Comparison

Phonics Inventory vs Learn iLit 9

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

Head to head
About

Phonics Inventory

This digital tool assesses reading fluency and foundational skills for students in grades 3-12+. It measures decoding, sight word recognition, and letter recognition quickly and efficiently. The assessment can be used for universal screening, intervention placement, and progress monitoring.

Highlights
  • Measures decoding and sight word fluency
  • Assesses letter recognition
  • Tracks reading progress
  • Universal screening
  • Intervention placement
  • Administered on iPads
Features
Read full description

Phonics Inventory™ (formerly known as Scholastic Phonics Inventory) remains the same digital assessment tool that measures decoding and sight word reading fluency in fewer than 10 minutes. PI can be used as a universal screener, or placement into a Tier II or III intervention, as well as a progress monitoring tool. NOW our customers can administer PI on iPads to assess foundational reading skills for grades 3 - 12+. With PI, students' accuracy and fluency are measured in less than 10 minutes: 1. Practice tests measure touchscreen speed/ability. 2. Letter recognition assess students' recognition of lower-case letters. 3. Sight word recognition measure students' knowledge of high-frequency sight-words. 4. Non-Word decoding tests assess students' decoding skills. PI is: - A VALIDATED measure of decoding and sight word fluency - fast and scaleable - perfect for RTI PI for iPad is available to all System 44 Next Generation customers.

About

Learn iLit 9

This comprehensive literacy solution offers interactive assignments, a digital notebook, and an e-library with over 2,500 titles. It supports offline mode and personalized instruction based on embedded assessments, preparing students for state and national standards.

Highlights
  • Interactive assignments
  • Digital notebook
  • E-library with 2,500+ titles
  • Offline mode support
  • Personalized instruction
  • Progress tracking
  • Co-teacher functionality
Features
Read full description

iLit is available for grades 6 through 12. Savvas Learning Company is a comprehensive literacy solution designed to produce two or more years of reading growth in a single year. The iLit student app contains everything a student needs to participate in an iLit class: interactive assignments, a digital notebook, and an e-library with over (2,500+) fiction and nonfiction titles. Recent additions include co-teacher functionality and student grouping throughout the app. iLit supports offline mode when the Internet isn’t available and a comprehensive automated rostering solution. The program was carefully crafted to meet the rigors of the Common Core State Standards as well as California, Florida, Texas, Nebraska, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and WIDA standards, and prepares students for success on the new Next Generation assessments. Individual, small group, and whole-class instruction is personalized based on a constant stream of data from a wide range of embedded assessments, including text-based performance tasks. iLit engages students like no other reading program through its vast library of high-interest nonfiction, instant support, engaging activities, and built-in reward systems that motivate students and track their progress. The iLit 20/45/90/ELL, Teacher and Student apps are all components of the iLit instructional product.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Phonics Inventory at 3.0 against Learn iLit 9's 2.5. Phonics Inventory also leads on iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). Learn iLit 9's advantage is ratings volume (6 vs 1). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Phonics Inventory holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Learn iLit 9 has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phonics Inventory ships an update every 4 months, Learn iLit 9 every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Phonics Inventory versus Learn iLit 9: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhonics InventoryLearn iLit 9
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (1 ratings) — better2.5 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings16 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHoughton Mifflin HarcourtSavvas Learning Company LLC

Customer experience

Phonics Inventory

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

Learn iLit 9

All ratings6 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Phonics Inventory

No in-app purchases

None

Learn iLit 9

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Phonics Inventory free?
Phonics Inventory is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Learn iLit 9 free?
Learn iLit 9 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Phonics Inventory or Learn iLit 9?
Phonics Inventory is rated higher. Phonics Inventory averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Learn iLit 9 averages 2.5 from 6 ratings.
Do Phonics Inventory or Learn iLit 9 have ads?
Neither Phonics Inventory nor Learn iLit 9 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Phonics Inventory or Learn iLit 9?
Phonics Inventory ships an update every 4 months, and Learn iLit 9 every 5 months. Most recently, Phonics Inventory was updated on November 1, 2026 and Learn iLit 9 on November 3, 2026.

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