Comparison

Phonograms by SEI vs Lets Play Music

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

Head to head
About

Phonograms by SEI

This app helps students learn the connection between speech sounds and written symbols (phonograms). Mastering phonograms is crucial for accurate reading, writing, and spelling, expanding vocabulary and improving communication skills.

Highlights
  • Learn phonogram sound-symbol relationships
  • Phonogram introduction by group
  • Oral phonogram review with sound check
  • Written phonogram review with writing practice
  • Differentiated practice for specific phonograms
  • Supports phonemic awareness and letter recognition
Features
Read full description

Welcome to The Spalding Method ™ Phonograms app! NOTICE: Upon installing this mobile application, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions. This Spalding Phonograms app is designed for helping students learn the phonics connection between speech sounds and written symbols that represent those sounds (phonograms). Learning the phonograms is essential for accurate and automatic reading, writing, and spelling. Teaching all the sounds of the phonemes represented by an alphabet letter or combination of two, three, or four letters (phonograms) enables students to read, spell, and write high-frequency words quickly. Students who learn the phonograms well expand their vocabulary and are able to use effective and creative communication skills in writing. Critical thinking is involved in learning the appropriate phonogram placement within words for accurate spelling and for applying information learned during phonogram reviews to pronounce unfamiliar words. The Spalding Phonograms app is for students that need additional practice, including home schooling, ESL (English as a Second Language), ELL (English Language Learners), ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students, and those with dyslexia or other learning disabilities. The school and home connection is encouraged through collaboration and communication with the teacher, parent, and student for practicing the phonograms appropriately and adequately. The Spalding Phonograms app aligns with the core reading foundational skills required by state and national standards that are most crucial to the development of early reading success and reading comprehension, including: • Phonemic awareness • Feature recognition • Letter recognition • Sound-symbol relationships (decoding) The Spalding Phonograms app provides the following options for all 87 phonograms. • Phonogram Introduction by selected group – The student sees the phonograms in order of instruction in The Writing Road to Reading, listens to the teacher say the sound(s), and then says the sound(s). • Oral Phonogram Review – A random phonogram card is show, followed by a pause. The student says the sound(s) and then listens to check accuracy. • Written Phonogram Review –The student hears the phonogram sounds, followed by a pause; the student repeats the sound(s), listens for a cue, if needed, and then writes the phonogram on lined paper. The card is immediately shown so the student can check for accuracy. • Differentiated Practice – Specific phonograms (from all 87) can be selected that need more practice. These phonograms can then be practiced in Phonogram Introduction, Oral Phonogram Review, or Written Phonogram Review.

About

Lets Play Music

Access all your music from past and current semesters. Shuffle or repeat tracks, and discover the purpose behind each song for a more enriching listening experience.

Highlights
  • Access past and current semester music
  • Shuffle tracks
  • Repeat tracks
  • View song purpose
  • Enrich listening time
Features
Read full description

Access all the music from your current and past semesters. You can even shuffle or repeat tracks. Want to know why you're doing a certain song? The purpose for each song is listed as extra information so you can make the most of listening time.

Screenshots

Phonograms by SEI4 screens
Lets Play Music4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Lets Play Music at Free against Phonograms by SEI's $3.99. Lets Play Music also leads on review sentiment (62% vs 20%) and rating (4.2 vs 1.8). Phonograms by SEI's advantage is chart position (#13 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On ratings volume, update cadence, 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

Lets Play Music is free to download; Phonograms by SEI costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lets Play Music holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 1.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 220 and 207 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of Phonograms by SEI's written reviews are positive against 62% of Lets Play Music's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phonograms by SEI ships an update every 4 months, Lets Play Music every 5 months. Both last shipped on October 19, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Phonograms by SEI versus Lets Play Music: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhonograms by SEILets Play Music
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating1.8 (220 ratings)4.2 (207 ratings) — better
Positive reviews19.8% of reviews62.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings220 — better207
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#13 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB154 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSpalding Education InternationalNascent Labs L.L.C.

Customer experience

Phonograms by SEI

All ratings220 ratings
Positive16.8%
Neutral5.0%
Negative78.2%
Written reviews91 reviews
Positive19.8%
Neutral7.7%
Negative72.5%

Lets Play Music

All ratings203 ratings
Positive75.4%
Neutral6.4%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews85 reviews
Positive62.4%
Neutral10.6%
Negative27.1%

User reviews

Phonograms by SEI

From 220 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✅ Effective for learning phonograms and improving reading skills
  • 🎯 Differentiated practice allows selecting specific phonograms
  • 🔊 Clear audio narration when functioning properly
  • 📱 Works well on multiple devices (iPhone, iPad)
  • 💰 Affordable price point at $3.99-$4.27

Room to improve

  • 🔇 Sound frequently doesn't work or is inconsistent
  • 🐛 Written practice shows blank/black screen
  • ⚙️ Poor app design and user interface
  • 🔧 Requires phone settings changes to function properly
  • ⏱️ Slow performance and long loading times

Lets Play Music

From 207 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Convenient access to music
  • 💡 Helpful for teachers and parents
  • 🎉 Excellent music education program

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
  • 🔋 Drains phone battery
  • 🤔 Lacks important features like playlists
  • 🚫 Incompatible with car audio

Bugs and requests

Phonograms by SEI

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Sound not playing despite volume settings being correct
  • Written phonogram review displays blank screen
  • App requires phone ringer to be off silent mode for audio
  • Letters not visible in dark mode display
  • Written practice button 'Show Me' displays nothing
Show 7 more
  • Inconsistent sound functionality requiring app restart
  • Phonograms not displaying in correct font style
  • App crashes frequently on older devices
  • Cannot advance to next phonogram in some cases
  • Sound cuts out after partial completion
  • App stops functioning after updates
  • Slow download speed for phonogram files

Requested features

12 requests
  • Save selected phonogram lists for future sessions
  • Allow writing directly in the app instead of on paper
  • Add FAQ or troubleshooting guide
  • Implement dark mode compatibility
  • Enable sound to work while phone is on silent
Show 7 more
  • Add feedback system like Duolingo for practice
  • Provide cursive and print writing options
  • Allow random phonogram selection without sequential playback
  • Improve visual design and user interface
  • Add multiple differentiated practice lists per user
  • Include audio cues for writing instructions
  • Create lesson overview or search functionality

Lets Play Music

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues and inability to sign in
  • Music playback stops unexpectedly
  • App freezes and crashes frequently
  • Inconsistent performance across devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add playlist creation capability
  • Allow downloading of music for offline use
  • Improve integration with car audio systems
  • Expand music library to include more content

In-app purchases

None

Phonograms by SEI

No in-app purchases

None

Lets Play Music

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Phonograms by SEI free?
Phonograms by SEI costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lets Play Music free?
Lets Play Music is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Phonograms by SEI or Lets Play Music?
Lets Play Music is rated higher. Phonograms by SEI averages 1.8 out of 5 from 220 ratings, while Lets Play Music averages 4.2 from 207 ratings.
Do Phonograms by SEI or Lets Play Music have ads?
Neither Phonograms by SEI nor Lets Play Music shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Phonograms by SEI or Lets Play Music?
Phonograms by SEI ships an update every 4 months, and Lets Play Music every 5 months. Most recently, Phonograms by SEI was updated on October 19, 2026 and Lets Play Music on October 19, 2026.

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