Comparison

Cody Spell vs Better Speller

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

Head to head
About

Cody Spell

Features
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Helping children who find spelling difficult to practise, build confidence and learn independently Cody Spell helps children aged 5โ€“11 master their weekly spellings through interactive learning, smart support, and motivating rewards. Designed with input from parents and teachers, it turns everyday spelling practice into a positive, confidence-boosting experience. Key Features Hear it. Understand it. Spell it. Children can listen to each word and its context sentence, then spell it using either the keyboard or handwriting. Add spelling lists in seconds Simply take a photo of your child's weekly spelling list and Cody instantly turns it into a practice set. Ready-made word lists Access pre-built spelling lists for Grades 1โ€“6, perfect for structured learning and extra practice. Share with ease Quickly share spelling lists with classmates, friends, or the whole class. Smart hints & phonetic colouring Helpful prompts and colour-coded phonics guide children as they learn, without giving away the answer. Track real progress Detailed insights for parents and teachers to monitor improvement and identify areas for support. Safe, teacher and parent controlled Password-protected settings ensure a secure, child-friendly experience at all times. No ads. No in-app purchases. Ever. A completely safe, distraction-free environment for learning.

About

Better Speller

Features
Read full description

Make spelling practice something kids actually look forward to. Better Speller transforms homework drudgery into an engaging learning adventure. Build custom word lists, practice with audio pronunciation, play four interactive spelling games, and track progress with detailed history and achievement badges, all without ads or subscriptions. Try everything for free with up to 35 words, then unlock unlimited words with a single one-time purchase. Every practice feature is included from the start; the games, the badges, the voice recordings, all of it. One purchase covers your iPhone, iPad and Mac. iCloud Sync, if you'd like your lists to follow you between devices, is an optional add-on. FOR STUDENTS Practice & Test Modes Hear each word spoken aloud, then type your answer. Practice mode gives you multiple chances to get it right, while Test mode checks what you've really learned. Instant feedback after every word keeps you moving forward. Four Fun Spelling Games - Word Search: Find your spelling words hidden in a letter grid - Spelling Choice: Hear a word and pick the correct spelling from four options - Fill in the Blanks: Complete words with missing letters after hearing them spoken - Unscramble: Tap shuffled letters back into the right order 25 Achievement Badges Earn trophies for perfect scores, practice streaks, daily habits, and more. Badges appear right on your word list so you can show off your hard work. FOR PARENTS & TEACHERS Build Custom Word Lists Create as many lists as you need; one per grade level, subject, or week. Add words with definitions and example sentences, or look them up automatically. Share lists with other families using the built-in export feature. Record Words in Your Own Voice Record yourself saying each word and its example sentence. Hearing a familiar voice makes a real difference for younger learners. Track Every Session View a full history of every practice and test session, including which words were missed. After any session, jump straight into practicing just the missed words with one tap. Organize with Folders Group your lists into folders by school year, subject, or term. Expand and collapse them to keep things tidy, and run Mixed Practice across a whole folder at once. Flexible Settings Choose the reading voice, adjust speech speed, set how many attempts students get per word, and enable handwriting mode for Apple Pencil on iPad. Sync & Share Across Your Apple Devices (Optional) - Keep Everything in Sync: word lists, students and folders across iPhone, iPad and Mac via your own iCloud account. - Share a Student's Lists: send an invitation link in Messages; tapping it opens Better Speller and adds the lists, with changes appearing automatically. - See Practice History Everywhere: turn on Sync Results to see scores and test history from every device and anyone you've shared with. - iCloud Sync & Sharing is a one-time add-on. Without it, everything stays on your device. KEY FEATURES - Custom word lists with definitions and example sentences - Text-to-speech with adjustable voice and speed - Optional parent/teacher voice recordings for words and sentences - Practice mode (multiple attempts) and Test mode (one chance) - Four interactive spelling games - Detailed session history with scores and word-by-word breakdown - 25 achievement badges to motivate learners - Organize lists into folders - Apple Pencil handwriting support on iPad - Import and export word lists to share with others - One purchase unlocks unlimited words on iPhone, iPad and Mac; iCloud Sync is an optional add-on - No ads, no subscriptions; just optional one-time purchases PERFECT FOR - Weekly spelling homework - Homeschool curriculum - Test prep and review - Summer learning - ESL and language learners Better Speller keeps your data on your device by default. iCloud Sync is optional, uses your own iCloud account, and turns on only when you choose. No ads, no third-party tracking, no account to create.

Screenshots

Cody Spell4 screens
Better Speller4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cody Spell at none against Better Speller's 2. Cody Spell also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Better Speller sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Cody Spell asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cody Spell ships an update weekly, Better Speller every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Cody Spell versus Better Speller: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCody SpellBetter Speller
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly โ€” betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” better
Requires iOS16.0 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size81 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSkyriver LimitedAlexander Hansen

In-app purchases

None

Cody Spell

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Better Speller

One-time2
  • iCloud Sync and Sharing$2.99
  • Unlimited Words$4.99

Questions

Is Cody Spell free?
Cody Spell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Better Speller free?
Better Speller is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Cody Spell or Better Speller have ads?
Neither Cody Spell nor Better Speller shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cody Spell or Better Speller?
Cody Spell ships an update weekly, and Better Speller every 5 weeks. Most recently, Cody Spell was updated on November 5, 2026 and Better Speller on October 31, 2026.

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