Monster Phonics vs 78Bart
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Monster Phonics
This app uses a multi-sensory approach with character phoneme cues and color coding to teach reading and spelling of high-frequency words. It aims to accelerate learning progress for young children by simplifying "tricky" words.
- Multi-sensory phonics learning
- Character phoneme cues
- Color coding for sounds
- Teaches first 100 high-frequency words
- Supports reading and spelling
- Handwriting and letter formation
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Monster Phonics products are already listed as highly effective multi-sensory phonics resources by the Department for Education, UK (2014). Monster Phonics has also been selected by BETT futures as one of the top 20 most inspiring new ed-tech ideas in the UK. This app supports the reading and spelling of the first 100 high frequency words and is part of a wider phonics scheme that supports the New Curriculum for Spelling (KS1) and phonics in Reception. Monster Phonics is a synthetic phonics scheme. It is unique in that it uses character (monster) phoneme cues and colour coding to represent the sounds A, E, I, O, U, oo, ow, silent letters and tricky letters. Each monster and its corresponding colour is linked to a specific set of graphemes that makes the particular phoneme. Monster Phonics Apps have been developed specifically to make phonics more accessible for all learners. The revolutionary use of colour coding and characterisation has been proven to dramatically accelerate progress in reading. Monster Phonics also teaches handwriting and the correct letter formation for the first 100 words. This Monster Phonics APP show how the first 100 words are more accessible to children because of the use of colour. The number of “tricky” words is reduced considerably with the colour coding system. There will be 2 Monster Phonics APPs covering the first 300 words. Once learned these words stay with children forever. The first 300 words make up 65% of all reading texts. Learning these words quickly is incredibly important for all children. Selected to be in the BETT Futures Cohort - January 2015!
78Bart
This application is designed exclusively for users of Levels 7 and 8 of the Barton Reading & Spelling System. It serves as a digital tool to enhance tutoring sessions, saving valuable time. Users must already own the specified levels of the Barton System to access its features.
- Digital Barton Reading & Spelling System tool
- Enhances tutoring sessions
- Saves tutor time
- Requires ownership of Levels 7 & 8
- Login credentials required
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This app is only for people who own or use Levels 7 and 8 of the Barton Reading & Spelling System. You will be charged $29.99 as soon as you download this app. This app is only a small part of the Barton Reading & Spelling System. So, if you do NOT already own Levels 7 and 8 of the Barton System, do NOT download this app. If you own, Barton Reading and Spelling System Level 7 and Level 8, please contact 408-559-3652 or info@BartonReading.com to get login credentials. More than just tiles on an iPad, this app will save Barton tutors at least 10 minutes each session. To see how, watch the demo videos that are on www.BartonTiles.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Monster Phonics at 73% against 78Bart's 0%. Monster Phonics also leads on price ($2.99 vs $29.99) and rating (5.0 vs 1.0). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Monster Phonics costs $2.99 and 78Bart $29.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Monster Phonics holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Monster Phonics's written reviews are positive against 0% of 78Bart's.
Monster Phonics ships an update every 9 months, 78Bart every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Monster Phonics | 78Bart |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $29.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 72.7% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 6 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 784 MB | 29 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ingrid Connors | Bright Solutions for Dyslexia, Inc. |
Customer experience
Monster Phonics
78Bart
In-app purchases
Monster Phonics
No in-app purchases
78Bart
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Monster Phonics free?
Is 78Bart free?
Which has better reviews, Monster Phonics or 78Bart?
Do Monster Phonics or 78Bart have ads?
Which is updated more often, Monster Phonics or 78Bart?
Other comparisons
