Comparison

Writing Wizard vs Jolly Phonics Pro

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

Head to head
About

Writing Wizard

This app helps children learn to trace letters, numbers, and words with a fun, motivating system. It offers customizable tracing, interactive games, and progress reports for parents and educators.

Highlights
  • Customizable tracing practice
  • Interactive games and rewards
  • Letter names and phonics
  • Create custom word lists
  • Progress reports
  • Printable worksheets
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

"Fantastic, customizable tracing practice with fun rewards." 5 Stars - Common Sense Media 470,000+ units sold (including 260,000 to schools) ! Writing Wizard is designed to help every child learn how to trace letters, numbers, and words through a fun system carefully designed to maintain motivation. • Show and enforce how to trace letters correctly • 16 Fonts available (including 3 most popular USA fonts) • Fun tracing using 50+ animated stickers, sound effects and interactive games that animate letters at the end of tracing • Letter names and phonics • Uppercase & lowercase letters, numbers and words • Ability to create your own word lists (and record audio for each word) • Fully customizable to suit every child’s needs (letter size, difficulty,...) • Check progress thanks to reports that display what the child has traced • Shapes tracing activity for toddlers • Create PDF Worksheets and print them to help your child to write on paper • Use Apple pencil to write at very small size _______ ACCOLADES • "Writing Wizard is the most complete and intelligent letter tracing app we’ve seen"" AppoLearning.com • "This brand-new app should be the go-to for every parent, teacher and therapist to work on handwriting" - TOP PICKS - 5 stars - SmartAppsForKids.com • "Writing Wizard by L’Escapadou is everything a parent wants in a handwriting app, and more." 5/5 - kids-app-reviews.com • "L’Escapadou has made handwriting fun." AppyMall.com 5/5 • Listed in "20 best educational iPhone and iPad apps for kids of 2013" - appsplayground.com • Editor's Choice Award for Excellence in Design - Children's Technology Review _______ PERFECT FOR KIDS Kids want to have fun, and Writing Wizard offers a lot of fun to keep them motivated in the learning process ! • They can trace using 50+ animated stickers and sound effects • Once tracing is complete, they can interact with them on 4 games that animate letters • They can trace any word - like their name - and record their voice for each word • They can collect stars in 5-Stars play mode _______ PERFECT FOR PARENTS & TEACHERS • Ability to create your own word lists (and record audio for each word) • Detailed reports provide information on what kids have done, including the ability to replay and export the tracings to view kids' progress • Share word lists via iCloud drive or other cloud providers, adhoc network, or email • Multiple parameters to customize the app according to the child’s current education level (e.g. letter size, difficulty, show/hide model, allow to stop between key points, etc.) • 3 most popular fonts in the US (ZB, DN & HWT) and 13 international fonts (UK, Scandinavia,Australia, germany, France) • Upper and lower case letters, numbers (and word lists) • Letter names and phonics (which can be customized) • A customizable 5-Stars play mode prompting the child to trace a letter or a word 5 times using different parameters (each step is more challenging) • Create an unlimited number of users • Many settings to customize the app (sound, game time limit, black background,...) • In the A-Z section, special graphics available to match letters (e.g. ant graphic for A/a) _______ Note that a free to try version is available (search for "Writing Wizard -Starter" on the App Store) _______ Privacy Policy KNOW WHAT'S INSIDE As a Moms with Apps member, we follow the "Know what's inside" best practices for kids’ apps L’Escapadou takes children’s privacy seriously. We believe you should not have to worry about your kids being tracked by apps or websites. This app: • Does not collect any user information (we do not use data collection tools) • Does not contain in-app purchases • External Links: Protected parent sections are available where you can send us a mail and check out our others apps. Before accessing a parent section, an addition must be solved so that young kids cannot access it. *

About

Jolly Phonics Pro

This interactive app helps children develop reading and writing skills through a science-based phonics approach. It features engaging songs, actions, and games to make learning fun and effective for home or classroom use.

Highlights
  • Learn all 42 letter sounds
  • Animated letter formation for handwriting
  • Interactive flashcards and wordbanks
  • Progress tracking and assessments
  • Songs and actions for multisensory learning
Features
Read full description

Teach Your Child to Read and Write with Jolly Phonics! Unlock your child’s reading and writing potential with the literacy app trusted by parents and teachers worldwide. Aligned with the Science of Reading, this interactive app makes learning to read and write fun and engaging, and is ideal for home or classroom use! Jolly Phonics focuses on direct, explicit instruction of phonemic awareness and phonics for both reading (decoding) and writing (encoding). Scientific research has consistently shown phonemic awareness to be essential for building strong reading and writing skills. 
 Why Choose Jolly Phonics? • Proven Success: Used in schools globally for over 30 years – with proven literacy outcomes. • Science-Based Approach: Aligned with the Science of Reading to ensure kids build effective foundational reading skills. • Engaging & Multi-Sensory: Songs, actions and interactive games bring phonics learning to life! Key Features That Make Learning Easy and Fun: • Explore All 42 Letter Sounds: Free audio and songs to help kids learn every sound. • Animated Letter Formation: Develop strong handwriting skills with step-by-step visual animations. • Interactive Learning Tools: Flashcards, wordbanks and action images to enhance and support every lesson. • 7 Educational Games (paid version): Turn reading and writing practice into play with fun phonics games that reinforce kids’ learning. • Progress Tracking: Built-in assessments to monitor children’s progress and celebrate achievements. Who Is It For? This literacy app is ideal for parents, teachers and kids looking for a structured, fun and proven approach to learning to read and write. Start Your Kid’s Phonics Journey Today! Join the millions of families and educators who have embraced the Jolly Phonics programme of learning for confident readers and writers. Whether at home or in the classroom, this app makes literacy learning simple, effective and enjoyable! Download now and see how Jolly Phonics can transform your child’s literacy learning! 
 What's New in This Version?

Screenshots

Writing Wizard4 screens
Jolly Phonics Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Writing Wizard at 90% against Jolly Phonics Pro's 34%. Writing Wizard also leads on price ($13.99 vs $49.99) and ratings volume (3.3K vs 232). Jolly Phonics Pro's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.3). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Writing Wizard costs $13.99 and Jolly Phonics Pro $49.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Jolly Phonics Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Writing Wizard has 3.3K ratings behind it against 232, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 90% of Writing Wizard's written reviews are positive against 34% of Jolly Phonics Pro's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Writing Wizard ships an update every 4 months, Jolly Phonics Pro every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Writing Wizard versus Jolly Phonics Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWriting WizardJolly Phonics Pro
Price$13.99 — better$49.99
Rating4.3 (3.3K ratings)4.5 (232 ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.7% of reviews — better34.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3.3K — better232
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#138 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB227 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPierre AbelJolly Learning

Customer experience

Writing Wizard

All ratings3,340 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.5%
Negative8.7%
Written reviews155 reviews
Positive89.7%
Neutral2.6%
Negative7.7%

Jolly Phonics Pro

All ratings232 ratings
Positive90.1%
Neutral3.0%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive34.0%
Neutral14.0%
Negative52.0%

User reviews

Writing Wizard

From 3.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Customizable word lists and recording
  • 🎨 Engaging graphics and animations
  • 🏫 Great for teaching handwriting and spelling
  • 🔒 No ads or in-app purchases
  • 🎓 Helpful for children with special needs

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezing
  • 🔤 Limited font options, especially for UK users
  • 🔒 Difficulty accessing parental controls
  • 🖋️ Apple Pencil not supported
  • 🔄 Difficulty clearing tracing history

Jolly Phonics Pro

From 232 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for learning phonics
  • 👍 Helps children learn letters and words
  • 👍 Addictive yet educational
  • 👍 Good for non-native English speakers
  • 👍 Interactive and fun

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes frequently
  • 🐛 No sound for some letters/words
  • 🐛 Paid version offers no added value over free
  • 🐛 Expensive for limited content
  • 🐛 Poor implementation and glitches

Bugs and requests

Writing Wizard

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Incorrect letter formation for some characters
  • Inconsistent performance on older devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add more font options, including cursive and UK-specific styles
  • Improve parental control accessibility
  • Integrate Apple Pencil support
  • Allow easier clearing of tracing history
  • Expand character support (e.g., Latin Extended, Cyrillic, Arabic)
Show 1 more
  • Add a free-form writing mode or blank canvas

Jolly Phonics Pro

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • App crashes after purchase
  • App shows blank page
  • App has no sound
  • Sounds stop working after a few games
  • Some sounds are missing (e.g., 'oa', 'ue', 'ow')
Show 13 more
  • App freezes when repeatedly playing a sound
  • Flashcards are not working
  • Letter sounds get stuck and screen freezes
  • Print letters not showing up correctly
  • Formation part shows cursive writing even when print is selected
  • Blending activities have issues with two-letter sounds
  • Finger tracing has multiple issues
  • App not working with some pronunciations (e.g., 'oa')
  • Sound clip for 'ee' in 'coffee' is the same as 'e' in 'egg'
  • No audible soft 'g' sound in 'ng' section
  • App not allowing restore after purchase
  • App not working with iOS version 11.0 or later
  • Mouse appears then app switches off

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add more phonic groups
  • Allow tapping stories to be read aloud
  • Option to choose different speaking speeds
  • Add interactive word bank
  • Support for family sharing
Show 3 more
  • Add more words to the app
  • Include sound for story and action parts
  • Ability to mix phonic songs and create own words

In-app purchases

None

Writing Wizard

No in-app purchases

None

Jolly Phonics Pro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Writing Wizard free?
Writing Wizard costs $13.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Jolly Phonics Pro free?
Jolly Phonics Pro costs $49.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Writing Wizard or Jolly Phonics Pro?
Jolly Phonics Pro is rated higher. Writing Wizard averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3.3K ratings, while Jolly Phonics Pro averages 4.5 from 232 ratings.
Do Writing Wizard or Jolly Phonics Pro have ads?
Neither Writing Wizard nor Jolly Phonics Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Writing Wizard or Jolly Phonics Pro?
Writing Wizard ships an update every 4 months, and Jolly Phonics Pro every 3 months. Most recently, Writing Wizard was updated on November 1, 2026 and Jolly Phonics Pro on November 4, 2026.

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