Phonograms by SEI vs iPhonogram
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
iPhonogram
This app helps children and students improve reading skills by teaching phonics. It offers a wide range of phonogram sounds and interactive exercises to make learning engaging and fun. Users can search, sort, and create custom phonogram lists for personalized practice.
- Comprehensive phonogram sound collection
- Interactive learning interface
- Searchable phonogram database
- Sort phonograms by type
- Custom phonogram list creation
- Personalized study and practice
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Help your child hear, see and practise every sound in English spelling. iPhonogram teaches phonograms: the letters and letter teams (like sh, ee, igh and ough) that spell the sounds of English. Learning them is the foundation of phonics and one of the fastest routes to confident reading and spelling. TAP TO HEAR EVERY SOUND • All 87 phonograms, from single letters to igh, eigh and ough • 122 clearly recorded sounds • Every sound a phonogram makes, shown in real example words with the phonogram highlighted FLASHCARDS • Big, clear cards that say each sound when tapped • Swipe through in order or shuffle for review • Build your own deck with just the phonograms your child is working on POP THE BALLOON PRACTICE • Hear a sound, then pop the balloon with the matching phonogram • Level up, earn streaks, chase golden balloons and unlock new sky themes • Practise all phonograms or only your own selection EASY TO FIND, EASY TO USE • Browse Alphabet, Multi-Letter or all Phonograms • Search to jump straight to any phonogram • Clean, distraction-free design for iPhone and iPad • No ads and no accounts Great for parents, homeschoolers, teachers, tutors and reading specialists, and for any learner, child or adult, building reading and spelling skills. Happy learning!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: iPhonogram at Free against Phonograms by SEI's $3.99. iPhonogram also leads on rating (4.1 vs 1.8) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). Phonograms by SEI's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#22 vs unranked). On review sentiment, ads 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
iPhonogram is free to download; Phonograms by SEI costs $3.99 up front. iPhonogram sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Phonograms by SEI asks for nothing beyond the download.
iPhonogram holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phonograms by SEI has 234 ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of Phonograms by SEI's written reviews are positive against 25% of iPhonogram's.
Phonograms by SEI ships an update every 4 months, iPhonogram every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Phonograms by SEI | iPhonogram |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 1.8 (234 ratings) | 4.1 (28 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 19.8% of reviews | 25.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 234 — better | 28 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #22 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Spalding Education International | Wozete LLC |
Customer experience
Phonograms by SEI
iPhonogram
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
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- 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
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- 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
iPhonogram
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Phonograms by SEI
No in-app purchases
iPhonogram
- Unlock More Features$9.99
Questions
Is Phonograms by SEI free?
Is iPhonogram free?
Which has better reviews, Phonograms by SEI or iPhonogram?
Do Phonograms by SEI or iPhonogram have ads?
Which is updated more often, Phonograms by SEI or iPhonogram?
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