Touch vs Hairy Phonics 1
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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.
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.
- Learn 9 consonant digraph phonemes
- Structured learning sequence
- Phonic animations with actions
- Interactive letter tracing
- Word blending games
- Save and collect characters
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Touch | Hairy Phonics 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (52 ratings) — better | 2.7 (19 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 59.2% of reviews — better | 10.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 52 — better | 19 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 12 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 9.3 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 281 MB | 239 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TOUCH-TYPE READ & SPELL LTD | Nessy Learning Limited |
Customer experience
Touch
Hairy Phonics 1
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- Add more variety to lessons
Hairy Phonics 1
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Touch
No in-app purchases
Hairy Phonics 1
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Touch free?
Is Hairy Phonics 1 free?
Which has better reviews, Touch or Hairy Phonics 1?
Do Touch or Hairy Phonics 1 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Touch or Hairy Phonics 1?
Other comparisons















