Cursive: Learn Cursive vs LetterSchool

Cursive: Learn Cursive is an app for practicing handwriting by tracing cursive letters and words, or entering custom words to practice. It offers uppercase and lowercase letter exercises with animated stroke order. Practice covers English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese, with more than 100 included words per language, including words with accent marks. Users can display typed text in cursive and add, sort, or delete custom words; those words are shared across the cursive languages. Writing controls include example text size and style, pen or eraser, pen thickness and color, and zoom settings. Dark mode and theme colors are also available. Word search opens in an external browser, and users can change the search button to a share button. The app is listed for Android, iOS, and macOS. Android and iOS downloads are listed as free; Google Play identifies ads and in-app purchases, and Apple lists in-app purchases. Google Play says the app may collect location, app activity, and two other data types; its safety information says data is encrypted in transit and cannot be deleted.

LetterSchool teaches handwriting, phonics, numbers and spelling through activities for young children. It is described as designed for ages three to eight, with a listed target age range of two to six. Letter practice moves through guided tapping, tracing and independent writing. The app gives visual and auditory feedback and corrects each line as a child draws it. Languages listed include English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Dutch, Japanese, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish and Arabic. English users can choose Handwriting Without Tears, Zaner-Bloser or D’Nealian handwriting styles. The free app costs nothing and includes five uppercase and lowercase letters, five shapes and three CVC flashcards covering nine words. Paid access is listed from $1.92/mo (annual), with a 7-day trial. LetterSchool is available on Android, iOS, macOS and Windows. The school offering is currently iOS-only as LetterSchool – Block Letters. The maker says the app has no ads or social media and does not seek to collect personally identifiable information directly from children under 13.