Co vs Reading Forge Classroom
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Co
This app provides advanced word prediction and spelling support for students. It offers grammar-smart suggestions and access to millions of topic-specific dictionaries to aid in writing. Built-in text-to-speech functionality helps users review their work.
- Grammar-smart word prediction
- Millions of topic-specific dictionaries
- Flexspell™ technology for spelling errors
- Built-in text-to-speech
- Personalized vocabulary and settings
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Co:Writer® Universal app and third-party keyboard gives students easy access to word prediction on iPad, iPad Pro, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Students simply sign in to their Co:Writer Universal accounts to write with their personal settings and vocabulary. ABOUT CO:WRITER UNIVERSAL This version is for schools with a Co:Writer Universal license only. Users without a Co:Writer Universal license must purchase the Co:Writer app. HOW DOES CO:WRITER WORK? As letters are typed, Co:Writer predicts the intended word with a selection of word suggestions using powerful grammar-smart word prediction. These suggestions can be read aloud with a swipe. Selecting the intended word places it into the writing document. For feedback while writing (and after writing) built-in text to speech can be used to read letters, words, sentences, and the entire document. 4+ MILLION TOPIC-SPECIFIC DICTIONARIES Co:Writer has access to a main prediction dictionary (that includes core words) and Topic Dictionaries (that includes topic specific words). Co:Writer can access over 4 million topic-specific dictionaries which are activated based on the writing task. A small sampling of the variety of topic dictionaries: - America's Cup - Apple II - Compare and Contrast - Dinosaurs - Grumpy Cat - History of the Peloponnesian War - Mahatma Gandhi - My Dog - Pig Latin - Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost - SpongeBob SquarePants - Tommy (album) - Wonders of the World SPELLING SUPPORT Co:Writer handles the widest range of spelling mistakes through its Flexspell™technology including phonetic spelling and inventive spelling errors (letter omissions, word ending omissions, letter reversals, etc). Examples of how Co:Writer aides with phonetic and/or inventive spelling: Before Co:Writer The blk jargon flu over the bra lfnt. R u hpy to ce me? I no hw to nor the fone. After Co:Writer The black dragon flew over the gray elephant. Are you happy to see me? I know how to answer the phone. GRAMMAR SUPPORT Co:Writer bases its prediction off of proper grammar, and uses its understanding of grammar to accurately predict words within the framework of valid sentence structures. Examples of how Co:Writer aides with grammar: Dogs are furry. (noun, verb, adj.) - When you typed d-o, you get plural noun choices Three very mangy dogs ran down the street. (adj., adv., adj., noun, verb… etc.) - After typing three, very, mangy, you get plural noun choices, then you get plural verb tenses. OTHER FEATURES - Built-in Text to Speech - Export
Reading Forge Classroom
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Reading Forge Classroom puts a whole class of iPads under the teacher's control. It's the classroom layer on top of Reading Forge — a structured-literacy reading game inspired by the Orton-Gillingham approach, built for beginning readers and students with dyslexia. ONE TEACHER, EVERY SCREEN • Push any activity to the whole class or a single student in a tap. • Watch a live roster — who's on what, sparks earned, hands raised. • "Eyes up here" — freeze every screen for attention, release when ready. • Class codes so students join the right class; multiple teachers can host at once on the same Wi-Fi. • Progress follows the child across a shared iPad cart, and is wiped from the shared device when they hand it back. BUILT-IN ASSESSMENT Run a quick 1-on-1 timed reading check — sight words and decodable nonwords — scored by ear, with each student's words-per-minute growth charted over time. THE FULL GUILD OFFICE Assignments, spelling quests, progress reports, and a voice recording booth — all built in. PRIVACY FIRST Students never create accounts and never sign in — a first name and an avatar, nothing more. Student work stays on school devices and your local network. No ads, no analytics, no data sale. Only teachers sign in (Google or Apple), only to verify the school's license. REQUIREMENTS Two or more devices on the same Wi-Fi — one teacher (iPad or iPhone) and one or more student iPads. A free preview (letters, short vowels, and blends) works without a license; schools license the full curriculum — visit forgelearningtech.com/classroom. Reading Forge is inspired by the Orton-Gillingham approach to structured literacy. It is not an Orton-Gillingham certified or affiliated program.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Reading Forge Classroom at every 9 days against Co's every 4 months. Co's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Co ships an update every 4 months, Reading Forge Classroom every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | Co | Reading Forge Classroom |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.6 (17 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 8.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 17 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 45 MB | 96 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Don Johnston Incorporated | Brannon Fissette |
In-app purchases
Co
No in-app purchases
Reading Forge Classroom
No in-app purchases









