Comparison

Reading Train vs Monster Phonics 2

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

Head to head
About

Reading Train

This app offers a comprehensive reading program for young learners, featuring interactive ABC books, engaging games, and songs. It helps children develop foundational reading skills, build vocabulary, and boost their confidence through a fun, safe, and ad-free experience.

Highlights
  • 24 ABC books at 3 reading levels
  • Interactive train game for word learning
  • Built-in picture/audio dictionary
  • 18 song books
  • Professional narration
  • User recording of books
  • Student reporting tools
Features
Read full description

Listen, read, and record 24 fun ABC books at 3 easy reading levels: 72 books in all! Play the train game; win coins for the music store; collect and learn new words in the train yard. "Beautifully designed storybooks and related games that teach foundational reading": Appolicious.com Books, songs and games to build skills, self confidence and a love of reading. Real reading, for fun and information, right from the start. "A dynamic tool to augment any beginning readers program": Teachers With Apps Safe for Kids: The Learning Station is a Proud Member of Moms With Apps Kid tested and teacher approved. We are ad-free and take our users privacy seriously. View our Privacy Policy here: http://www.readingtrain.org * Listen, read and record books at 3 different beginning reading levels to grow as a reader. * Play the train game after every book to learn letters and words * Built-in picture/audio dictionary * 18 song books * Professional narration- American English. All books can be recorded by users. * Unlimited user accounts * Powerful student reporting tools Books Kids CAN Read. Written by Libby Curran, a People Magazine Teacher of the Year, these engaging little books are field tested in real classrooms to get kids started on the path to reading independence. Books Kids LOVE to Read and Re-read. Children are naturally curious, so encourage them to explore our ABC books to learn new vocabulary and build the foundational knowledge they need to succeed in school. After reading stories they can play the train quiz game, explore the picture/audio dictionary and listen to song books. Give Your Kids the Tools to Succeed. Stuck on a word? Tap and hold to hear every word and access the built in audio dictionary filled with hundreds of words. Play a unique quiz game at the end of every book to extend the learning. The Reading Train Alphabet is packed full of tools to help children succeed, all on their own. Read to Learn- Meet Common Core Standards Read beginning level books with purpose and understanding. Develop the concepts of print: reading left to right and matching written words with spoken words. Learn letter names and sounds, build background knowledge and improve reading comprehension and foundational skills. Quizzes Disguised as Games. Play the train game after finishing every book, but don't tell them it's a quiz! Check progress on the parent's page to see all the books children have read and recorded as well as detailed scores on the quizzes. The Right Team For the Job Created by award winning master teacher and early literacy expert, Libby Curran,The Reading Train Alphabet is the culmination of 20+ years of teaching experience. Backed by an all-star team of teachers turned iOS developers and a professional children's musician, The Reading Train Alphabet is serious about making learning fun. Keep in Touch We welcome your feedback, to keep up with all things Reading Train check out: readingtrain.org facebook.com/readingtrain email: support@readingtrain.org We welcome suggestions on future books and curriculum. Contact Libby with suggestions about new content at: libby@readingtrain.org

About

Monster Phonics 2

This app uses a multi-sensory approach with character phoneme cues and color coding to teach reading and spelling. It focuses on the first 100 high-frequency words, making them more accessible and reducing the number of "tricky" words.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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!

Screenshots

Reading Train4 screens
Monster Phonics 24 screens

Verdict

The call

Reading Train and Monster Phonics 2 both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Reading Train's written reviews are positive against 67% of Monster Phonics 2's. Reading Train also leads on update cadence (every 5 months vs every 14 months) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). Monster Phonics 2's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $3.99). On rating, ratings volume, 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

Reading Train costs $3.99 and Monster Phonics 2 $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Reading Train against 5.0 for Monster Phonics 2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Reading Train's written reviews are positive against 67% of Monster Phonics 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Reading Train ships an update every 5 months, Monster Phonics 2 every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Reading Train versus Monster Phonics 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReading TrainMonster Phonics 2
Price$3.99$2.99 — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 14 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size698 MB792 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperThe Learning Station, LLCIngrid Connors

Customer experience

Reading Train

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Monster Phonics 2

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Reading Train

No in-app purchases

None

Monster Phonics 2

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Reading Train free?
Reading Train costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Monster Phonics 2 free?
Monster Phonics 2 costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Reading Train or Monster Phonics 2?
Reading Train and Monster Phonics 2 are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Reading Train or Monster Phonics 2 have ads?
Neither Reading Train nor Monster Phonics 2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Reading Train or Monster Phonics 2?
Reading Train ships an update every 5 months, and Monster Phonics 2 every 14 months. Most recently, Reading Train was updated on October 12, 2026 and Monster Phonics 2 on October 15, 2026.

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