# Starfall It's Fun to Read vs Phonics Ninja

The clearest difference is price: Starfall It's Fun to Read at Free against Phonics Ninja's $0.99. Starfall It's Fun to Read also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.5). Phonics Ninja's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 21 months) and review sentiment (81% vs 70%). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Starfall It's Fun to Read is free to download; Phonics Ninja costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Starfall It's Fun to Read holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 49 and 41 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 70% of Starfall It's Fun to Read's written reviews are positive against 81% of Phonics Ninja's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Starfall It's Fun to Read ships an update every 21 months, Phonics Ninja every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Starfall It's Fun to Read | Phonics Ninja |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[4.4 (49 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starfall-its-fun-to-read/id893269425/reviews)** | [3.5 (41 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phonics-ninja/id1156244787/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **49** | 41 |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | **81.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 21 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 74 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Starfall Education Foundation](https://appshunter.io/developer/1771099820) | [Innovative Investments Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/414603477) |

## What reviewers say

### Starfall It's Fun to Read

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starfall-its-fun-to-read/id893269425)

This app offers a free selection of reading activities designed to teach foundational reading skills. It features interactive games, stories, and creative exercises that make learning to read enjoyable for young children. The app requires no internet connection and can model fluent reading with an optional AutoRead feature.

**Highlights:** Interactive reading games, Creative activities, Poetry and tongue twisters, Riddle solving, Optional AutoRead feature, Offline access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Phonics Ninja

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phonics-ninja/id1156244787)

This educational game helps children master phonics, blends, and digraphs through interactive slicing gameplay. It offers customizable difficulty levels and focuses on multi-sensory learning to keep young learners engaged and improving their reading skills.

**Highlights:** Slice lowercase letters by sound, Slice phonic blends, Slice phonic digraphs, Customizable sound categories, Adjustable difficulty levels, Multi-sensory learning

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and engaging for kids
- 💡 Great for learning phonics
- 🚀 Helps with spelling tests
- ✨ Customizable lists for practice
- 🎯 Good for sight word practice

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sound not working
- ❌ No sound at all
- 🐛 Sounds not clipped correctly
- 🐛 Incorrect pronunciation of blends
- 🐛 "uh" sound added to consonant sounds

**Reported bugs**

- Sounds are not working
- No sound at all
- Some sounds are not clipped
- Incorrect pronunciation of blends
- Incorrect pronunciation of digraphs

**Requested features**

- Make it more similar to Fruit Ninja with a penalty for errors
- Add more features like combining sounds to create words
- Include specific words that target articulation sounds
- Fix how letters are presented (e.g., only 'c' or 'k' for /k/ sound)
- Count both letters correct if presented together


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Starfall It's Fun to Read free?

Starfall It's Fun to Read is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Phonics Ninja free?

Phonics Ninja costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Starfall It's Fun to Read or Phonics Ninja?

Starfall It's Fun to Read is rated higher. Starfall It's Fun to Read averages 4.4 out of 5 from 49 ratings, while Phonics Ninja averages 3.5 from 41 ratings.

### Do Starfall It's Fun to Read or Phonics Ninja have ads?

Neither Starfall It's Fun to Read nor Phonics Ninja shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Starfall It's Fun to Read or Phonics Ninja?

Starfall It's Fun to Read ships an update every 21 months, and Phonics Ninja every 3 months. Most recently, Starfall It's Fun to Read was updated on November 6, 2026 and Phonics Ninja on November 2, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*