Comparison

ELSB Lite vs Clicker Talk

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Systematic print and phonemic awareness instruction
  • Seven distinct learning levels
  • Ongoing student assessments
  • Personalized progress tracking
  • Research-backed effectiveness
Read full description

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.

About

Clicker Talk

This app helps students of all abilities develop speaking and listening skills. It offers various activities to build vocabulary, confidence, and comprehension, making it ideal for English language learners and those who struggle with writing.

Highlights
  • Develop vocabulary and confidence
  • Boost core language knowledge
  • Offer alternative paths to success
  • Create a classroom of storytellers
  • Access hundreds of ready-made activities
  • Create custom activities
Read full description

Boost speaking and listening skills across the curriculum with Clicker Talk, designed for students of all abilities. Continuously developed by Crick Software for over 25 years, the Clicker product range is used in schools around the world. DEVELOP VOCABULARY AND BUILD CONFIDENCE Clicker Talk gives children the opportunity to explore new vocabulary, demonstrate their knowledge and rehearse their ideas for writing. It’s particularly effective for those who struggle to express themselves in written form, and for English language learners. Clicker Talk is also a great way for teachers to collect evidence of students’ speaking and listening attainment. BOOST CORE LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE Listen and Say activities enable younger learners and emergent English speakers to familiarise themselves with core vocabulary. On each page, children click on the picture to listen to the word or phrase and then record, rerecording as many times as they like. All recordings are collated for review once all pages are completed. OFFER ALTERNATIVE PATHS TO SUCCESS Many children in our classrooms have great ideas and knowledge but struggle to express these in their writing. Talk About activities help to break down barriers to literacy and offer children an alternative way to demonstrate their understanding. The activities provide teachers with a valuable record of children’s comprehension of key topics and concepts. CREATE A CLASSROOM OF STORYTELLERS Tell the Story activities break storytelling down into manageable steps, helping children to practice and internalise story patterns and language and to understand narrative ‘building blocks’. These activities are perfect for exploring a sequence of events or the steps of a process, such as making a sandwich or the life cycle of a plant. ACCESS HUNDREDS OF READY-MADE ACTIVITIES Choose from a huge selection of activities on LearningGrids, our online library accessed from within the app. Activities cover a wide variety of curriculum topics across different levels. Or create your own in seconds using the included curriculum picture library or any photos. PART OF CRICK SOFTWARE’S CLICKER FAMILY Based in the UK and US, Crick Software has a worldwide reputation for quality educational software for students of all abilities. To find more Clicker Apps, search for Crick Software in the App Store or visit the Crick Software website.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ELSB Lite at 4.8 against Clicker Talk's 1.0. ELSB Lite also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. ELSB Lite sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Clicker Talk sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ELSB Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ELSB Lite ships an update every 2 months, Clicker Talk every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ELSB Lite versus Clicker Talk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterELSB LiteClicker Talk
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (4 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size236 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAttainment CompanyCrick Software

Customer experience

ELSB Lite

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Clicker Talk

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

7 purchases

ELSB Lite

One-time7
  • Level 1$21.99
  • Level 2$21.99
  • Level 3$21.99
Show 4 more
  • Level 4$21.99
  • Level 5$21.99
  • Level 6$21.99
  • Level 7$21.99
1 purchases

Clicker Talk

One-time1
  • Clicker Talk Single User$350.00

Questions

Is ELSB Lite free?
ELSB Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Clicker Talk free?
Clicker Talk is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ELSB Lite or Clicker Talk?
ELSB Lite is rated higher. ELSB Lite averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Clicker Talk averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do ELSB Lite or Clicker Talk have ads?
Neither ELSB Lite nor Clicker Talk shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ELSB Lite or Clicker Talk?
ELSB Lite ships an update every 2 months, and Clicker Talk every 5 months. Most recently, ELSB Lite was updated on September 21, 2026 and Clicker Talk on September 25, 2026.

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