Hideout vs SCIP
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hideout
This app uses engaging, research-based mini-games to teach early reading skills. Children learn phonic patterns in playful contexts, practicing word recognition and building reading fluency through interactive activities.
- Research-based early reading instruction
- Engaging mini-games for phonic patterns
- Contextualized word learning
- Practice word recognition
- Interactive and playful learning
- Sequenced skill development
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Hideout teaches early reading skills using research-based principles and applications, presenting phonic patterns used in context within an expansive set of captivating (and a little silly) mini-games: -AP (It's stormy and windy outside. Tap the cap and map to zap them away!) -OP (Visit the pop shop to pop the popcorn til it reaches the top of the bucket!) -IT (Hit the rocks to split them into bits so they fit into the pit!) -ET (Catch the pets in the net so they don't get wet; then load them onto a jet!) -EN (Move the ten hens into the pen where ten men can feed them!) -AG (Drage the rags into the bags, and then tag each bag!) -UB (Scrub and rub each cub in the tub until it's clean!) -IP (Dip the chips and watch the dip drip as you feed the little guys.) -OCK (Visit the dock to knock over the towers of blocks and rocks, and then put them into the socks!) -ACK (The snacks are arriving on a track. Stack them on a rack!) -IN (The pictures arrive in a bin. Pin them each to the wall, and then spin them away!) -UG (Tug the plug from each jug so the bug can crawl free!) Letters, sounds, and phonic patterns are introduced and practiced in contexts that are playful and appealing to children, yet give meaning and purpose to the skills they learn. Children practice purposefully sequenced skills and identify word patterns, learning to recognize the words so they can read about what they do and observe. The contexts and activities keep children engaged with constant variety in the way they present and illustrate word meanings. Each captures children’s interest and invites them to read and create words that describe or explain it. Developed at Brigham Young University by those who created and administer the Systematic and Engaging Early Literacy (SEEL) classroom program, Hideout replicates the kind of interactive face-to-face lessons that are taught by SEEL teachers and available on the SEEL website (education.byu.edu/seel).
SCIP
This therapeutic tool aids speech therapy by implementing evidence-based contrastive phonology approaches. It offers a vast library of words and allows for individualized or group sessions with detailed progress tracking and reporting.
- Five contrastive therapy approaches
- 2,400+ real words and 6,000+ nonsense words
- Individual or group sessions (up to 4 students)
- Individualized treatment targets and data collection
- Printable progress graphs and session notes
- Printable illustrations for practice
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Turbocharge your speech therapy! SCIP (Sound Contrasts In Phonology) is an evidence-based, therapeutic tool developed through a one million dollar NIH grant by ASHA Fellow Dr. A. Lynn Williams. Dr. Williams partnered with EBS Learning to create this revolutionary app to maximize therapy by increasing intelligibility in less time. SCIP allows you to both create and implement treatment approaches using five different contrastive therapy approaches: Multiple Oppositions Minimal Pairs Maximal Oppositions Treatment of the Empty Set Vowel Contrasts SCIP includes more than 2,400 real words and 6,000 nonsense words to provide the widest variety of treatment stimuli and support rapid progress. The app allows individual or group sessions with up to 4 students. In group sessions, each student has individualized treatment targets and data collection. Print or email graphs of treatment progress and individual session notes! Choose the option to treat word-initial or word-final sounds using pictures or illustrations. You can also print illustrations to prepare practice sets to be used away from the iPad or sent home for reinforcement. Amazing features of this app allow you to: Easily create treatment programs with five contrastive approaches. Provide therapy sessions using illustrations or pictures. Collect data and enter therapy notes for each session. Graph treatment data and produce therapy reports. Print illustrations for use away from the iPad. Create and save groups of up to four students each with their own targets and treatment approach. Previously created for use with a computer, this improved and even easier-to-use program is now available as an app on your iPad! "SCIP" the prep time and jump right into treatment!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Hideout at $2.99 against SCIP's $59.99. Hideout also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 67%) and ratings volume (33 vs 4). SCIP's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads 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
Hideout costs $2.99 and SCIP $59.99 up front. Hideout sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SCIP asks for nothing beyond the download.
SCIP holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hideout has 33 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 89% of Hideout's written reviews are positive against 67% of SCIP's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Hideout ships an update every 7 months, SCIP every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hideout | SCIP |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $59.99 |
| Rating | 4.4 (33 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 88.8% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 33 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 226 MB | 355 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Third Rail Games LLC | EBS LEARNING INC |
Customer experience
Hideout
SCIP
Bugs and requests
Hideout
Reported bugs
5 issues- Sound not working on some devices despite volume settings being correct
- No way to exit screens or return to home menu
- App crashes or freezes on certain devices
- In-app purchase system incompatible with school MDM systems
- Support website broken with outdated information
Requested features
7 requests- Add more word families and sound combinations
- Expand content with additional phonetic patterns (ch, wh, th, sh, long vowels)
- Create a paid full version with more content
- Add controls for presentation speed for auditory processing needs
- Implement proper menu buttons for navigation
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- Develop a complete reading program series
- Add more levels and progressive difficulty
SCIP
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Hideout
- Workshop AreaFree
SCIP
No in-app purchases









