Comparison

toPhonetics Converter vs iPA Phonetics

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

iPA Phonetics

Explore the International Phonetic Alphabet and voice production with an intuitive touch interface. Hear and see accurate examples of symbols and articulations, enhanced by real-life laryngoscopic and ultrasound videos. Adjust playback speed for detailed study.

Highlights
  • Interactive IPA chart
  • Voice quality exploration
  • Articulations demonstration
  • Laryngoscopic videos
  • Ultrasound videos
  • Adjustable playback speed
  • Full-screen video viewing
Features
Read full description

This App provides a unique and intuitive touch interface for exploring the International Phonetic Alphabet as well as numerous voice qualities and articulations. Simply press any symbol or label in the illustrations to see and hear an accurate example. Amazing real-life laryngoscopic and ultrasound videos never before documented accompany sounds articulated in the mouth and throat! You can speed up and slow down all the video examples, view full-screen, and more!

Screenshots

toPhonetics Converter4 screens
iPA Phonetics4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: toPhonetics Converter at none against iPA Phonetics's 1. toPhonetics Converter also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.2) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 9 months). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads 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 iPA Phonetics $4.99 up front. iPA Phonetics sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. toPhonetics Converter asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

toPhonetics Converter holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 92 and 65 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of toPhonetics Converter's written reviews are positive against 82% of iPA Phonetics's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

toPhonetics Converter ships an update every 4 months, iPA Phonetics every 9 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
toPhonetics Converter versus iPA Phonetics: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametertoPhonetics ConverteriPA Phonetics
Price$3.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.4 (92 ratings) — better4.2 (65 ratings)
Positive reviews75.2% of reviews82.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings92 — better65
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB912 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMu-sonicJohn Esling

Customer experience

toPhonetics Converter

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

iPA Phonetics

All ratings65 ratings
Positive78.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative13.8%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive82.1%
Neutral6.3%
Negative11.6%

In-app purchases

None

toPhonetics Converter

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

iPA Phonetics

One-time1
  • Voice Qualities Plus$1.99

Questions

Is toPhonetics Converter free?
toPhonetics Converter costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is iPA Phonetics free?
iPA Phonetics costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, toPhonetics Converter or iPA Phonetics?
toPhonetics Converter is rated higher. toPhonetics Converter averages 4.4 out of 5 from 92 ratings, while iPA Phonetics averages 4.2 from 65 ratings.
Do toPhonetics Converter or iPA Phonetics have ads?
Neither toPhonetics Converter nor iPA Phonetics shows ads.
Which is updated more often, toPhonetics Converter or iPA Phonetics?
toPhonetics Converter ships an update every 4 months, and iPA Phonetics every 9 months. Most recently, toPhonetics Converter was updated on October 29, 2026 and iPA Phonetics on October 29, 2026.

Other comparisons