Comparison

Smarty Spell vs Build With Grandpa

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

Head to head
About

Smarty Spell

This comprehensive literacy platform offers three engaging game modes to improve spelling and reading skills. It features extensive customization options for word lists and audio, along with detailed progress tracking for educators and parents.

Highlights
  • Three distinct game modes
  • Over 300 built-in words
  • Grade-level and thematic word lists
  • Custom word lists with photos
  • Real human and TTS audio
  • Professional-grade data tracking
  • Adjustable font sizes and hints
Features
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Smarty Spell: The Ultimate 3-in-1 Literacy Platform Developed by a certified Speech-Language Pathologist, Smarty Spell has evolved into a comprehensive educational platform designed to take your student’s spelling and reading abilities to the next level. With a highly engaging new interface, friendly animal mascots, and superior data tracking, Smarty Spell is the perfect tool for educators, therapists, and parents alike. While it comes loaded with over 300 built-in words, the true power of Smarty Spell lies in its incredible flexibility. Students can tackle words based on their grade level (Kindergarten to 6th Grade), explore thematic categories, or master completely custom word lists created by their teacher. Three Ways to Play: Smarty Spell now features three distinct, interactive game modes to keep students engaged while targeting different literacy skills: Spelling Game: Drag and drop letters to spell the target word with full visual and auditory scaffolding. Reading Game: Build sight-word recognition by matching the spoken word and image to the correct text. Missing Letter Game: A fun, tactile experience where students fill in the blanks on a beautiful wooden tray to complete the word. Unmatched Customization & Accessibility: Smarty Spell adapts to every learner. Reinforce specific vocabulary by adding your own words and photos! The app seamlessly blends real, recorded human audio with a newly integrated, high-quality, kid-friendly Text-to-Speech engine, ensuring every word—even your custom ones—is pronounced perfectly. You can also adjust font sizes, toggle visual hints, and switch between uppercase and lowercase letters to meet each student's exact needs. Professional-Grade Data Tracking: Tracking progress is a breeze with our completely overhauled "Report Card" suite. Teachers and parents can monitor overall accuracy over time via intuitive line graphs, or drill down into specific word lists. Because the app tracks data by game type, you will know exactly if a student has mastered "Animals" in Reading, but still needs practice with "Animals" in Spelling! Enjoy the benefits of a clean, modern interface, engaging gameplay, and robust tracking. Key Features Include: The Content: 3 Distinct Game Modes: Spelling, Reading, and Missing Letter. Over 300 Built-In Words: Ready to play immediately. Grade-Level Lists: Organized sequentially from Kindergarten to 6th Grade. Thematic Lists: Animals, Numbers, Colors & Shapes, Classroom, Body Parts, Common Nouns, Clothes, Fruits, and Vegetables. Total Customization: Create custom lists, add new words, and even upload your own photos and audio recordings. The Gameplay: Premium Audio: High-quality, kid-friendly Text-to-Speech alongside real human audio recordings. Audio Spell Letters: Option to have each letter spoken aloud as the student drags it. Visual Hints: Toggle picture clues on or off to increase or decrease difficulty. Word Reading: Turn target word dictation on or off. Capitalization Control: Choose between all capitals, all lowercase, or standard capitalization. Adjustable UI: 3 different font size options for accessibility. Automatic Transition: Move immediately to the next word, or manually transition to control the pace. The Data: Multi-Student Support: Manage profiles and avatars for an entire classroom or caseload. Advanced Report Cards: View line graphs of session-by-session accuracy. Skill Isolation: Data is tracked independently for Reading, Spelling, and Missing Letter games so you know exactly where a student excels. Word-Level Mastery: See exactly which specific words a student got correct or needs to practice. Easy Exporting: Generate beautiful, multi-page PDF reports to email or print directly from the app via AirPrint.

About

Build With Grandpa

This app guides children through the entire process of building a new home, from demolition and foundation to design, painting, and landscaping. It incorporates educational elements like math, literacy, and life skills, all while engaging kids with interactive construction activities.

Highlights
  • Design houses using blueprints
  • Operate construction equipment
  • Learn about safety and power tools
  • Paint, decorate, and landscape
  • Interactive building activities
  • Educational math and literacy games
Features
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Demolish an old building with a wrecking ball, clear the lot with a bulldozer - then design, build, paint, decorate, and landscape a brand new house! Along the way you'll learn about safety equipment and power tools, empty your dump truck, dig and pour a foundation, mix cement, drive construction equipment, enjoy lunch with Grandpa, and measure and build a wall with wood! Be creative as you design from blueprints, paint the house with rollers, and choose your own windows, doors, shutters, landscaping, and fun extras! Ages 5-9. Editor's Choice - Children's Technology Review Parents and teachers love Build With Grandpa because it teaches about renewal and re-building while taking players through the complete process of creating a new home from the ground up. Kids love Build With Grandpa because they get to do everything from *dirt* to *decorate* in this original app! EDUCATIONAL GAMES: 1. Design a house using blueprints. 2. Choose equipment. “Which one is the generator?” 3. Foundation words. “Find the words in the puzzle to make the foundation!” 4. Finish the wall. “Which two boards add up to 8?” 5. Paint the house. “Be creative!” 6. Decorate the house. “Add windows and doors!” FUN INTERACTIVE EXTRAS: 1. Demolish the old house! 2. Clear the lot with a bulldozer! 3. Enjoy lunch with Grandpa! 4. Dump gravel out of a dump truck! 5. Give Grandpa a high five! 6. Add ingredients and mix the cement! 7. Watch 10 fascinating videos about building, narrated by Grandpa! EDUCATIONAL CONTENT: + Math: measurement, addition through 9 + Literacy: read and identify over 40 construction words + Life skills: suburban renewal, identify construction equipment, construction processes + Creativity: design, paint, decorate, and landscape a home + Problem solving, spatial skills, cause and effect PRODUCT SUPPORT: Fairlady Media is committed to developing high-quality family-friendly games with excellent entertainment value. Please contact us if you have suggestions for improvement or to get technical issues resolved: support@fairladymedia.com. Also by Fairlady Media: + Grandma's Garden (dancing Granny teaches preschool skills, ages 5 & under) + Grandpa's Workshop (high-fiving Grandpa teaches primary skills, ages 2-6) + Grandma’s Kitchen (fun and learning with Grandma and her wacky utensils, ages 4-7) + Grandma Loves Bugs (explore the forest to learn about creepy-crawlies, ages 5 & under) + Grandpa In Space (blast off in a custom rocket to explore the solar system, ages 6-8) + Grandma’s Preschool (the best school readiness app on the App Store, ages 3-6) + Fishing With Grandpa (cast and reel in fish and play games with Grandpa, ages 3-6) + Music With Grandma (learn about music and jam on musical instruments, ages 7+) + Camping With Grandpa (go on a hiking adventure and learn about the wilderness, ages 5-8) + At the Zoo With Grandma and Grandpa (tour the zoo and learn about 50+ animals, ages 6-8) + Grandpa’s Toy Shop (design, build, and decorate toys to sell in Grandpa’s shop, ages 6-9) + Smashing Grammar (crush the nouns, verbs, and more to get a high score, ages 9+) These are apps you can feel good about giving to your kids. They are educational beyond the school curriculum - they also teach life skills in real-world contexts. Links that take the user outside the app are contained behind a Parental Gate.

Screenshots

Build With Grandpa4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Build With Grandpa at 100% against Smarty Spell's 0%. Build With Grandpa also leads on price ($3.99 vs $14.99) and rating (4.5 vs 4.0). Smarty Spell's advantage is update cadence (every 9 months vs every 115 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and iOS requirement 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

Smarty Spell costs $14.99 and Build With Grandpa $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Build With Grandpa holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Build With Grandpa has 14 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Smarty Spell's written reviews are positive against 100% of Build With Grandpa's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Smarty Spell ships an update every 9 months, Build With Grandpa every 115 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Smarty Spell versus Build With Grandpa: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmarty SpellBuild With Grandpa
Price$14.99$3.99 — better
Rating4.0 (2 ratings)4.5 (14 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings214 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 months — betterEvery 115 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size97 MB88 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSmarty EarsFairlady Media

Customer experience

Smarty Spell

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

Build With Grandpa

All ratings14 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Smarty Spell

No in-app purchases

None

Build With Grandpa

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Smarty Spell free?
Smarty Spell costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Build With Grandpa free?
Build With Grandpa costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Smarty Spell or Build With Grandpa?
Build With Grandpa is rated higher. Smarty Spell averages 4.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Build With Grandpa averages 4.5 from 14 ratings.
Do Smarty Spell or Build With Grandpa have ads?
Neither Smarty Spell nor Build With Grandpa shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Smarty Spell or Build With Grandpa?
Smarty Spell ships an update every 9 months, and Build With Grandpa every 115 months. Most recently, Smarty Spell was updated on October 8, 2026 and Build With Grandpa on October 13, 2026.

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