Phonics Race vs SpellyBee
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Phonics Race
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Phonics Race turns reading practice into a collecting adventure. Spell a word, then win a race car, hatch a baby dinosaur or meet a new unicorn friend. Made for kids ages 4โ7. PICK A WORLD โข Cars: race across the track and fill a garage with 38 collectible cars โข Dinos: crack open an egg and fill a Dino Park with 38 friendly dinosaurs, from Compy to Rex โข Unicorns: watch a star burst open and fill a meadow with 38 unicorns, cloud ponies and baby dragons โข Switch worlds any time from the Home screen. Each world keeps its own progress. YOUR CHILD WILL: โข See a picture clue and spell the word by tapping letters โข Hear every word read aloud, and tap the picture to hear it again โข Earn a new car, dino or unicorn every 3 words โข Replay a finished series to earn up to three stars โข Move through 6 phonics levels, from 3-letter words to long vowels 6 PHONICS LEVELS IN EVERY WORLD: โข 3-letter CVC words (cat, dog, sun) โข 4-letter words (fish, frog, moon) โข Silent-e words (cake, bike, wave) โข Consonant blends (truck, brick, snow) โข Digraphs (ship, chain, tooth) โข Long vowels (beach, tiger, piano) PARENTS LOVE IT BECAUSE: โข Free to start: two car series, plus the first series of Dinos and of Unicorns, free forever โข One $4.99 unlock opens every series in every world, now and in the future. No subscription. โข No ads of any kind โข No data collection, COPPA compliant โข Works 100% offline, no accounts or sign-ups โข Purchases sit behind a grown-ups gate Phonics Race isn't an app that teaches reading through cars, dinosaurs and unicorns. It's a game kids want to play that happens to teach reading. For kids who won't sit through flashcards but will do anything for the next car, dino or unicorn, this is for them. Built by a parent. For a kid who just needed the right reason to read.
SpellyBee
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SpellyBee makes learning to spell feel like play - for the whole family. From the very first letters to spelling whole words out loud, SpellyBee guides each learner with playful, bite-sized games. A Child profile brings BeeBi the bee, tracing and school word lists; an Adult profile brings a clean look and grown-up lists. WHAT'S INSIDE - PreBee - trace letters with a magic crayon and learn first words - Spell letter by letter - hear a word and spell it out loud; the bee listens - Complete the word - fill in the missing letters - Put the letters in order - unscramble and sort - Say the whole word - spell it all at once, like in a spelling bee - Whack-a-letter - a fun game to spot letters fast - Adventure map and daily challenge to keep the streak going PLAY TOGETHER - 1 vs 1 Duel - two players, one phone, split screen. Each player picks their own list, so a beginner and an expert can play fair - Teacher Challenge - each one types a few words for the other to spell - Guided mode - the bee says the next letter out loud for beginners YOUR WEEKLY WORDS Type or paste this week's spelling words, keep the list one tap away on the home screen, fix a word any time, and let gentle spaced repetition bring each word back at just the right moment. ALSO FOR GROWN-UPS Tricky words, homophones, work vocabulary and English for Spanish speakers - with letter names you can say in your own language. MADE FOR FAMILIES - 100% offline - perfect for the car, planes, or anywhere - No ads, ever - No account and no login - Private by design - progress syncs through your own iCloud, and we never collect your data - English and Spanish PREMIUM (optional) Unlock all word lists, create and edit your own lists, and the full avatar collection with a SpellyBee subscription. The starter list, every game mode and the Duel are free. Start your family's spelling adventure today. Privacy Policy: https://spellybee.app/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Phonics Race at none against SpellyBee's 2. Phonics Race also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. SpellyBee sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Phonics Race asks for nothing beyond the download.
Phonics Race ships an update every 4 days, SpellyBee monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Phonics Race | SpellyBee |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days โ better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No โ better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 โ better | 18.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 86 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Forward Alpha, LLC | Barlow Prester, Inc. |
In-app purchases
Phonics Race
No in-app purchases
SpellyBee
- Premium Monthly$4.991 Month
- Premium Yearly$29.991 Year
Questions
Is Phonics Race free?
Is SpellyBee free?
Do Phonics Race or SpellyBee have ads?
Which is updated more often, Phonics Race or SpellyBee?
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