Comparison

Phonogram Sounds vs Learning Ally Audiobooks

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

Head to head
About

Phonogram Sounds

This interactive app provides clear audio pronunciations for letter sounds and combinations, featuring all 72 basic phonograms from a popular language arts curriculum. It's designed to support reading and spelling development for learners of all ages.

Highlights
  • Hear correct pronunciation of sounds
  • Clear enunciation of letters and combinations
  • Includes all 72 basic phonograms
  • Supports reading and spelling skills
  • Interactive learning experience
Features
Read full description

Touch a button and hear the correct pronunciation! *Check that your sound is turned on!* This interactive program features clear enunciation of the sounds of the letters and letter combinations (also known as phonograms). Contains all 72 of the basic phonograms as taught in the All About Reading and All About Spelling language arts curriculum. All About Reading is a multisensory, mastery-based program that starts with essential pre-reading skills and continues on to teach all five key components of reading. All About Spelling teaches encoding skills, spelling rules, and multisensory strategies to help your student become a proficient speller for life. Our lightly scripted “open and go” lesson plans and mastery-based approach leave no gaps and make this curriculum a favorite of homeschool families everywhere. Suitable for all ages and learning styles!

About

Learning Ally Audiobooks

Access a vast library of human-read audiobooks, including bestsellers, classics, and textbooks. This app offers interactive learning tools like synced text highlighting, speed control, and note-taking to support students with reading deficits or visual impairments.

Highlights
  • Human-read audiobook library
  • Synced text highlighting
  • Adjustable playback speed
  • Bookmarking
  • Note-taking
  • Textbook access
Features
Read full description

This app provides access to Learning Ally’s library of human-read audiobooks, offering an extensive selection of books students want and need to read, including bestsellers, classic literature and textbooks. Now students have interactive learning tools geared to help them succeed, including: highlighted text synced with the audio narration, speed control, bookmarking, highlighting, and note-taking. Learning Ally membership is required to use this app. Learning Ally is for students with dyslexia or other reading deficits who struggle with decoding, fluency or comprehension, who are blind or visually impaired, or who have a physical disability that prohibits them from reading standard print. If you need help getting started with the Learning Ally Audiobook App, please call our Customer Care team at 800-221-4792 or visit LearningAlly.org/Contact-Us to email us.

Screenshots

Phonogram Sounds3 screens
Learning Ally Audiobooks4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Phonogram Sounds at 4.0 against Learning Ally Audiobooks's 3.4. Phonogram Sounds also leads on monetization model (free vs subscription) and review sentiment (70% vs 42%). Learning Ally Audiobooks's advantage is ratings volume (757 vs 84) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Phonogram Sounds holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Learning Ally Audiobooks has 757 ratings behind it against 84, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Phonogram Sounds's written reviews are positive against 42% of Learning Ally Audiobooks's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phonogram Sounds ships an update every 6 months, Learning Ally Audiobooks every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Phonogram Sounds versus Learning Ally Audiobooks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhonogram SoundsLearning Ally Audiobooks
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (84 ratings) — better3.4 (757 ratings)
Positive reviews69.6% of reviews — better41.9% of reviews
Number of ratings84757 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAll About Learning Press, Inc.Learning Ally

Customer experience

Phonogram Sounds

All ratings84 ratings
Positive70.2%
Neutral14.3%
Negative15.5%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive69.6%
Neutral13.0%
Negative17.4%

Learning Ally Audiobooks

All ratings757 ratings
Positive55.2%
Neutral9.0%
Negative35.8%
Written reviews117 reviews
Positive41.9%
Neutral15.4%
Negative42.7%

User reviews

Phonogram Sounds

From 84 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great supplement for AAS/AAR
  • 👍 Helpful for parents/teachers
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👍 Clear phonetic sounds
  • 👍 Good for practice

Room to improve

  • 👎 Incorrect 'r' sound
  • 👎 Incomplete phonogram set
  • 👎 Not a standalone lesson
  • 👎 Not for fun
  • 👎 Missing Spalding compatibility

Learning Ally Audiobooks

From 757 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Amazing for people with dyslexia
  • 🚀 Helps with reading and learning
  • 💡 Allows customization of text and audio
  • 👍 Useful for students and college readers

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent playback issues and app crashes
  • 🐛 Loses user's place in books
  • 🔋 Drains battery when screen is locked
  • 🐛 Glitchy user interface and navigation

Bugs and requests

Phonogram Sounds

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • R says /er/ instead of /r/
  • Sound not working
  • App crashes
  • No sound when tapping phonograms
  • Sound only works with ringer on
Show 2 more
  • List of phonograms cut off on iPad
  • App is stick, no audio, no movement

Requested features

9 requests
  • Videos showing lip/tongue placement
  • Interactive game app
  • App for building words/movable tiles
  • Level-based sound availability
  • Enlarging tapped tile
Show 4 more
  • Adding missing phonograms (Level 6, Spalding)
  • Adding more sounds for /i/, /e/, /x/, /ou/, /ei/, /oe/, /wor/, /ear/
  • Spelling lists for review
  • All About Reading app with word reading

Learning Ally Audiobooks

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to log in or access account
  • Books fail to download or disappear from library
  • Inconsistent performance across different devices
  • Syncing issues between mobile and desktop apps

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more recent and popular book titles
  • Improve audio playback controls and options
  • Implement a sleep timer or auto-off feature
  • Better integration with other devices and platforms

In-app purchases

None

Phonogram Sounds

No in-app purchases

None

Learning Ally Audiobooks

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Phonogram Sounds free?
Phonogram Sounds is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Learning Ally Audiobooks free?
Learning Ally Audiobooks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Phonogram Sounds or Learning Ally Audiobooks?
Phonogram Sounds is rated higher. Phonogram Sounds averages 4.0 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while Learning Ally Audiobooks averages 3.4 from 757 ratings.
Do Phonogram Sounds or Learning Ally Audiobooks have ads?
Neither Phonogram Sounds nor Learning Ally Audiobooks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Phonogram Sounds or Learning Ally Audiobooks?
Phonogram Sounds ships an update every 6 months, and Learning Ally Audiobooks every 4 months. Most recently, Phonogram Sounds was updated on September 30, 2026 and Learning Ally Audiobooks on October 1, 2026.

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