Comparison

Phonics 1b Activities vs Ten Frames

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

Head to head
About

Phonics 1b Activities

Features
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Phonics 1b Activities application for iOS provides young learners of English with the digital tools to practise the sounds of the English alphabet in an educational and entertaining manner. It consists of: Letter tracing and practice Interactive fun activities (colouring, draw lines etc) Learning tasks (listening, circle the right letters, look and choose and many more) with automatic feedback All activities are presented in a playful way, in which learners are able to tap on various items and listen to the corresponding sounds. Learning takes place sub-consciously in a stress-free environment. It’s an innovative interaction than only this application can offer!

About

Ten Frames

Features
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Ten Frames β€” math with smiles Educational math app for children aged 4–7, built around the Ten Frames method. Short, cheerful sessions a child can play independently β€” no reading required. About the method: Ten Frames is a foundational visual learning tool β€” a simple frame of 10 cells used to teach early number sense. The method itself is included in mathematics curricula around the world. Children learn to instantly recognize quantities through visual grouping: a filled row is always 5, a full frame is always 10. These benchmarks become anchors for all future mental math. The result: stronger number sense, faster mental arithmetic, less math anxiety. What it covers: β€’ Counting to 10 β€’ Addition and subtraction within 10 β€’ Pairs that make 10 β€’ Doubles β€’ Fair sharing β€’ Visual memory β€’ 9 Adventure worlds, 82 levels Made for little learners: β€’ A level is 5 problems and runs 2–4 minutes β€” a full session fits before dinner β€’ Voice narration in English, Romanian and German, so children who cannot read yet play on their own β€’ 10 visual themes children choose themselves (Space, Ocean, Forest, Farm, Candy, Unicorn, Pixel, Slime, K-Pop, Monsters) β€’ 36 stickers and 14 achievements keep effort rewarded, never punished β€” a wrong answer costs nothing β€’ A parent dashboard to follow stars, streaks and progress Made for parents: β€’ No accounts and no sign-up β€” hand your child the iPad and they start β€’ Nothing leaves the device. Progress is stored locally, and the app works fully offline β€’ No analytics, no ads, no tracking, no links out of the app β€’ Free to start: counting play is free forever, with free daily problems in every practice mode β€’ One single purchase unlocks everything β€” every world, mode and theme. No subscription, ever Available in English, Romanian and German.

Screenshots

Phonics 1b Activities1 screens
Ten Frames4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Phonics 1b Activities at none against Ten Frames's 1. Phonics 1b Activities also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.1). Ten Frames's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 38 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Ten Frames sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Phonics 1b Activities asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phonics 1b Activities ships an update every 38 months, Ten Frames weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
Phonics 1b Activities versus Ten Frames: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhonics 1b ActivitiesTen Frames
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 38 monthsWeekly β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 β€” better15.1
Further details β€” not scored
Size111 MB111 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperExpress PublishingM Crisan Sarbu

In-app purchases

None

Phonics 1b Activities

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Ten Frames

One-time1
  • Ten Frames Premium$4.99

Questions

Is Phonics 1b Activities free?
Phonics 1b Activities is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ten Frames free?
Ten Frames is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Phonics 1b Activities or Ten Frames have ads?
Neither Phonics 1b Activities nor Ten Frames shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Phonics 1b Activities or Ten Frames?
Phonics 1b Activities ships an update every 38 months, and Ten Frames weekly. Most recently, Phonics 1b Activities was updated on October 18, 2026 and Ten Frames on October 7, 2026.

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