Comparison

Symbol vs Shape Coding Lite

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

Head to head
About

Symbol

This app aids students with early language development by supporting simple sentence construction. It uses a color-coded system and Widgit symbols to introduce subject, verb, and object, with engaging illustrations and recorded speech for guidance.

Highlights
  • Subject, verb, object introduction
  • Widgit symbol support
  • Color-coded system
  • Engaging illustrations
  • Recorded speech with intonation
  • Printable certificates
  • Two activity levels
Features
Read full description

Symbols2Write - Sentences is an app that supports simple sentence building for students with early language abilities. Through a variety of activities, it supports the introduction of subject, verb, object with a widely-used colour coding system. These activities are ideal for home, classroom and therapy use and have been developed in conjunction with education and speech and language professionals. Featuring Widgit symbols, engaging illustrations and clear recorded speech, Symbols2Write – Sentences gives the student the support they need to understand and use the basic elements of language. The recorded speech gives natural intonations and tone with positive reinforcements to guide the user through the activities. There are two levels of activities. Level 1 introduces the core elements of simple sentences: subject, verb and object. Level 2 then builds on their understanding to construct simple sentences within a structured environment. Students are rewarded with animations throughout the activities. There is a printable certificate for every student once they have completed an activity. SymWriter 2 activities and a teacher user guide to support language development are available to download from www.widgit.com.

About

Shape Coding Lite

This app uses a visual coding system to help children and young people with language disorders improve sentence structure and grammar. It employs colors, arrows, lines, and shapes to represent word classes, tense, and sentence structure, aiding in understanding and producing English sentences.

Highlights
  • Visual coding system for grammar
  • Color-coded word classes
  • Arrow indicators for tense
  • Line indicators for plurality
  • Shape indicators for syntax
  • Text-to-speech functionality
Read full description

SHAPE CODING® Lite is a free demonstration version of the full SHAPE CODING® app. This is designed for teachers and speech and language therapists / pathologists to use with children and young people who are having difficulties producing and understanding English sentence structure and grammar. As with the full SHAPE CODING® app, it uses the SHAPE CODING® system which has been shown in several research projects to help children and young people with language disorders increase the length and complexity of sentences they can understand and use and improve the accuracy of their sentence production. The SHAPE CODING® Lite app has less functionality and flexibility than the full SHAPE CODING® app but can be used to form simple sentences. The SHAPE CODING® system uses a visual coding system to show the rules for how words are put together in sentences, to develop the child’s understanding of spoken and written grammar and to develop their ability to use grammar successfully to express themselves. The system includes use of colours (word classes), arrows (tense and aspect) , lines (singular and plural) and shapes (syntactic structure). These are all included in the app (although not all are enabled in the Lite version), but the professional controlling the app can choose which features display for the student, so that it is personalised to their current levels and targets. Settings are preserved for the student between uses. The Lite app allows only a single teacher and student, but the full version can have multiple teachers and students. The SHAPE CODING® Lite app is equipped with a basic set of words which can be inserted into those shapes which are enabled to make simple sentences. A much wider range of shape options are enabled in the full version than the Lite version, so more grammatical rules can be taught and more complex sentences created. The app uses text-to-speech, so that students who struggle to read can also use the app. This app assumes a certain degree of familiarity with the SHAPE CODING system. For more information see www.shapecoding.com. Training on how to use the SHAPE CODING(R) system is available from https://training.moorhouseinstitute.co.uk/. For a demonstration of the features of the full version of the app (some of which are also enabled in the Lite version), see: https://shapecoding.com/demo-videos/, and for Frequently Asked Questions see: https://shapecoding.com/app-info/faqs/ Follow us on Twitter @ShapeCoding, Facebook @ShapeCoding and Instagram @shape_coding or if you have any problems or feedback, please contact us at training@moorhouseschool.co.uk Please review our privacy policy https://shapecoding.com/privacy-policy-apple/

Screenshots

Shape Coding Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Shape Coding Lite at Free against Symbol's $5.99. Shape Coding Lite also leads on update cadence (every 7 months vs every 41 months) and device support (3 vs 1). Symbol's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 2.0) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). On ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Shape Coding Lite is free to download; Symbol costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Symbol holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Symbol ships an update every 41 months, Shape Coding Lite every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Symbol versus Shape Coding Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSymbolShape Coding Lite
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (2 ratings) — better2.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 41 monthsEvery 7 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB357 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWidgit Software LtdMoor House School & College

Customer experience

Symbol

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Shape Coding Lite

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative75.0%

In-app purchases

None

Symbol

No in-app purchases

None

Shape Coding Lite

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Symbol free?
Symbol costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shape Coding Lite free?
Shape Coding Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Symbol or Shape Coding Lite?
Symbol is rated higher. Symbol averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Shape Coding Lite averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Symbol or Shape Coding Lite have ads?
Neither Symbol nor Shape Coding Lite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Symbol or Shape Coding Lite?
Symbol ships an update every 41 months, and Shape Coding Lite every 7 months. Most recently, Symbol was updated on October 9, 2026 and Shape Coding Lite on October 24, 2026.

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