ELSB Lite vs Teach iLit 9
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ELSB Lite
This app provides systematic instruction for print and phonemic awareness, featuring seven levels and ongoing assessments for personalized student progress. Research supports its effectiveness as a literacy program.
- Systematic print and phonemic awareness instruction
- Seven distinct learning levels
- Ongoing student assessments
- Personalized progress tracking
- Research-backed effectiveness
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The Early Literacy Skills Builder app incorporates systematic instruction to teach both print and phonemic awareness. ELSB is a multi-year program with seven distinct levels and ongoing assessments so students progress at their own pace. Note: This free version comes with level 1 - Lesson 1 and Level 5 - lesson 1. Full levels can be purchased from the in-app store. Five years of solid research have been completed through the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, proving ELSB to be a highly effective literacy program and more effective than a sight-word only program. ELSB is based upon the principles of systematic and direct instruction. It incorporates scripted lessons, least-prompt strategies, teachable objectives, built-in lesson repetition, and ongoing assessments. The seven ELSB levels contain five structured lessons each. All students begin at Level 1. Instruction is one-on-one or in small groups. Teach scripted lessons daily in two 30-minute sessions. On the completion of each level, formal assessments are given. ELSB includes everything you need to implement a multi-year literacy curriculum.
Teach iLit 9
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iLit is available for grades 6 through 12. Savvas Learning Company is a comprehensive literacy solution designed to produce two or more years of reading growth in a single year. The iLit student app contains everything a student needs to participate in an iLit class: interactive assignments, a digital notebook, and an e-library with over (2,500+) fiction and nonfiction titles. Recent additions include co-teacher functionality and student grouping throughout the app. iLit supports offline mode when the Internet isn’t available and a comprehensive automated rostering solution. The program was carefully crafted to meet the rigors of the Common Core State Standards as well as California, Florida, Texas, Nebraska, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and WIDA standards, and prepares students for success on the new Next Generation assessments. Individual, small group, and whole-class instruction is personalized based on a constant stream of data from a wide range of embedded assessments, including text-based performance tasks. iLit engages students like no other reading program through its vast library of high-interest nonfiction, instant support, engaging activities, and built-in reward systems that motivate students and track their progress. The iLit 20/45/90/ELL, Teacher and Student apps are all components of the iLit instructional product.
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Teach iLit 9 at none against ELSB Lite's 7. ELSB Lite's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. ELSB Lite sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Teach iLit 9 asks for nothing beyond the download.
ELSB Lite ships an update every 2 months, Teach iLit 9 every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ELSB Lite | Teach iLit 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 236 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Attainment Company | Savvas Learning Company LLC |
In-app purchases
ELSB Lite
- Level 1$21.99
- Level 2$21.99
- Level 3$21.99
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- Level 4$21.99
- Level 5$21.99
- Level 6$21.99
- Level 7$21.99
Teach iLit 9
No in-app purchases









