Comparison

The Phonetics 3D vs Shireka

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

Head to head
About

The Phonetics 3D

Visualize English pronunciation with realistic 3D graphics, detailing tongue position, airflow, and vocal cord vibration. Understand the mechanics of sounds, ideal for learners rebuilding pronunciation or those struggling with specific sounds.

Highlights
  • 3D visualization of phonemes
  • Detailed tongue and airflow explanations
  • Comparison of native vs. accented pronunciation
  • Coverage of commonly confused sounds
  • High-frequency vocabulary visualization
  • Slow and phoneme-by-phoneme playback
Features
Read full description

See English pronunciation. The Phonetics 3D recreates English pronunciation using realistic 3D computer graphics, showing tongue position, airflow, and vocal cord vibration. It explains the mechanics of English sounds — once known only to specialists — in a way that beginners can easily understand. Recommended for: - Learners who want to rebuild their pronunciation from the basics - Those who struggle with sounds like R and L or TH - Anyone aiming to improve listening skills - Students preparing for study abroad, business English, or exams Features: - All 41 American English phonemes recreated in 3D - Step-by-step explanations of tongue movement, airflow, and voicing - Direct comparison between Japanese-accented English and native pronunciation - 46 commonly confused sound pairs (R/L, S/TH, N/NG, etc.) - High-frequency vocabulary selected from the BNC corpus - Over 120,000 words visualized in sync with audio - 3x slow playback and phoneme-by-phoneme playback - Coverage of 40 advanced pronunciation features (reduction, assimilation, linking, elision) Supported OS: - iOS 15.0 or later

About

Shireka

Read full description

From experience to insight. Shireka is a collection of short, hands-on experiences — each one an example of everyday situations where seeing, getting a message across, or operating a screen is hard. Pick a card, spend a few minutes, and come away with something worth thinking about. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick a card — browse the bookshelf-style home screen and choose an experience 2. Spend a few minutes — complete the experience and a commemorative stamp is pressed onto your card 3. Read the takeaway — every experience ends with explanations from two angles: for everyone, and for people who design and build WHAT'S INSIDE (10 EXPERIENCES) - Searching a real space through glare, or with part of your view hidden (AR) - Guidance that doesn't rely on color alone; reading fine print - Braille through your fingertips; navigating by voice and focus - Operating with a single switch; typing with blinks - Greeting with fingerspelling; aiming and tapping with shaky hands In experiences like braille and switch access, you'll try the very methods people actually use every day. WHAT WE CARE ABOUT - Each experience is a simplified approximation of one example — not a reproduction of a disability. Perception varies greatly from person to person - We believe difficulty lives in situations and design, not in people - The app itself embraces accessibility: VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, Reduce Motion, an easy-words mode, and more PEACE OF MIND - All experiences are free (an optional purchase lets you support development) - No ads, and no sign-up or login to perform - Your scores and anything you type stay only on this device - To improve the app, we send anonymous usage statistics, such as which experiences were opened and completed - In camera-based experiences, video is processed only on your device — never saved or sent WHO IT'S FOR - Designers and developers building apps and websites - Anyone who wants to learn about accessibility and universal design - Educators and teams looking for hands-on training material Design that works for everyone starts with understanding. Go ahead — turn over your first card.

Screenshots

The Phonetics 3D4 screens
Shireka4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Shireka at Free against The Phonetics 3D's $7.99. The Phonetics 3D's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and device support (3 vs 1). On update cadence and ads 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

Shireka is free to download; The Phonetics 3D costs $7.99 up front. Shireka sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. The Phonetics 3D asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Phonetics 3D ships an update every 3 weeks, Shireka fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
The Phonetics 3D versus Shireka: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Phonetics 3DShireka
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating3.2 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews51.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFuminori HommaYugo Sugiyama

In-app purchases

None

The Phonetics 3D

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Shireka

One-time3
  • Support Pack: Bronze$0.49
  • Support Pack: Silver$5.99
  • Support Pack: Gold$59.99

Questions

Is The Phonetics 3D free?
The Phonetics 3D costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shireka free?
Shireka is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do The Phonetics 3D or Shireka have ads?
Neither The Phonetics 3D nor Shireka shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Phonetics 3D or Shireka?
The Phonetics 3D ships an update every 3 weeks, and Shireka fortnightly. Most recently, The Phonetics 3D was updated on November 6, 2026 and Shireka on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons