more user profiles
AB Sees
No bugs or feature requests surfaced in reviews.
In-app purchases
Hooked on Phonics Learning
- Hooked on Phonics7 Days trial$6.991 Month
- 1 month 7.997 Days trial$7.991 Month
- Monthly $7.997 Days trial2 variants$7.991 Month
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- Hooked on Phonics7 Days trial$7.991 Month
- 1 month - 8.997 Days trial$8.991 Month
- Hooked on Phonics7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Hooked on Phonics7 Days trial$12.991 Month
- Monthly $12.997 Days trial2 variants$12.991 Month
- Monthly $14.997 Days trial$14.991 Month
- Semi-Annual $29.997 Days trial$29.996 Months
- Hooked on Phonics$39.991 Year
- Annual $49.997 Days trial2 variants$49.991 Year
- 1 year 49.997 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Annual $79.997 Days trial$79.991 Year
- Can Man eBook$0.99
- Zap eBook$0.99
- Unlocking of Step 2 including 3 eBooks$6.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Unlock Complete 12 Step Set$49.99
AB Sees
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Hooked on Phonics Learning free?
Is AB Sees free?
Which has better reviews, Hooked on Phonics Learning or AB Sees?
Do Hooked on Phonics Learning or AB Sees have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hooked on Phonics Learning or AB Sees?
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