Comparison

iPA Phonetics vs Interactive IPA

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

Head to head
About

iPA Phonetics

Explore the International Phonetic Alphabet and voice production with an intuitive touch interface. Hear and see accurate examples of symbols and articulations, enhanced by real-life laryngoscopic and ultrasound videos. Adjust playback speed for detailed study.

Highlights
  • Interactive IPA chart
  • Voice quality exploration
  • Articulations demonstration
  • Laryngoscopic videos
  • Ultrasound videos
  • Adjustable playback speed
  • Full-screen video viewing
Features
Read full description

This App provides a unique and intuitive touch interface for exploring the International Phonetic Alphabet as well as numerous voice qualities and articulations. Simply press any symbol or label in the illustrations to see and hear an accurate example. Amazing real-life laryngoscopic and ultrasound videos never before documented accompany sounds articulated in the mouth and throat! You can speed up and slow down all the video examples, view full-screen, and more!

About

Interactive IPA

Explore the International Phonetic Alphabet with an interactive demonstration. Click any symbol to hear its pronunciation and learn more about it, enhancing your understanding of phonetics. Features official IPA charts and a unique chart of English diphthongs and triphthongs.

Highlights
  • Interactive IPA symbol exploration
  • Hear pronunciations of IPA symbols
  • Learn detailed information about each symbol
  • Official IPA charts included
  • Custom chart of English diphthongs and triphthongs
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

There’s never been a more effective and exciting way to learn the International Phonetic Alphabet than with Interactive IPA, a unique interactive demonstration of phonetics. By allowing you to click on any IPA symbol and instantly hear it and learn more about it, this app will expand your knowledge and comprehension of phonetics. The app is brought to you, and voiced, by Paul Meier, a theatre professor specializing in voice, speech, accents and dialects, phonetics, heightened text, and Shakespeare; a renowned dialect coach for theatre and film; and a voice-over artist with many commercials and audio books to his credit. This has been his calling for more than 40 years, in his native London, in the United States where he is now based, and all over the world. He holds a first-class Certificate of Proficiency from the International Phonetic Association. Among many of the famous directors with whom Meier has worked is Oscar winner Ang Lee, who says, “Paul [is] invaluable in maintaining dialect and ensuring clean, clear speech. … He has a great feel for the language, … and Paul’s contribution [to my film] through speech, voice, and dialect was crucial.” In addition to the official IPA charts, this app presents one extra chart of Meier’s own devising: diphthongs and triphthongs of American and British English. The app is designed by Scott Means, based upon the official charts of the International Phonetics Association and an original interactive design by Eric Armstrong.

Screenshots

iPA Phonetics4 screens
Interactive IPA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: iPA Phonetics at 4.2 against Interactive IPA's 3.2. iPA Phonetics also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 47%) and update cadence (every 6 months vs every 79 months). Interactive IPA's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#196 vs unranked). On price, ratings volume, ads 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

iPA Phonetics costs $3.99 and Interactive IPA $3.99 up front. iPA Phonetics sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Interactive IPA asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iPA Phonetics holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 64 and 34 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of iPA Phonetics's written reviews are positive against 47% of Interactive IPA's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iPA Phonetics ships an update every 6 months, Interactive IPA every 79 months. Both last shipped on October 3, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
iPA Phonetics versus Interactive IPA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriPA PhoneticsInteractive IPA
Price$3.99$3.99
Rating4.2 (64 ratings) — better3.2 (34 ratings)
Positive reviews83.0% of reviews — better47.1% of reviews
Number of ratings64 — better34
Update frequencyEvery 6 months — betterEvery 79 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#196 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size900 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohn EslingPaul Meier Dialect Services, LC

Customer experience

iPA Phonetics

All ratings64 ratings
Positive79.7%
Neutral6.3%
Negative14.1%
Written reviews94 reviews
Positive83.0%
Neutral5.3%
Negative11.7%

Interactive IPA

All ratings34 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral8.8%
Negative41.2%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive47.1%
Neutral5.9%
Negative47.1%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

iPA Phonetics

One-time1
  • Voice Qualities Plus$1.99
None

Interactive IPA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iPA Phonetics free?
iPA Phonetics costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Interactive IPA free?
Interactive IPA costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iPA Phonetics or Interactive IPA?
iPA Phonetics is rated higher. iPA Phonetics averages 4.2 out of 5 from 64 ratings, while Interactive IPA averages 3.2 from 34 ratings.
Do iPA Phonetics or Interactive IPA have ads?
Neither iPA Phonetics nor Interactive IPA shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iPA Phonetics or Interactive IPA?
iPA Phonetics ships an update every 6 months, and Interactive IPA every 79 months. Most recently, iPA Phonetics was updated on October 3, 2026 and Interactive IPA on October 3, 2026.

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