Comparison

PocketPhonics Stories vs Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

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

Head to head
About

PocketPhonics Stories

This app helps children aged 4-6 learn to read and write through phonics and interactive storybooks. It offers guided reading with word-tapping support and comprehension quizzes, making learning engaging and effective.

Highlights
  • Phonics instruction
  • Handwriting practice (joined up)
  • Interactive storybooks
  • Word-tapping support
  • Reading comprehension quizzes
  • Letter sound recognition
  • Blending letter sounds
Features
Read full description

This award-winning app is the one to get if you are passionate about your child learning to read, and your child is aged between 4 and 6, or older but needs some extra help with reading. It teaches phonics and handwriting (including joined up). It has a first set of storybooks for them to read, written specifically for children learning to read using the app. Your child will prefer our books to paper books, because they help them read - if they get stuck, they tap a word to get help sounding it out. You will prefer our books, because the quizzes check they can read the words and understand them. The books get progressively harder, but kids don’t realise because they are getting better at reading all the time. Our apps are used in hundreds of American elementary schools. One of only nine education apps awarded the top A+ rating by Balefire Labs. The app is aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Children master these skills: * writing letters * recognising 72 letter sounds (e.g. ‘ch’ are the letters that make the initial sound in ‘chat’) * blending letter sounds together to make words (e.g ‘ch-a-t’) * hearing a word and selecting its written form (e.g. the app says, “chat”, the child has to select ‘chat’ from a group of words - some of which are similar to chat) How it works * 7-day free trial with no commitment and full access * The £1.49 monthly and £14.99 annual subscription unlock access to all books and phonics levels for an unlimited number of children * Once subscribed, your subscription auto-renews each month or annually. However, you can easily turn auto renew off via the Settings app * Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase * Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period * Cannot cancel current subscription during its subscription period * Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable Privacy policy: http://appsinmypocket.com/privacy Terms of use: http://appsinmypocket.com/terms

About

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

This app helps young learners develop essential handwriting skills by practicing letter and number formation, and shapes. It offers a fun, engaging, and prep-free experience for children, with customizable word lists and offline functionality.

Highlights
  • Letter and number formation practice
  • Shape tracing
  • Fine motor skill development
  • Customizable word lists
  • Offline functionality
  • Multi-language support
Features
Read full description

Take the hassle out of handwriting lessons with the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app! It’s a fun-filled, prep-free way to help your little learners form letters, numbers and shapes, and build those all-important fine motor skills. So, why will you love the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app? Your weekend is safe. Just set them up and watch them practice. You get back the time you’d spend prepping tracing sheets for lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers 1-100, and simple shapes. No more begging to practice! The kids are actually asking to use it. That's a win-win. From the classroom to the car. It works on any device and keeps the learning consistent, no matter where they are. It's built by people who get it. The app has been developed by expert lead teachers and senior practitioners , so you can have total confidence in its standards. Phonics panic, solved. Phase 2/3 sounds and over 100 CVC words are ready-to-go, so you have exactly what you need for your next lesson. Cater to all your learners, wherever you are in the world. The app has specific fonts and professional audio in English for the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, along with Welsh, Spanish, Arabic and Afrikaans. Stress-free screen time. The app works completely offline, so you can breathe easy knowing the kids are safe and the content is secure. Adaptable to your needs. Create your own custom word lists to personalize the experience for your learners. Full support for your teaching. The app is compatible with a great range of supporting printable resources from the Twinkl website. How to access the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app: Twinkl Ultimate members get full access to the app and all of Twinkl’s other mobile and web apps as part of your membership. If you just want app access without the wider benefits of Twinkl, you can take out an in-app subscription. Or, if you want to see how it works, you can try some of the features of the app for free in Try! Mode. Got questions? You can contact our lovely Twinkl Cares team 24/7, and you can always speak to a real human - that’s the Twinkl difference. Our Privacy Policy: https://www.twinkl.com/legal#privacy-policy Our Terms and Conditions: https://www.twinkl.com/legal#terms-and-conditions Apple Standard Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Rated 3+ by the Indonesia Game Rating System (IGRS)

Screenshots

PocketPhonics Stories4 screens
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Twinkl Formation & Handwriting at free with in-app purchases against PocketPhonics Stories's subscription. Twinkl Formation & Handwriting also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.1). PocketPhonics Stories's advantage is review sentiment (79% vs 41%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PocketPhonics Stories sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Twinkl Formation & Handwriting sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 39 and 63 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of PocketPhonics Stories's written reviews are positive against 41% of Twinkl Formation & Handwriting's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PocketPhonics Stories ships an update every 2 weeks, Twinkl Formation & Handwriting every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
PocketPhonics Stories versus Twinkl Formation & Handwriting: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocketPhonics StoriesTwinkl Formation & Handwriting
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (39 ratings)4.5 (63 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews — better41.2% of reviews
Number of ratings3963 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size745 MB228 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperApps in My Pocket LtdTwinkl Limited

Customer experience

PocketPhonics Stories

All ratings39 ratings
Positive79.5%
Neutral5.1%
Negative15.4%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral7.1%
Negative14.3%

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

All ratings63 ratings
Positive87.3%
Neutral3.2%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive41.2%
Neutral23.5%
Negative35.3%

In-app purchases

9 purchases

PocketPhonics Stories

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly subscription2 variants$1.991 Month
  • Annual$16.991 Year
One-time7
  • NapFree
  • Free upgrade for PocketPhonics usersFree
  • Nap$0.99
Show 4 more
  • m,d,g,o,c,k letter sounds$0.99
  • Multi-player$0.99
  • Lifetime$6.99
  • Lifetime$19.99
2 purchases

Twinkl Formation & Handwriting

Subscriptions2
  • Twinkl Monthly Subscription$0.491 Month
  • Annual Subscription$2.991 Year

Questions

Is PocketPhonics Stories free?
PocketPhonics Stories is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Twinkl Formation & Handwriting free?
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PocketPhonics Stories or Twinkl Formation & Handwriting?
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting is rated higher. PocketPhonics Stories averages 4.1 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while Twinkl Formation & Handwriting averages 4.5 from 63 ratings.
Do PocketPhonics Stories or Twinkl Formation & Handwriting have ads?
Neither PocketPhonics Stories nor Twinkl Formation & Handwriting shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PocketPhonics Stories or Twinkl Formation & Handwriting?
PocketPhonics Stories ships an update every 2 weeks, and Twinkl Formation & Handwriting every 2 months. Most recently, PocketPhonics Stories was updated on October 23, 2026 and Twinkl Formation & Handwriting on October 31, 2026.

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