Comparison

AGO Phonics Sound Pad vs Exam Notes

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

Head to head
About

AGO Phonics Sound Pad

Explore and learn English phonics sounds and vocabulary with interactive words and images. Features over 700 vocabulary items and 150 phoneme patterns, with options for male or female US English voices. Designed for EFL students, teachers, and parents.

Highlights
  • Phonics sound exploration
  • Over 700 vocabulary items
  • 150 phoneme patterns
  • Male and female US English voices
  • Companion to playing cards
  • Ad-free experience
Features
Read full description

Learn English phonics sounds, spelling patterns and vocabulary with AGO Phonics Sound Pad — now completely free and ad-free. Tap a phoneme to hear its sound, then explore illustrated example words with clear US English pronunciation. Switch between male and female voices and work through seven levels of phonics content, from early sound awareness through more advanced spelling patterns. AGO Phonics Sound Pad includes: - 7 phonics levels: Zero, Levels 1–5, plus AGO Link - 250+ phoneme and spelling targets - 700+ illustrated English words - Male and female US English voices - Simple tap-to-hear sound boards - 8 illustrated phonics game ideas and classroom activities - Support for 12 interface languages - No ads and no in-app purchases The app covers far more than the ABCs. Learners can explore short and long vowels, consonants, blends, digraphs, diphthongs, r-controlled vowels, silent letters, word families and many other common English spelling and pronunciation patterns. Great for English learners and beginning readers AGO Phonics Sound Pad is designed for children learning to read English as well as ESL/EFL learners. Teachers and parents can quickly check the pronunciation of unfamiliar words and sounds, making it particularly useful when English is not their first language. The clear visual layout makes it easy for children to explore sounds independently, while teachers can use the sound boards for whole-class practice, games and phonics activities. Works with AGO Phonics card games The app is also a companion to the AGO Phonics card game series. The levels, sounds and vocabulary correspond closely with the cards, so learners can quickly hear words and phonemes while playing. Explore, listen, practice and play — all phonics content is now available free.

About

Exam Notes

Features
Read full description

Spend less time writing feedback and more time helping students grow. Exam Notes gives teachers a fast, organized workflow for capturing observations, refining them into useful written feedback, and sharing them with students and families. RECORD AND REFINE • Record feedback naturally with your voice • Convert speech into editable text • Structure each note into strengths, growth areas, next steps, and a closing message • Choose an encouraging, formal, parent-friendly, or concise tone • Use on-device AI on supported devices, with a built-in template fallback KEEP EVERY CLASS ORGANIZED • Manage classes, students, and assignments in one place • Create feedback for one student or move quickly through a batch • Review recent notes and feedback coverage from the dashboard • Follow each student’s feedback timeline and recurring growth themes SHARE FEEDBACK YOUR WAY • Give each student a permanent QR code for a read-only growth profile • Share individual feedback using secure, token-protected links • Export polished PDF feedback sheets • Print class QR rosters and assignment sticker sheets • Copy or share feedback whenever needed PRIVACY DESIGNED FOR SCHOOLS Core records remain on the teacher’s device. Shared profiles use encrypted iCloud records and token-protected, read-only access. Students and parents can read shared feedback without a teacher account. The free plan includes one class with up to 10 students. Teacher Pro unlocks unlimited classes and students, Pronote roster import, class QR exports, and cloud sharing. Download Exam Notes and turn everyday observations into feedback students can act on. Exam Notes Teacher Pro — auto-renewing subscription • Length: 1 year (auto-renews) • Price: €24.99/year (charged to your Apple Account at confirmation) • Cancel anytime in Settings → Apple Account → Subscriptions, at least 24h before renewal. Student and parent access is always free. Terms of Use (EULA): https://examnotes.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://examnotes.app/privacy

Screenshots

AGO Phonics Sound Pad4 screens
Exam Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: AGO Phonics Sound Pad at 15.0 against Exam Notes's 26.2. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. AGO Phonics Sound Pad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Exam Notes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $24.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
AGO Phonics Sound Pad versus Exam Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAGO Phonics Sound PadExam Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews56.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 12 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAGO Educational GamesGolden Pages

In-app purchases

1 purchases

AGO Phonics Sound Pad

One-time1
  • Unlock AGO Phonics Sound Pad Full$1.99
1 purchases

Exam Notes

Subscriptions1
  • Teacher Pro — Yearly$24.991 Year

Questions

Is AGO Phonics Sound Pad free?
AGO Phonics Sound Pad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Exam Notes free?
Exam Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do AGO Phonics Sound Pad or Exam Notes have ads?
Neither AGO Phonics Sound Pad nor Exam Notes shows ads.

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