Comparison

Gappy Learns Reading vs Alphablocks, How to Write

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

Head to head
About

Gappy Learns Reading

This educational game helps young children master over 200 three-letter words through engaging gameplay. Players spell words to progress through four worlds, collecting items to customize a virtual house with numerous creative combinations. It's designed for early readers who know their alphabet.

Highlights
  • Master 211 three-letter words
  • Puzzle game for preschool/kindergarten
  • Customize Gappy's house with 720 combinations
  • Four game levels for reading progression
  • Learn capital and lowercase letters
  • Teaching keypad with letter sounds
Features
Read full description

Discover the awesome reading game that helps early learners master more than 200 three-letter words. In Gappy Learns Reading, you'll travel across four exciting worlds, spelling words to bridge the gaps and collect the parts you need to redesign Gappy's house. From a cozy cabin to a castle with a gingerbread roof, there are more than 700 creative combinations you can make in the primary learning adventure perfect for pint-size readers. “This app, from these tried and true developers, is so engaging, visually pleasing, and inviting the students simply can’t get enough of it!” — Teachers With Apps Features: • 211 three-letter words for kids to learn, including 174 basic CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) and 37 common sight words. • A fun puzzle game design for preschool and kindergarten learners who know the alphabet and are just beginning to read. • 54 different house parts that let kids make 720 fanciful combinations. • Four game levels that help children progress from identifying letters to spelling words. • The ability to switch cases, helping children learn capital and lowercase letters. • Selectable word groupings that let players learn at their own pace. • A teaching keypad with the name and sound of every letter. • No ads or in-app purchases. Awards & Recognitions: • Featured in Apple Apps for Preschool & Kindergarten • Featured in Apple’s Education Spotlight Newsletter • Apple New and Noteworthy The entire collection of Spinlight apps are now part of the Little 10 Robot family. AlphaTots Alphabet, TallyTots Counting, Pixel and Parker, Operation Math, Winky Think Logic Puzzles, Billy’s Coin Visits the Zoo, Gappy Learns Reading, Gappy Learns Writing, Geography Drive USA, Swapsies Jobs, Swapsies Sports, YodelOh Math Mountain and more! Crafted by Little 10 Robot. We believe that smiling is the first step in learning. That’s why we make educational apps loaded with serious fun.

About

Alphablocks, How to Write

This app uses animated characters to teach children how to write letters and numbers. It features a guided learning path with pre-writing exercises, letter families, and tracing practice with rhymes. The app is designed by educational experts and is ad-free.

Highlights
  • Pre-writing line practice
  • Letter families based on shape
  • Scaffolded learning trajectory
  • Letter and numeral tracing
  • Writing rhymes for memorization
  • Adventure-based learning
Currently charting
Read full description

Alphablocks and Numberblocks, How to Write is a hands-on, fun way for children to learn to write, packed with brand new Writing Magic. Imagine if the letters of the alphabet and numbers came to life to teach your child how to write... This is exactly what happens in How to Write! Join your favourite characters from the hit CBeebies shows, Alphablocks and Numberblocks, as they find their way home, helping children practice fine motor skills and letter formation accompanied by catchy rhymes along the way. This app is brought to you by top educators and experts in play from the BAFTA award-winning creators of Numberblocks and Blue Zoo animation studios. How does Alphablocks and Numberblocks, How to Write help your child? "Alphablocks and Numberblocks, How to Write helps children build confidence as they practice fine motor skills covering the foundational line shapes that they will need to form letters. The journey is carefully scaffolded, taking children through generic practice lines, pre-letter lines and letter formation. A brilliant app!" Professor Kate Ruttle, Early Years Writing expert and advisor to Alphablocks Ltd. 1. Carefully scaffolded learning trajectory, designed by top literacy educators and experts in play. 2. This app is fun, educational and safe, being COPPA and GDPR-K compliant and 100% ad-free. 3. All presented through a safe, 100% ad-free, digital game for your child to explore. Featuring… - Pre-writing lines to help children practice fine motor skills. - Letters are carefully broken down into four letter families, based on similarities of shape: Bouncy, Straight Line, Curly and Zigzag letter families. - Within each letter family, letters are introduced with the simplest first, so children can build up their skills confidently. - Pre-letter lines help children to repeat the key movement in each letter and numeral, as carefully specified by our literacy experts. - Letter and numeral tracing practice, accompanied by special writing rhymes for each letter of the alphabet and numbers 0-9 help children to remember the movements! - A fun adventure, helping each Alphablock and Numberblock find their way home... and ultimately customising their home with a fun surprise! Privacy & Safety At Blue Zoo Productions Ltd. and Alphablocks Ltd., your child’s privacy and safety is the first priority for us. There are no ads in the app and we will never share personal information with any 3rd parties or sell this on. You can find out more in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service: Privacy Policy: https://www.learningblocks.tv/privacy-policy Terms of Service: https://www.learningblocks.tv/terms-of-service

Screenshots

Gappy Learns Reading4 screens
Alphablocks, How to Write4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Alphablocks, How to Write at 3.8 against Gappy Learns Reading's 3.0. Alphablocks, How to Write also leads on chart position (#143 vs unranked). Gappy Learns Reading's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 56%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Gappy Learns Reading costs $2.99 and Alphablocks, How to Write $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Alphablocks, How to Write holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 22 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Gappy Learns Reading's written reviews are positive against 56% of Alphablocks, How to Write's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gappy Learns Reading ships an update every 2 months, Alphablocks, How to Write every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Gappy Learns Reading versus Alphablocks, How to Write: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGappy Learns ReadingAlphablocks, How to Write
Price$2.99 — better$3.99
Rating3.0 (20 ratings)3.8 (22 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better55.6% of reviews
Number of ratings2022 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#143 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB323 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLittle 10 RobotBlue-Zoo

Customer experience

Gappy Learns Reading

All ratings20 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews76 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral6.6%
Negative18.4%

Alphablocks, How to Write

All ratings22 ratings
Positive63.6%
Neutral9.1%
Negative27.3%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive55.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

Gappy Learns Reading

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Picture doesn't fit screen
  • Cannot see options or settings
  • App doesn't fit XS screen
  • Doesn't fit phone screen
  • Cannot drag down letters
Show 7 more
  • App doesn't adjust to iPhone screen
  • Image doesn't fit on screen
  • Doesn't work with latest software updates
  • Voice over not working
  • App is stuck after Gappy reaches home
  • Voice over stopped working
  • Sound broken in latest version

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add 4-letter words and more
  • Picture matching for words
  • Increase letter choices
  • App for CCVC and CVCC words
  • Separate app/option for digraphs
Show 2 more
  • App comparing CVC to CVCe words
  • More options for engagement over time

Alphablocks, How to Write

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Gappy Learns Reading

No in-app purchases

None

Alphablocks, How to Write

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Gappy Learns Reading free?
Gappy Learns Reading costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Alphablocks, How to Write free?
Alphablocks, How to Write costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Gappy Learns Reading or Alphablocks, How to Write?
Alphablocks, How to Write is rated higher. Gappy Learns Reading averages 3.0 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Alphablocks, How to Write averages 3.8 from 22 ratings.
Do Gappy Learns Reading or Alphablocks, How to Write have ads?
Neither Gappy Learns Reading nor Alphablocks, How to Write shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gappy Learns Reading or Alphablocks, How to Write?
Gappy Learns Reading ships an update every 2 months, and Alphablocks, How to Write every 5 months. Most recently, Gappy Learns Reading was updated on October 7, 2026 and Alphablocks, How to Write on October 13, 2026.

Other comparisons