Comparison

Phonics Match vs Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

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

Head to head
About

Phonics Match

This educational game helps children master the 42 phonetic sounds of English using the Jolly Phonics system. It offers matching games with vibrant cards, supporting British, American, and Australian English pronunciations. Designed for young learners, it enhances cognitive skills through playful interaction.

Highlights
  • Jolly Phonics system based
  • British, American, Australian English options
  • Over 180 phonics word cards
  • Match by group or randomized
  • Rewarding sticker board
  • Lowercase, uppercase, or mixed options
  • Vibrant graphics and child-friendly interface
Features
Read full description

Explore the world of Jolly Phonics with Phonics Match, available in native British, American, and Australian English. This engaging educational tool focuses on mastering the 42 distinct phonetic sounds of the English language rather than the conventional alphabet. Phonics Match is thoughtfully designed to familiarize children with the intricacies of English phonetics. Through the combination of matching pairs and phonics, the game contributes to the enhancement of cognitive skills in a delightful and playful manner. Featuring a vibrant array of cards, the game offers options for matching pairs within specific phonics groups or engaging in a fully randomized game. Key Features: • Based on the Jolly Phonics system, as published by Jolly Learning Ltd. • Options for British, Australian, or American English with accurate native pronunciations. • Over 180 phonics word cards covering all 42 jolly phonics sounds. • Play a mixed phonics game or play by group. • Includes a fun rewarding sticker board. • Choose between lowercase, uppercase or mixed. • Vibrant graphics and a user-friendly interface tailored for children. • Optimized for devices running iOS 12.0 or higher.

About

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

This app helps young learners develop essential handwriting skills by practicing letter and number formation, and shapes. It offers a fun, engaging, and prep-free experience for children, with customizable word lists and offline functionality.

Highlights
  • Letter and number formation practice
  • Shape tracing
  • Fine motor skill development
  • Customizable word lists
  • Offline functionality
  • Multi-language support
Features
Read full description

Take the hassle out of handwriting lessons with the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app! It’s a fun-filled, prep-free way to help your little learners form letters, numbers and shapes, and build those all-important fine motor skills. So, why will you love the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app? Your weekend is safe. Just set them up and watch them practice. You get back the time you’d spend prepping tracing sheets for lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers 1-100, and simple shapes. No more begging to practice! The kids are actually asking to use it. That's a win-win. From the classroom to the car. It works on any device and keeps the learning consistent, no matter where they are. It's built by people who get it. The app has been developed by expert lead teachers and senior practitioners , so you can have total confidence in its standards. Phonics panic, solved. Phase 2/3 sounds and over 100 CVC words are ready-to-go, so you have exactly what you need for your next lesson. Cater to all your learners, wherever you are in the world. The app has specific fonts and professional audio in English for the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, along with Welsh, Spanish, Arabic and Afrikaans. Stress-free screen time. The app works completely offline, so you can breathe easy knowing the kids are safe and the content is secure. Adaptable to your needs. Create your own custom word lists to personalize the experience for your learners. Full support for your teaching. The app is compatible with a great range of supporting printable resources from the Twinkl website. How to access the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app: Twinkl Ultimate members get full access to the app and all of Twinkl’s other mobile and web apps as part of your membership. If you just want app access without the wider benefits of Twinkl, you can take out an in-app subscription. Or, if you want to see how it works, you can try some of the features of the app for free in Try! Mode. Got questions? You can contact our lovely Twinkl Cares team 24/7, and you can always speak to a real human - that’s the Twinkl difference. Our Privacy Policy: https://www.twinkl.com/legal#privacy-policy Our Terms and Conditions: https://www.twinkl.com/legal#terms-and-conditions Apple Standard Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Rated 3+ by the Indonesia Game Rating System (IGRS)

Screenshots

Phonics Match4 screens
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Phonics Match at 100% against Twinkl Formation & Handwriting's 41%. Phonics Match also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). Twinkl Formation & Handwriting's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 6 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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. Phonics Match sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Twinkl Formation & Handwriting sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Phonics Match holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Twinkl Formation & Handwriting has 61 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Phonics Match's written reviews are positive against 41% of Twinkl Formation & Handwriting's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phonics Match ships an update every 6 months, Twinkl Formation & Handwriting every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Phonics Match versus Twinkl Formation & Handwriting: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhonics MatchTwinkl Formation & Handwriting
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (6 ratings) — better4.5 (61 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better41.2% of reviews
Number of ratings661 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB225 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBram Van DammeTwinkl Limited

Customer experience

Phonics Match

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

All ratings61 ratings
Positive86.9%
Neutral3.3%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive41.2%
Neutral23.5%
Negative35.3%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Phonics Match

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99
2 purchases

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

Subscriptions2
  • Twinkl Monthly Subscription$0.491 Month
  • Annual Subscription$2.991 Year

Questions

Is Phonics Match free?
Phonics Match is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Twinkl Formation & Handwriting free?
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Phonics Match or Twinkl Formation & Handwriting?
Phonics Match is rated higher. Phonics Match averages 5.0 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Twinkl Formation & Handwriting averages 4.5 from 61 ratings.
Do Phonics Match or Twinkl Formation & Handwriting have ads?
Phonics Match shows ads; Twinkl Formation & Handwriting does not.
Which is updated more often, Phonics Match or Twinkl Formation & Handwriting?
Phonics Match ships an update every 6 months, and Twinkl Formation & Handwriting every 6 weeks. Most recently, Phonics Match was updated on September 29, 2026 and Twinkl Formation & Handwriting on October 12, 2026.

Other comparisons