Comparison

Phonogram Sounds vs MEL Science

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

MEL Science

Explore the world of science through interactive experiments and engaging games. This app guides you through real science activities, making learning fun and hands-on. Discover molecular structures and conduct your own science projects.

Highlights
  • Conduct real science experiments
  • Interactive experiment guidance
  • Learn molecular structures
  • Science games and activities
  • Experiment assistant
  • Knowledge check tests
Read full description

MEL Science is the key to limitless adventures! Experiment, play, learn, conduct real science experiments! Play science games and conduct amazing experiments using guidance from the app. This app can be used for educational science activities or as a supplement to the MEL Science experiment kits. Find out how molecules and reactions look from the inside. Suitable for homeschool activities and science lab experiment games. MEL Chemistry will show the structures of molecules, including Sulfuric acid, Citric acid, Hydrochloric acid, Lactose, and Tin Chloride. Go through amazing experiments and make your own science projects using the experiment assistant. Pass the test at the end of each experiment to check your knowledge. Bring this science lab app to your classroom to demonstrate educational science to your students. Forget memorizing formulas — learn through firsthand experience!

Screenshots

Phonogram Sounds3 screens
MEL Science4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Phonogram Sounds at 70% against MEL Science's 39%. Phonogram Sounds also leads on rating (4.0 vs 3.7). MEL Science's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 6 months). On price, 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

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 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 84 and 88 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Phonogram Sounds's written reviews are positive against 39% of MEL Science's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phonogram Sounds ships an update every 6 months, MEL Science every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Phonogram Sounds versus MEL Science: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhonogram SoundsMEL Science
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (84 ratings) — better3.7 (88 ratings)
Positive reviews69.6% of reviews — better39.1% of reviews
Number of ratings8488 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB130 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAll About Learning Press, Inc.MEL Science Limited

Customer experience

Phonogram Sounds

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

MEL Science

All ratings84 ratings
Positive63.1%
Neutral6.0%
Negative31.0%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive39.1%
Neutral2.2%
Negative58.7%

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

MEL Science

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Phonogram Sounds

No in-app purchases

None

MEL Science

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Phonogram Sounds free?
Phonogram Sounds is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MEL Science free?
MEL Science is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Phonogram Sounds or MEL Science?
Phonogram Sounds is rated higher. Phonogram Sounds averages 4.0 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while MEL Science averages 3.7 from 88 ratings.
Do Phonogram Sounds or MEL Science have ads?
Neither Phonogram Sounds nor MEL Science shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Phonogram Sounds or MEL Science?
Phonogram Sounds ships an update every 6 months, and MEL Science every 6 weeks. Most recently, Phonogram Sounds was updated on October 20, 2026 and MEL Science on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons