# HB Phonological Awareness vs Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.

HB Phonological Awareness and Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. both sit at 3.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 67% of HB Phonological Awareness's written reviews are positive against 10% of Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.'s. Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.'s advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.4 for HB Phonological Awareness against 3.5 for Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 60 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of HB Phonological Awareness's written reviews are positive against 10% of Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.'s.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HB Phonological Awareness | Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hb-phonological-awareness/id667457445/reviews) | **[3.5 (60 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scholastic-first/id1367760788/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 24 | **60** |
| Positive reviews | **66.7% of reviews** | 10.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 239 MB | 433 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Super Duper Publications](https://appshunter.io/developer/427263142) | [Scholastic Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/392025741) |

## What reviewers say

### HB Phonological Awareness

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hb-phonological-awareness/id667457445)

This educational app helps students improve listening and phonological awareness skills through interactive sound-based activities. Students learn to segment, blend, and manipulate sounds to build a virtual rock band, with a multi-level program that gradually increases in difficulty.

**Highlights:** Targets nine phonological awareness skills, Systematic sound segmentation and blending, Multi-level program with increasing difficulty, Monitors progress and provides feedback, Teaches listening skills for reading, Customizable program settings

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scholastic-first/id1367760788)

This app helps children learn to read through a research-based methodology that breaks down reading skills into thousands of micro-actions. It offers personalized learning paths and detailed progress reports for educators and parents.

**Highlights:** Personalized reading paths, Micro-action learning methodology, Phonemic awareness focus, Progress reporting for educators, Adaptive learning technology, Offline access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HB Phonological Awareness free?

HB Phonological Awareness is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. free?

Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, HB Phonological Awareness or Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.?

Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. is rated higher. HB Phonological Awareness averages 3.4 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. averages 3.5 from 60 ratings.

### Do HB Phonological Awareness or Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. have ads?

Neither HB Phonological Awareness nor Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HB Phonological Awareness or Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.?

HB Phonological Awareness ships an update every 2 months, and Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. every 2 months. Most recently, HB Phonological Awareness was updated on November 5, 2026 and Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. on November 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*