Phonics Puzzles vs Jolly Phonics Pro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Phonics Puzzles
This educational app helps children master the 42 phonetic sounds of English through interactive puzzles. It offers customizable gameplay with options for specific phonics groups or randomized challenges, supporting British, American, and Australian English pronunciations.
- Jolly Phonics system integration
- British, American, Australian English options
- Over 160 phonics puzzles
- Play by group or randomized
- Lowercase and uppercase character choice
- Vibrant graphics and child-friendly interface
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Explore the world of Jolly Phonics with Phonics Puzzles, available in native British, American, and Australian English. This engaging educational tool focuses on mastering the 42 distinct phonetic sounds of the English language rather than the conventional alphabet. Phonics Puzzles is thoughtfully designed to familiarize children with the intricacies of English phonetics. Through the combination of puzzles and phonics, the game contributes to the enhancement of cognitive skills in a delightful and playful manner. Featuring a vibrant array of puzzles, the game offers options for solving puzzles within specific phonics groups or engaging in a fully randomized game. Key Features: • Based on the Jolly Phonics system, as published by Jolly Learning Ltd. • Options for British, Australian, or American English with accurate native pronunciations. • Over 160 phonics puzzles covering all 42 jolly phonics sounds. • Play a mixed phonics game or play by group. • Choose between lowercase and uppercase characters. • Vibrant graphics and a user-friendly interface tailored for children. • Toggle puzzle piece snapping on or off for customized gameplay. • Optimized for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch devices running iOS 12.0 or higher.
Jolly Phonics Pro
This interactive app helps children develop reading and writing skills through a science-based phonics approach. It features engaging songs, actions, and games to make learning fun and effective for home or classroom use.
- Learn all 42 letter sounds
- Animated letter formation for handwriting
- Interactive flashcards and wordbanks
- Progress tracking and assessments
- Songs and actions for multisensory learning
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Teach Your Child to Read and Write with Jolly Phonics! Unlock your child’s reading and writing potential with the literacy app trusted by parents and teachers worldwide. Aligned with the Science of Reading, this interactive app makes learning to read and write fun and engaging, and is ideal for home or classroom use! Jolly Phonics focuses on direct, explicit instruction of phonemic awareness and phonics for both reading (decoding) and writing (encoding). Scientific research has consistently shown phonemic awareness to be essential for building strong reading and writing skills. Why Choose Jolly Phonics? • Proven Success: Used in schools globally for over 30 years – with proven literacy outcomes. • Science-Based Approach: Aligned with the Science of Reading to ensure kids build effective foundational reading skills. • Engaging & Multi-Sensory: Songs, actions and interactive games bring phonics learning to life! Key Features That Make Learning Easy and Fun: • Explore All 42 Letter Sounds: Free audio and songs to help kids learn every sound. • Animated Letter Formation: Develop strong handwriting skills with step-by-step visual animations. • Interactive Learning Tools: Flashcards, wordbanks and action images to enhance and support every lesson. • 7 Educational Games (paid version): Turn reading and writing practice into play with fun phonics games that reinforce kids’ learning. • Progress Tracking: Built-in assessments to monitor children’s progress and celebrate achievements. Who Is It For? This literacy app is ideal for parents, teachers and kids looking for a structured, fun and proven approach to learning to read and write. Start Your Kid’s Phonics Journey Today! Join the millions of families and educators who have embraced the Jolly Phonics programme of learning for confident readers and writers. Whether at home or in the classroom, this app makes literacy learning simple, effective and enjoyable! Download now and see how Jolly Phonics can transform your child’s literacy learning! What's New in This Version?
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Phonics Puzzles at 100% against Jolly Phonics Pro's 35%. Phonics Puzzles also leads on price (Free vs $49.99) and rating (5.0 vs 4.5). Jolly Phonics Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence 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
Phonics Puzzles is free to download; Jolly Phonics Pro costs $49.99 up front. Phonics Puzzles sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Jolly Phonics Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.
Phonics Puzzles holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Jolly Phonics Pro has 232 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Phonics Puzzles's written reviews are positive against 35% of Jolly Phonics Pro's.
Phonics Puzzles ships an update every 4 months, Jolly Phonics Pro every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on June 10, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Phonics Puzzles | Jolly Phonics Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $49.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better | 4.5 (232 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 35.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 232 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 72 MB | 227 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bram Van Damme | Jolly Learning |
Customer experience
Phonics Puzzles
Jolly Phonics Pro
Bugs and requests
Phonics Puzzles
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Jolly Phonics Pro
Reported bugs
18 issues- App crashes after purchase
- App shows blank page
- App has no sound
- Sounds stop working after a few games
- Some sounds are missing (e.g., 'oa', 'ue', 'ow')
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- App freezes when repeatedly playing a sound
- Flashcards are not working
- Letter sounds get stuck and screen freezes
- Print letters not showing up correctly
- Formation part shows cursive writing even when print is selected
- Blending activities have issues with two-letter sounds
- Finger tracing has multiple issues
- App not working with some pronunciations (e.g., 'oa')
- Sound clip for 'ee' in 'coffee' is the same as 'e' in 'egg'
- No audible soft 'g' sound in 'ng' section
- App not allowing restore after purchase
- App not working with iOS version 11.0 or later
- Mouse appears then app switches off
Requested features
8 requests- Add more phonic groups
- Allow tapping stories to be read aloud
- Option to choose different speaking speeds
- Add interactive word bank
- Support for family sharing
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- Add more words to the app
- Include sound for story and action parts
- Ability to mix phonic songs and create own words
In-app purchases
Phonics Puzzles
- Remove Ads$1.99
Jolly Phonics Pro
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Phonics Puzzles free?
Is Jolly Phonics Pro free?
Which has better reviews, Phonics Puzzles or Jolly Phonics Pro?
Do Phonics Puzzles or Jolly Phonics Pro have ads?
Which is updated more often, Phonics Puzzles or Jolly Phonics Pro?
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