Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) vs Ello 2.0
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Buzz 'n' Read (Standard)
This app teaches beginner readers foundational phonics skills through interactive stories and games. It uses speech recognition to listen to children read, providing immediate feedback to help them sound out and blend words. Designed for independent learning, it makes the reading process engaging and fun.
- Phonics-based learning
- Speech recognition for reading practice
- Interactive stories
- Letter-sound matching
- Word blending exercises
- Immediate feedback
Read full descriptionHide full description
FOR BEGINNER READERS-- This Standard version of Buzz 'n' Read teaches reading by using important step-by-step techniques based on the PHONICS and structure of Standard English. Both Buzz 'n' Read apps are designed for children to learn to read by using stories with characters that look and sound like them so they can get excited about reading! This app will help your child to learn to read faster! Buzz ‘n’ Read (Standard/Phonics) focuses on teaching the BASICS OF PHONICS so that your child can learn to read by decoding letters rather than memorizing what every word looks like. Phonics is well-supported by research on learning to read because it gives your child a way to sound out almost any word they come across, even if they have never seen it before. This approach to reading will help your child become a strong reader! Buzz ‘n’ Read will help to make the process fun! Unlike other learn-to-read apps, this app begins with the very important first step in reading: learning to match letters to sounds so that your child can sound out words. This stage of reading using phonics is called DECODING. After learning this connection, a fun target game is used in this app to help strengthen your child’s learning. The next step in phonics is to learn to BLEND the letter sounds together to figure out what the word is. After learning to decode, your child will be taught how to blend sounds together to make a word and then will be given feedback on whether they sounded out the word correctly. Buzz ‘n’ Read is very unique in that it LISTENS TO YOUR CHILD while he or she is reading. The app uses speech recognition to listen to your child slowly sound out each word until he or she identifies it correctly. A happy sound is played when they say the word. Your child will then get to practice blending sounds together to make words by reading stories with simple words and beautiful illustrations. The words on the screen are read in part by the app’s narrator and in part by your child, with feedback for your child when the word is read correctly. This feedback is important in helping them to learn to read more accurately! The instructions and stories in Buzz ‘n’ Read are all spoken out loud to your child for easier navigation. The voice of the child is engaging and relatable. In most other reading apps, the instructions are written for a parent who is expected to help the child use the app to read. Having a narrator explain the reading process to your child and provide instructions for using the app not only makes learning a friendly process, but your child could even use this app to learn to read all by him- or herself! Best of all, BUZZ ‘n’ Read is COMPLETELY FREE, with no in-app purchases or membership fees, unlike any major other reading app available for iOS. This app was developed by Jackson Lasaga-Ivey.
Ello 2.0
This educational app uses AI to personalize reading and math lessons for children aged 4-9. It listens to children read aloud, identifies mistakes, and adapts content in real-time. Features include daily quests, a large book library, and early math exercises.
- AI reading tutor listens and corrects in real-time
- Adaptive learning adjusts to child's level
- 1,200+ decodable books based on Science of Reading
- Daily personalized reading and math quests
- Early math skills development
- Supports pre-readers and up to Grade 5
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your child is unique. Their learning should be too. More than games. Real teaching. Ages 5–9. Ello listens to your child, catches mistakes, and adjusts to their level — built by literacy researchers and speech scientists. Most kids' apps are tappable games with a quiz bolted on. Ello actually teaches. It listens to your child read out loud, catches mistakes, and adjusts the next session based on what they got wrong. Featured by Good Morning America, Time Magazine, and Common Sense Media. Free to start. No ads. Ever. Download and explore Ello's reading games, math games, and Daily Quests completely free. How Ello actually teaches: Ello's AI listens to your child read out loud, catches mistakes, and adjusts the next session to match. No other reading app does real-time listening, a full book library, and early math in a single daily session. - Daily Quests — a personalized mix of reading and math, up to 15 min per day - 1,200+ decodable books built on the Science of Reading - Math for kids — counting, numbers, and addition - AI reading tutor — listens, corrects, and guides in real time - Adaptive learning — meets your child exactly where they are - Kid-safe — no ads, no in-app purchases Reading, math, and a reason to keep coming back. Ello covers phonics, early reading, and math for kids from Kindergarten through 5th Grade. Whether your child is a kindergartener building phonics skills or a 2nd grader who needs a math tutor — Ello adapts to them. "She struggled with reading, but Ello makes it fun. Now she asks to read every day." — Jamie M. "My son's reading level jumped two grades in three months." — Lola P. Reading tutor. Math tutor. One app. Download free — your child's first Daily Quest is waiting.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) at 5.0 against Ello 2.0's 4.3. Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%). Ello 2.0's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (61 vs 2). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ello 2.0 has 61 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Buzz 'n' Read (Standard)'s written reviews are positive against 67% of Ello 2.0's.
Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) ships an update every 3 weeks, Ello 2.0 every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) | Ello 2.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 4.3 (61 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 61 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #57 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 315 MB | 196 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | JLI AppStudio LLC | Ello Technology, Inc. |
Customer experience
Buzz 'n' Read (Standard)
Ello 2.0
In-app purchases
Buzz 'n' Read (Standard)
No in-app purchases
Ello 2.0
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) free?
Is Ello 2.0 free?
Which has better reviews, Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) or Ello 2.0?
Do Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) or Ello 2.0 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Buzz 'n' Read (Standard) or Ello 2.0?
Other comparisons















