Comparison

Touch vs Hairy Phonics 1

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

Head to head
About

Touch

This app offers a step-by-step touch-typing course designed to improve reading and spelling skills. Its dyslexia-friendly, multi-sensory approach benefits learners of all ages, from children to adults, helping build confidence in academic and professional settings.

Highlights
  • Step-by-step touch-typing course
  • Boosts reading and spelling skills
  • Dyslexia-friendly approach
  • Multi-sensory learning
  • Progress tracking
  • Suitable for ages 6+ to adults
Features
Read full description

Please note in order to log in you need to have purchased a subscription to Touch-type Read and Spell. Learn to type in an easy and fun way! TTRS is an excellent touch-typing program on its own, with the added benefit of boosting reading and spelling skills. We offer a step-by-step touch-typing course that allows everyone to learn Keyboarding and enhance literacy skills at their own pace, via a series of bite-size modules and lessons. Improve spelling and reading skills in English with our dyslexia-friendly approach for children and adults. Measure progress and celebrate success as you build confidence in the workplace or classroom. The program is appropriate for children ages 6-7 through to adult learners. The TTRS iPad app is free for current course subscribers. **Important Notice** We recommend using a Bluetooth keyboard with the app. If you are having any technical issues, please email support@readandspell.com ----- TTRS enhances spelling, decoding, and sight-reading skills thanks to a multi-sensory approach grounded in phonics and based on the work of Orton-Gillingham. This makes it an appropriate solution for individuals who struggle with: dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), visual impairments, hearing impairments and stroke recovery.

About

Hairy Phonics 1

This educational app helps children aged 4-6 develop phonemic awareness by introducing consonant digraphs. It features interactive animations, letter tracing, and games to blend sounds into words, making learning fun and engaging.

Highlights
  • Learn 9 consonant digraph phonemes
  • Structured learning sequence
  • Phonic animations with actions
  • Interactive letter tracing
  • Word blending games
  • Save and collect characters
Features
Read full description

The ideal app to follow the award-winning Hairy Letters. Hairy Phonics develops phonemic awareness with the introduction of the 9 most common consonant digraphs. This is where two consonants join and make one sound. - Learn 9 phonemes (sounds): sh, ch, th, ck, ff, ll, ss, zz, ng. - Guides your child through a structured sequence of learning. - Phonic animations link an action with the sound. - Trace the letters with your finger. - Play games to blend the phonemes into a whole word and improve understanding - Sound out words and understand how the phoneme changes the sound of the word - Save all the Hairies and see them dance. This is a particularly important skill for those with dyslexia. Designed for 4-6 year olds. This app is strictly educational and has no in-app purchases. **************************************************** REVIEWS **************************************************** This is a really great app my son loves it. All the Nessy products are amazing and my son thinks it's such a funny game, so learning and laughing fab. – 100CoolCat My kids loved the first Hairy app and were excited to play this one. It didn't disappoint as they really enjoyed it. It has a different game to the first one where you build a word for the Hairy guy to slide over. – OJRocks

Screenshots

Hairy Phonics 14 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Touch at 59% against Hairy Phonics 1's 10%. Touch also leads on rating (3.4 vs 2.7) and update cadence (weekly vs every 12 months). Hairy Phonics 1's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 15.0). On price, 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Touch holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 52 and 19 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Touch's written reviews are positive against 10% of Hairy Phonics 1's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Touch ships an update weekly, Hairy Phonics 1 every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Touch versus Hairy Phonics 1: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTouchHairy Phonics 1
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (52 ratings) — better2.7 (19 ratings)
Positive reviews59.2% of reviews — better10.0% of reviews
Number of ratings52 — better19
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 12 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.09.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size281 MB239 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTOUCH-TYPE READ & SPELL LTDNessy Learning Limited

Customer experience

Touch

All ratings52 ratings
Positive55.8%
Neutral9.6%
Negative34.6%
Written reviews49 reviews
Positive59.2%
Neutral6.1%
Negative34.7%

Hairy Phonics 1

All ratings19 ratings
Positive36.8%
Neutral5.3%
Negative57.9%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive10.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative70.0%

Bugs and requests

Touch

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Cannot log into the app
  • App closes on startup
  • Data cannot be read (missing/incorrect format)
  • Stuck on loading screen
  • App doesn't synchronize with computer
Show 6 more
  • Cannot switch profiles without closing
  • App crashes frequently
  • Keyboard not working with iPad
  • Progress not saved after sync issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • App bugs after updates

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add profiles for multiple students
  • Improve synchronization between app and web
  • Make subscription cost clearer upfront
  • Reduce waiting time on loading screens
  • Fix double spaces in sentences
Show 1 more
  • Add more variety to lessons

Hairy Phonics 1

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Touch

No in-app purchases

None

Hairy Phonics 1

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Touch free?
Touch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hairy Phonics 1 free?
Hairy Phonics 1 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Touch or Hairy Phonics 1?
Touch is rated higher. Touch averages 3.4 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while Hairy Phonics 1 averages 2.7 from 19 ratings.
Do Touch or Hairy Phonics 1 have ads?
Neither Touch nor Hairy Phonics 1 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Touch or Hairy Phonics 1?
Touch ships an update weekly, and Hairy Phonics 1 every 12 months. Most recently, Touch was updated on November 6, 2026 and Hairy Phonics 1 on November 1, 2026.

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