Comparison

Phonograms by SEI vs San Antonio Academy

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

San Antonio Academy

This app centralizes essential information for parents, students, and faculty, including news, announcements, and calendar events. It offers on-the-go access to a community directory, photos, videos, and athletic event details, with privacy controls for sensitive content.

Highlights
  • Blogs, news, and announcements
  • Calendar events with filtering
  • Constituent directory
  • Photo and video browsing
  • Athletic event details
  • Direct contact via call/email
Features
Read full description

The San Antonio Academy app provides parents, students, and faculty members with all the information they need in one place, conveniently accessed and formatted specifically for consumption on their mobile devices. The app includes: - Blogs, news and announcements - Calendar events - Constituent directory and more Download the app today to ensure you are always aware of the most important news, announcements and calendar events, and you have access on-the-go to the most current community directory. Users are able to: - Browse the latest published photos and videos - Filter content and store those preferences for subsequent use - Catch up on current news - Review athletic event details, including opponents, game results, recap commentaries, and more - Browse calendars for information about upcoming events. Filter calendars to see the events most relevant to their interests. - Quickly find faculty, parent, student and alumni contact information - Call or email a constituent directly from your device The information presented in the San Antonio Academy app is drawn from the same source as the San Antonio Academy website. Privacy controls restrict sensitive information only to authorized users.

Screenshots

Phonograms by SEI4 screens
San Antonio Academy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: San Antonio Academy at Free against Phonograms by SEI's $3.99. San Antonio Academy also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.8). Phonograms by SEI's advantage is ratings volume (234 vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 11 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

San Antonio Academy 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

San Antonio Academy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phonograms by SEI has 234 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phonograms by SEI ships an update every 4 months, San Antonio Academy every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Phonograms by SEI versus San Antonio Academy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhonograms by SEISan Antonio Academy
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating1.8 (234 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews19.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings234 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#22 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSpalding Education InternationalSan Antonio Academy of Texas

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

San Antonio Academy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Phonograms by SEI

No in-app purchases

None

San Antonio Academy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Phonograms by SEI free?
Phonograms by SEI costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is San Antonio Academy free?
San Antonio Academy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Phonograms by SEI or San Antonio Academy?
San Antonio Academy is rated higher. Phonograms by SEI averages 1.8 out of 5 from 234 ratings, while San Antonio Academy averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Phonograms by SEI or San Antonio Academy have ads?
Neither Phonograms by SEI nor San Antonio Academy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Phonograms by SEI or San Antonio Academy?
Phonograms by SEI ships an update every 4 months, and San Antonio Academy every 11 months. Most recently, Phonograms by SEI was updated on November 1, 2026 and San Antonio Academy on October 30, 2026.

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