Spelling Shed vs Spello

Spelling Shed is a spelling platform designed for students, teachers, and parents, available on Android, iOS, and the web. Its whole-school curriculum provides coverage of ELA spelling standards, including statutory words and spelling rules. Users can create unlimited custom lists or search for lists in the platform. The teacher hub manages student records, teachers, and classes, and supports homework assignments. Whole-class Hive Games let pupils play alongside each other as an alternative to a weekly spelling test. The game offers three difficulty levels and uses the Open Dyslexic font. The app supports offline play and QR-code scanning to import lists or sign in. Regional versions are adapted for the UK, US, Australia, and Cambridge International curricula. EdShed says it complies with GDPR, COPPA, and FERPA, stores data in a London data centre, and has annual independent security testing. The Free plan includes tests, Hive games, challenges, and custom leagues, each with 7 days of history. The listed iOS app costs 2.99 USD once; Premium requires a quote.

Spello is a browser-based spelling and typing practice product for UK primary pupils in Years 1–6. Its default practice covers the DfE statutory common exception words for those year groups. Spello assesses a child’s level and adapts word choice and difficulty as practice continues. A modified SM-2 spaced-repetition engine schedules difficult words for review and removes them after mastery. Children can listen and type, answer multiple choice, use flash cards, arrange letters or guess letters. Words and sentences are read aloud, and typing words in context builds keyboard confidence alongside spelling. Parents or teachers can optionally assign topic lists, spelling-pattern lists or weekly class words. Families covers up to four children per account, with unlimited practice and a daily cap per child of 10–60 minutes. It costs £10 for the first year only, then £20/year. Schools costs £200 per year and adds a central teacher and class dashboard, teacher-set lists, whole-school analytics and bulk CSV import. Schools can import pupil records and generate personalised parent letters and QR-code login slips. It works in modern browsers on tablets and laptops, including iPads, Chromebooks, Windows and Mac laptops, and Android tablets via Chrome.