Comparison

Phonogram Sounds vs Scanmarker Reader

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

Scanmarker Reader

This app digitizes printed text scanned by a pen-shaped device, aiding individuals with reading difficulties. It offers customizable reading experiences, including live reading, speed adjustment, and word highlighting, to enhance fluency and comprehension.

Highlights
  • Scan printed text to digital format
  • Live reading while scanning
  • Adjustable reading speed
  • Highlighting words as they are read
  • Read aloud with voice adjustment
  • Integrated dictionary for vocabulary building
Features
Read full description

Use your Scanmarker Reader to scan any printed text, and it will appear automatically in the Scanmarker Reader app on your screen. Scanmarker Reader is a pen-shaped assistive tool for those with reading difficulties or learning disabilities. Scanmarker Reader facilitates the learning process, with emphasis placed on learning features that can be adapted according to individual preference, such as reading live while scanning or only reading selected words and parts of the text, adjusting the speed of reading and highlighting the words as it reads aloud. Get ready to become a fluent reader for life! What skills can I improve with Scanmarker Reader? - Enhance oral language skills with the read live feature. - Build up your word recognition by viewing the highlighted words as it is reading. - Improve decoding and phonological processing by reading selected words. - Develop automaticity and fluency skills with the speed read feature. - Improve reading comprehension with the read aloud and voice adjusting option. - Boost your vocabulary knowledge with the integrated Dictionary.

Screenshots

Phonogram Sounds3 screens
Scanmarker Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Phonogram Sounds at 70% against Scanmarker Reader's 0%. Phonogram Sounds also leads on rating (4.0 vs 3.3) and ratings volume (84 vs 3). Scanmarker Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 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 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phonogram Sounds has 84 ratings behind it against 3, 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 0% of Scanmarker Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phonogram Sounds ships an update every 6 months, Scanmarker Reader every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on August 13, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Phonogram Sounds versus Scanmarker Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhonogram SoundsScanmarker Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (84 ratings) — better3.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews69.6% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings84 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB70 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAll About Learning Press, Inc.Topscan ltd.

Customer experience

Phonogram Sounds

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

Scanmarker Reader

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Phonogram Sounds

No in-app purchases

None

Scanmarker Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Phonogram Sounds free?
Phonogram Sounds is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Scanmarker Reader free?
Scanmarker Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Phonogram Sounds or Scanmarker Reader?
Phonogram Sounds is rated higher. Phonogram Sounds averages 4.0 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while Scanmarker Reader averages 3.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Phonogram Sounds or Scanmarker Reader have ads?
Neither Phonogram Sounds nor Scanmarker Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Phonogram Sounds or Scanmarker Reader?
Phonogram Sounds ships an update every 6 months, and Scanmarker Reader every 5 months. Most recently, Phonogram Sounds was updated on August 13, 2026 and Scanmarker Reader on September 8, 2026.

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