Comparison

toPhonetics Converter vs The Phonetics 3D

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

Head to head
About

toPhonetics Converter

This app provides interactive English phonetic transcriptions using the IPA. It allows users to listen to text read aloud, check word translations, and export results in various formats. Users can customize pronunciation and view transcriptions line-by-line with the original text.

Highlights
  • Interactive IPA transcriptions
  • Text-to-speech with visual cursor
  • Word and fragment translation (iOS 18+)
  • Export transcription to PDF and audio
  • British and American pronunciation options
  • Connected speech pronunciation variations
  • Customizable voice and speech rate
Features
Read full description

toPhonetics is an app that provides fully interactive transcriptions of English texts. It displays your input's phonemic transcription using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and allows you • to listen to it read aloud visually, following the narration with a cursor, • to quickly check the translation of individual words or selected fragments (requires iOS 18+), • to export and share the transcription results in various formats including PDF (via the Print option), • to export the audio of the text read using your chosen voice and speech rate. And much more: - See phonetic transcription of the whole text, not just the dictionary forms of separate words. - Choose between British and American* pronunciation. When British dialect is selected the [r] sound at the end of the word is only voiced if followed by a vowel, which follows British phonetic convention. - International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols used. - The structure of the text and sentences in it (line breaks, punctuation marks, etc.) is preserved in phonetic transcription output making it easier to read. - You can output the text and its phonetic transcription along each other line-by-line to make back-reference to the original text easier. - An option to vary pronunciation depending on whether words are in stressed or weak position in the sentence, as in connected speech. Weak forms are italicized in the output. - Words in CAPS are interpreted as acronyms if the word is not found in the database. Acronym transcriptions will be shown with hyphens between letters. - In addition to commonly used vocabulary the database contains a very substantial amount of place names (including names of countries, their capitals, US states, UK counties), nationalities and popular names. - Where a word has a number of possible pronunciations (highlighted in blue in the output) you can select the one that agrees with the context by tapping on it. - Print out the output results, share via email or copy to pasteboard. - Let the built-in speech synthesiser read your text out loud. Control the playback and follow IPA transcription of the current word with a highlight. Speech audio can be exported as a file. - Custom URL scheme to open toPhonetics from 3rd-party apps. Gestures (IPA transcription screen): 1. Single tap - Tap a word to set the cursor to it and speak it (you can mute/un-mute it with the button at your bottom-right). - Tap in a blank space to stop speech and hide the cursor. 2. Double-tap - Double-tap a word to open it in the built-in dictionary; if the word has multiple pronunciations you'll see the list of them first. - Double-tap in a blank space to reset the font to the size set in iOS preferences. 3. Pinch in or out to make the text smaller or larger. 4. Start to slide horizontally to select a part of your text. The Speak button respects current selection. *) American transcriptions are based on the open Carnegie Mellon University Pronouncing Dictionary.

About

The Phonetics 3D

Visualize English pronunciation with realistic 3D graphics, detailing tongue position, airflow, and vocal cord vibration. Understand the mechanics of sounds, ideal for learners rebuilding pronunciation or those struggling with specific sounds.

Highlights
  • 3D visualization of phonemes
  • Detailed tongue and airflow explanations
  • Comparison of native vs. accented pronunciation
  • Coverage of commonly confused sounds
  • High-frequency vocabulary visualization
  • Slow and phoneme-by-phoneme playback
Features
Read full description

See English pronunciation. The Phonetics 3D recreates English pronunciation using realistic 3D computer graphics, showing tongue position, airflow, and vocal cord vibration. It explains the mechanics of English sounds — once known only to specialists — in a way that beginners can easily understand. Recommended for: - Learners who want to rebuild their pronunciation from the basics - Those who struggle with sounds like R and L or TH - Anyone aiming to improve listening skills - Students preparing for study abroad, business English, or exams Features: - All 41 American English phonemes recreated in 3D - Step-by-step explanations of tongue movement, airflow, and voicing - Direct comparison between Japanese-accented English and native pronunciation - 46 commonly confused sound pairs (R/L, S/TH, N/NG, etc.) - High-frequency vocabulary selected from the BNC corpus - Over 120,000 words visualized in sync with audio - 3x slow playback and phoneme-by-phoneme playback - Coverage of 40 advanced pronunciation features (reduction, assimilation, linking, elision) Supported OS: - iOS 15.0 or later

Screenshots

toPhonetics Converter4 screens
The Phonetics 3D4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: toPhonetics Converter at 4.4 against The Phonetics 3D's 3.2. toPhonetics Converter also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 52%) and price ($3.99 vs $7.99). The Phonetics 3D's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

toPhonetics Converter costs $3.99 and The Phonetics 3D $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

toPhonetics Converter holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: toPhonetics Converter has 92 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of toPhonetics Converter's written reviews are positive against 52% of The Phonetics 3D's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

toPhonetics Converter ships an update every 4 months, The Phonetics 3D every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
toPhonetics Converter versus The Phonetics 3D: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametertoPhonetics ConverterThe Phonetics 3D
Price$3.99 — better$7.99
Rating4.4 (92 ratings) — better3.2 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews75.2% of reviews — better51.6% of reviews
Number of ratings92 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMu-sonicFuminori Homma

Customer experience

toPhonetics Converter

All ratings92 ratings
Positive87.0%
Neutral1.1%
Negative12.0%
Written reviews109 reviews
Positive75.2%
Neutral4.6%
Negative20.2%

The Phonetics 3D

All ratings9 ratings
Positive44.4%
Neutral22.2%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews93 reviews
Positive51.6%
Neutral16.1%
Negative32.3%

In-app purchases

None

toPhonetics Converter

No in-app purchases

None

The Phonetics 3D

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is toPhonetics Converter free?
toPhonetics Converter costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Phonetics 3D free?
The Phonetics 3D costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, toPhonetics Converter or The Phonetics 3D?
toPhonetics Converter is rated higher. toPhonetics Converter averages 4.4 out of 5 from 92 ratings, while The Phonetics 3D averages 3.2 from 9 ratings.
Do toPhonetics Converter or The Phonetics 3D have ads?
Neither toPhonetics Converter nor The Phonetics 3D shows ads.
Which is updated more often, toPhonetics Converter or The Phonetics 3D?
toPhonetics Converter ships an update every 4 months, and The Phonetics 3D every 3 weeks. Most recently, toPhonetics Converter was updated on November 1, 2026 and The Phonetics 3D on November 1, 2026.

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