Monster Phonics vs PhonicsSpace
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!
PhonicsSpace
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PhonicsSpace is an interactive phonics app designed to help children build strong reading skills through playful learning and engaging adventures. It's ideal for preschoolers, early elementary students, and children learning English as a second language. Parents, teachers, and tutors will find it a valuable tool for developing phonics and reading skills both at home and in the classroom. In this app, your child will learn to recognize and build words using phonics. With 994 words to practice, they’ll explore CVC words, blends, digraphs with short vowels, long vowels, other vowel teams, and bossy r sounds. The app helps children hear, identify, and apply the different sounds that distinguish one word from another in English. Since written language works like a code, understanding how individual letters sound and combine empowers children to decode and read words independently. Two Ways to Learn in PhonicsSpace: 1. Learn to Read: This learning mode teaches children to sound out beginning sounds, vowels, and ending sounds. With step-by-step practice, they blend these sounds to read real words, build confidence, and improve both reading and writing skills. 2. Reading Game: This game mode lets children practice reading words out loud using speech recognition. As they help Spencer, a friendly space explorer, complete missions and search for a new planet to call home, they build confidence and reinforce their reading skills through fun, interactive play. Extra Features: • Set fun reading goals by choosing how many words to read within a set time. • Allow kids to skip challenging words or get guidance by sounding out beginning sounds, vowels, and ending sounds if needed. • Enable on-screen word recognition for added support. • Enjoy focused learning in a safe, ad-free environment with minimal distractions. • All words are professionally recorded by voice talent for clear and engaging pronunciation. Questions or feedback? Contact us at playsmart.kids@gmail.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: PhonicsSpace at every 2 months against Monster Phonics's every 9 months. PhonicsSpace also leads on price ($1.99 vs $2.99). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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 PhonicsSpace $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Monster Phonics ships an update every 9 months, PhonicsSpace every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Monster Phonics | PhonicsSpace |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 72.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 13.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 784 MB | 83 MB |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | Ingrid Connors | Jariya Tuantranont |
In-app purchases
Monster Phonics
No in-app purchases
PhonicsSpace
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Monster Phonics free?
Is PhonicsSpace free?
Do Monster Phonics or PhonicsSpace have ads?
Which is updated more often, Monster Phonics or PhonicsSpace?
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