Hooked on Phonics vs Reading Eggs
The main differences
Both teach reading through an app with games, songs and short lessons that pick the child's next step. Hooked on Phonics stops at 2nd grade and mails a workbook and storybooks every month to match the app, billed monthly at $23.96. Reading Eggs runs from toddlers to age 13, adds comprehension, spelling and grammar for older children, includes the Mathseeds math program and covers up to four children for $99.99 a year; printed books and workbooks cost extra.
| Hooked on Phonics | Reading Eggs | |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | Reading and phonics | Reading and phonics and language arts |
| Grades | Ages 3 to 8, Pre-K to 2nd grade | Ages 2 to 13, about pre-K to 8th grade |
| Method | Mastery | Traditional |
| Format | Books and screen | On screen |
| Faith label | Secular | Secular |
| Cost a year | $287.52. Complete Phonics: $23.96 a month (the first month is $11.98), billed monthly, which is $287.52 for 12 months at the regular price. No yearly plan is shown. | $99.99. Reading and math plan (all four reading programs plus Mathseeds, for up to four children): $99.99 a year, or $13.99 a month, which is $167.88 for 12 months. |
| Placement | None on the publisher's site | None on the publisher's site |
| Parent time | Not stated by the publisher | Not stated by the publisher |
| It fits | A family with a child aged 3 to 8 who wants short app lessons that plan themselves, with real books and workbooks arriving by mail. | A family that wants a child to practice reading in short sessions on a tablet or computer, with several children sharing one plan. |
| It doesn't fit | A family that wants to keep screens out of reading lessons, or prefers to buy materials once rather than pay every month. | A family that wants to limit screen time, or wants a parent-taught phonics program with printed lessons. |
Hooked on Phonics
Hooked on Phonics is a phonics subscription that pairs an app with print materials mailed each month. In the app, videos, songs and games teach one sound at a time, and the app picks the next lesson. Each month a 32-page workbook, two or three storybooks for the child to decode, and stickers arrive to match the app. The Complete Phonics plan also includes spelling and math lessons in the app, is billed monthly, and covers up to three children in the app.
Does well: The app chooses each next lesson, so the parent does not plan lessons.
Watch for: It is a subscription with no yearly plan shown, so a full year at the regular price costs $287.52.
Reading Eggs
Reading Eggs is an online reading program for ages 2 to 13, used on a computer or tablet. It bundles four programs: Reading Eggs Junior for toddlers, Reading Eggs for learning to read (ages 3 to 7), Fast Phonics for systematic phonics (ages 5 to 10), and Reading Eggspress for comprehension, spelling and grammar (ages 7 to 13). Lessons are games, songs and short activities matched to the child's level, with rewards, progress reports, printable worksheets and an e-book library. The home plan covers up to four children and includes the Mathseeds math program.
Does well: One subscription covers up to four children and includes the Mathseeds math program.
Watch for: Nearly all the work happens on a screen; printed book packs ($65 for 40 books) and workbooks ($19.95 each) cost extra.
Lists with both
How we label
Every fact on a card was read on the publisher's own website on the date shown, and the page it came from is linked. A fact we could not confirm there is left out. Costs are for one child and one year of the main package, as the publisher's page showed them that day; prices and sales change. Method and format are the publisher's own description where it gives one. The only thing we say about religion is one label, secular or faith-based, given by the rule above; where the publisher's pages don't settle it, the card has no label.
Something wrong or out of date? Send a correction; publishers can send corrections, never money. Every program compared