Comparison

Wonster Words Learning Games vs Ello

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

Head to head
About

Wonster Words Learning Games

This educational app uses interactive games and puzzles to teach children foundational literacy skills. It focuses on phonics, letter-sound relationships, and spelling patterns through a fun, play-based approach rooted in reading science.

Highlights
  • Phonics-based learning
  • Interactive puzzles and mini-games
  • Letter-sound relationship practice
  • Customizable word lists
  • Spelling pattern lessons
  • Supports speech development
Features
Read full description

Wonster Words is an award-winning reading game to help kids build strong foundational literacy skills. Rooted in the science of reading, Wonster Words teaches phonics, phonemic awareness, letter-sound relationships, letter recognition, and spelling patterns through interactive puzzles, fun mini-games, and silly animations. 95% of parents say Wonster Words has helped their children learn to read! Join millions of families and download Wonster Words today! _______________________ A FUN, PLAY-BASED APPROACH TO LEARNING Children learn best when they’re having fun! Wonster Words combines interactive phonics puzzles with engaging animations to make reading feel like play. Kids explore words by dragging letters into place, hearing their letter names and sounds, and watching hilarious animated shorts that bring vocabulary to life. • "As a 1st grade teacher with a kindergartener [son] I know how important it is to keep learning interesting. This is my son's favorite app and mine too." • "I downloaded this game for my 2 yr old daughter and she is always running off with my phone to learn some new words." _______________________ BASED ON THE SCIENCE OF READING Wonster Words is built around phonics-based learning, research-backed principles that support early reading success. Kids go beyond basic ABCs and phonics—they learn how letters form blends, digraphs, word families, diphthongs, and CVC words, all key building blocks for fluency. • "This app really helps reinforce the phonics principles and sight words we go over daily. I love that my children are eager to learn and have fun doing it." • "[My 5 year old] has been using Wonster Words each night and has started to spell on his own. We are sounding out words together. He looks forward to playing the games and even reminds me of his practice time. _______________________ CUSTOM WORD LISTS & SPELLING LESSONS Every child learns differently, and now you can personalize their learning experience! With our Custom Word List feature, parents and teachers can enter their own words, and Wonster Words will automatically generate phonics-based spelling lessons tailored to those words. • "I love this for my child’s spelling words. I am able to add our own words for her to practice and she enjoys the games." • "Wonster words spelling has been a big help for my 3rd grader prepping for weekly spelling tests at school." _______________________ SUPPORTS SPEECH & LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT For children with speech delays or language difficulties, Wonster Words provides a fun and effective way to practice articulation, phonological awareness, and vocabulary building. It’s an excellent supplement for speech therapy and a motivator for kids working on communication skills. • "My three year old was slow to articulate many words. Speech therapy was helpful but he seemed bored with the simplistic repetitions. Got this game to work with him at home... He's four now and still loves this app. Non-stop chatterbox with a huge vocabulary." • "I am a retired Speech-language Pathologist and I provide training for preschools. I love this app for vocabulary building, early reading and spelling." _______________________ FITS YOUR NEEDS Wonster Words supports offline play when traveling. It is safe for kids and ad-free. Its subscription can be canceled anytime without fees. _______________________ AWARDS ◆ Parent's Choice ◆ Dr. Toy's Best Picks ◆ Kidscreen iKids Finalist ◆ Mom's Choice Gold ◆ Academic's Choice _______________________ TERMS & PRIVACY Wonster Words is safe, ad-free, and a subscription service. You can cancel anytime without fees. • Terms of Use: https://www.wonsterwords.com/terms-of-service • Privacy Policy: https://www.wonsterwords.com/privacy-policy _______________________ CONTACT US If you run into issues, please email us at support@77sparx.com.

About

Ello

An AI-powered tutor designed for children aged 5-9 to improve reading and math skills. It actively listens and provides real-time feedback as children read aloud and solve math problems. Features include personalized learning paths and interactive story creation.

Highlights
  • AI-powered reading and math tutoring
  • Real-time audio feedback
  • Personalized learning levels
  • Interactive story creation
  • Parent dashboard
  • Support for up to 4 children
Currently charting
Read full description

Ello is an AI tutor for reading and math, ages 5 to 9 (Kinder to 3rd grade). Your child reads and talks out loud. Ello listens to every word and teaches in the moment. Start free. The Free plan includes daily lessons, and your first week of Ello Unlimited is on us. No credit card. 88% of children read more with Ello.* Named one of TIME's Best Inventions. Rated by Common Sense Media. Featured on Good Morning America. HOW ELLO TEACHES • It listens. When your child stumbles on a word, Ello hears it and helps them sound it out instead of saying the word for them. • It talks back. After a story, Ello asks what happened, listens to the answer, and responds to what your child said. • It explains math. Ello talks through each step out loud, from counting to multiplication, and lets your child find the answer. • It starts at your child's level. Ello places your child in reading and math, and you can change the level anytime in Settings. CREATE A STORY Your child makes up a story. Ello turns it into a real book with pictures, then teaches them to read it. BUILT FOR FAMILIES • Up to 4 children on one account, each with their own level, stars, and books. • A parent dashboard with lessons completed, words read, and stars earned. • Texts that share the funny, sweet things your child says to Ello. • No ads. BUILT BY TEACHERS Thirty-seven teachers and learning researchers built Ello. WHAT PARENTS SAY "My son is shy about attempting to read out loud with me, but he loves reading out loud with Ello!" (App Store review) "It's actually engaging with my son and listening to what he says and correcting and encouraging him." (App Store review) PLANS • Free: daily reading and math lessons, shared by every child on the account. • Ello Unlimited: unlimited learning for every child and full parent reports. Optional subscription, billed monthly or yearly. • Every family gets Ello Unlimited free for their first 7 days. *Survey of Ello families. Questions? support@ello.com

Screenshots

Wonster Words Learning Games4 screens
Ello4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ello at none against Wonster Words Learning Games's 10. Ello also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks) and chart position (#48 vs unranked). Wonster Words Learning Games's advantage is ratings volume (32K vs 245). On price, rating, review sentiment 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

Both are free to download. Wonster Words Learning Games sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Ello asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Wonster Words Learning Games against 4.7 for Ello. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Wonster Words Learning Games has 32K ratings behind it against 245, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Wonster Words Learning Games's written reviews are positive against 88% of Ello's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Wonster Words Learning Games ships an update every 3 weeks, Ello every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Wonster Words Learning Games versus Ello: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWonster Words Learning GamesEllo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (32K ratings)4.7 (245 ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.6% of reviews87.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings32K — better245
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank—#48 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size217 MB208 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer77Sparx Studio, Inc.Ello Technology, Inc.

Customer experience

Wonster Words Learning Games

All ratings32,137 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral4.2%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews288 reviews
Positive81.6%
Neutral2.8%
Negative15.6%

Ello

All ratings245 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral1.2%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive87.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.1%

Bugs and requests

Wonster Words Learning Games

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Sound issues and muted audio
  • Inconsistencies in game mechanics
  • Incompatibility with older devices
  • Unexpected charges and billing problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Option to create custom word lists
  • More language and accent options
  • Ability to use the app on multiple devices
  • Improved user interface and navigation
  • Additional educational content and levels

Ello

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Wonster Words Learning Games

Subscriptions8
  • Wonster Words All-Access3 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Wonster Words Access Subscription$7.991 Year
Show 5 more
  • Wonster Words All-Access7 Days trial2 variants$9.991 Month
  • Wonster Words All-Access$9.991 Month
  • Wonster Words All-Access7 Days trial$10.991 Month
  • Wonster Words All-Access7 Days trial$49.996 Months
  • Yearly Access7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • All Access Pass$14.99
None

Ello

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Wonster Words Learning Games free?
Wonster Words Learning Games is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ello free?
Ello is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Wonster Words Learning Games or Ello?
Ello is rated higher. Wonster Words Learning Games averages 4.6 out of 5 from 32K ratings, while Ello averages 4.7 from 245 ratings.
Do Wonster Words Learning Games or Ello have ads?
Neither Wonster Words Learning Games nor Ello shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Wonster Words Learning Games or Ello?
Wonster Words Learning Games ships an update every 3 weeks, and Ello every 2 days. Most recently, Wonster Words Learning Games was updated on November 9, 2026 and Ello on November 8, 2026.

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