# Column Addition

> Interactive app for learning and practicing column addition with customizable features and puzzles. (iPhone/iPad app by Esa Helttula.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/column-addition/id339440193 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Esa Helttula](https://appshunter.io/developer/339440196)
- Category: Education
- Price: $3.99
- Rating: 3.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 15 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.6 · 15 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2009-11-17
- Data updated: 2026-08-24
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/column-addition/id339440193/reviews.md

## What is Column Addition?

Column Addition helps students learn and practice the column addition method step by step.

The app aligns the numbers automatically so students can focus on solving each column. Carrying is handled visually with animations, helping students understand how digits move from one column to the next.

Students can solve randomly generated problems or enter their own addition problems. The number of digits can be adjusted, making the app useful for different skill levels.

Column addition is also known as columnar addition, long addition, or longhand addition.

Features:

- Add 2 or 3 numbers
- Each number can have 1–5 digits
- Randomly generated or manually entered problems
- Automatic number alignment
- Visual animated carrying
- Current operation for each column can be hidden
- Operands of the current operation can be highlighted
- Customizable interface colors
- Adjustable animation speed
- Different interfaces for iPhone and iPad
- 25 six-piece animal jigsaw puzzles
- Puzzle feature can be turned on or off

Reviews and Endorsements:

Fun Educational Apps:
“iDevBooks educational math apps make math enjoyable and entertaining. One of my sons was struggling with math and I must say the use of iDevBooks math apps has really helped him.”

Professor Tim Pelton reviewed the sister app Column Subtraction:
“Because no wrong entries are allowed the app provides a passive form of positive reinforcement and your child will likely improve in both confidence and competence with respect to the procedure.”

Teacher endorsement:

“The Math apps by Esa Helttula allow students to practice and reinforce the specific computation strategies taught in class, with as much or as little scaffolding as necessary. They also provide individualized feedback to each student, with an immediacy that is not always possible through pencil and paper practice.”
— Rita Zeni, Ecole Sandy Hill Elementary, Abbotsford, BC, Canada

Other iDevBooks Math Apps:

Other iDevBooks math apps include Column Subtraction, Long Multiplication, Long Division, Lattice Multiplication, Visual Multiplication Table, Fraction Math, Partial Differences Subtraction, Partial Quotients Division, Partial Sums Addition, Decimal Rounding, and more.

Feedback:

New ideas to make this app better are welcome. Please visit idevbooks.com to give feedback.

Privacy:

This app has no ads, no in-app purchases, and does not transmit user data during operation. The app also does not contain links to other apps or to the web.

## Key features

- Interactive column addition learning
- Customizable number of digits
- Random and custom problem generation
- Visual feedback and animations
- Optional jigsaw puzzles
- Adjustable interface colors and animations

## Recent user reviews (10 of 15)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/column-addition/id339440193/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Not there yet.

*2016-07-25*

It's a good teaching app. But it crashes every time you finish a puzzle. I was trying it out on my iPhone 5s.

**Developer response:** Thank you very much for your valuable feedback. The crashing problem has been fixed in the version 5.0 update.

### 5/5 — Preferred column addition app

*2016-02-04*

We like this one.  The format is more familiar than the other version by this developer, and my 9 year old daughter took to it straight away.  She likes collecting the puzzle pieces.

### 5/5 — Truly Wonderful

*2013-02-05*

What We Liked:

We’ve loved the Column Addition app in our home for some time.  My oldest daughter found it installed on our iPod once and used it to teach herself column addition before I’d even covered the concept with her.  She isn’t an exceptionally mathy child, but the visual, process-oriented approach this app takes is superb.  It can be used both as a form of primary instruction and as review for children who need more practice to cement the steps of column addition.

The visual aids such as highlighting the current column being worked on, breaking the current column down into a horizontal problem at the bottom of the screen, and the carrying animations are all so helpful – particularly to children who might be overwhelmed visually and have a hard time tracking the various steps required to solve the problems.  The minimalist design of the app also helps to minimize visual distractions while remaining solidly built.

What We Didn’t Like:

My daughter has found the puzzles so motivating.  It would be excellent if the app were set-up so that multiple users could store their completed puzzles in a gallery within the app to revisit the cute animal pictures at a later date.

Overall:

Column Addition is a deeply process-oriented math app that supports children visually as they learn to work in columns and to carry numbers.  It's my top recommendation if you need help with this mathematical skill; while it may appear deceptively simple, it is remarkably well designed and can be used independently by children to both reveal and practice the steps of column addition.  Problems and settings can be flexibly altered by parents to match their child’s current level of understanding.

### 5/5 — I only wish I had access to these apps as a child ;)

*2012-12-19*

My absolute favorite is the Visual Mulitiplication Table.  We have put this addition app to good use as well. I really appreciate the visual approach.  The way the number sets are displayed both vertically and horizontally is very useful to the learner.

### 5/5 — GREAT MATH APP!

*2012-01-18*

This is a great app to help "break down" the "carrying" of numbers!  When they have the problem 26+44, they first ask the 6+4 so the child would answer 10..they show the carrying of the "1" and the next would be 1+2+4!  Very nice! That saif...don't be expecting some "arcade" math game! There's enough of them out there! This is simple straight forward math and when you get a right answer, get a piece to a puzzle!

### 5/5 — Gotta get this!

*2011-06-13*

This app is great to support students who are struggling with basic math skills!  It is sure to be used by many special education teachers to help students see the correct way to add large numbers through repetition and non distracting images!

### 5/5 — Super!

*2011-06-12*

Excellente application et en français! Serait plus vendeurs à 0,99$. Bravo pour l'excellent travail et continuer de traduire les autres applications en français svp.

### 5/5 — love this app and the cute pics too

*2010-11-20*

My students love this app - it is is great at breaking down the steps in adding numbers with carrying, etc... They are learning and they don't even know it. AWESOME JOB!! Keeps students engaged in skill that could get difficult to learn - especially with my special education students. LOVE IT!

### 5/5 — Great app I totally recommend!

*2010-11-13*

This app helps children to learn and grown ups to refresh their addition skills in the most comfortable manner. 

It has user-friendly interface, great usability and minimalistic but stylish design. Less is more and this design is a good example of it. 

Puzzle feature adds some fun and relax without disturbing and drawing attention from the main idea.

I love this app and recommend it to everybody!

### 5/5 — MaryPoppinsMom

*2010-10-14*

My daughter relaxes into math when playing this game which is so nice to see. She thinks she's playing on mom's iPad but I know she is learning.

## Frequently asked questions about Column Addition

### What is the learning methodology used by Column Addition?

Column Addition uses an interactive, step-by-step approach to teach the column addition method. It provides immediate visual feedback and automatic carrying, allowing users to focus on the process and build confidence and competence.

### How does Column Addition track user progress?

While the app doesn't explicitly detail a progress tracking system, it offers immediate feedback on each column's operation. Solving addition problems reveals pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, providing a gamified incentive for continued practice.

### Does Column Addition offer certifications?

Column Addition does not offer formal certifications. Its primary focus is on providing a tool for practice and reinforcement of column addition skills, as endorsed by educators for its ability to enhance student competence.

### What is the price of Column Addition?

Column Addition is a paid app priced at $3.99. This one-time purchase grants access to all features without any recurring fees or in-app purchases.

### Is Column Addition safe for children?

Yes, Column Addition has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for young children. The app is designed to be an educational tool with a focus on positive reinforcement and skill development.

### How often is Column Addition updated?

The latest version of Column Addition is 6.5, last updated on September 28, 2021. While updates are not extremely frequent, the app has been maintained and improved over time.

### What devices does Column Addition support?

Column Addition is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It features different interfaces optimized for both iPhone and iPad for a better user experience on each device.

### Does Column Addition have ads?

No, Column Addition does not contain advertisements. As a paid application, it provides an uninterrupted learning experience without any ad interruptions.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 7.0 — 2026-05-23

Updated for iOS 26 compatibility.

### 6.5 — 2021-09-28

- support for iOS 15

### 6.2 — 2021-03-24

- support for iOS 14

### 6.1 — 2019-10-07

Picture puzzle rewards that were missing from version 6.0 are now back.

### 6.0 — 2019-09-30

- support for iOS 13
- new interface with support for latest iPad and iPhone models
- new theme colors

## Apps similar to Column Addition

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [The New School App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-new-school-app/id1474388180) | 5.0 (3) | Free | Education |
| [ANZAC Correspondent](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anzac-correspondent/id1469171280) | — | Free | Education |
| [CBC Highlands](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cbc-highlands/id1475147920) | 4.3 (6) | Free | Education |
| [Solis USA States and Capitals](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solis-usa-states-and-capitals/id1479512480) | — | Free | Education |
| [영 단어즙](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1480979760) | 5.0 (3) | Free | Education |
| [Victoria International Schools](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/victoria-international-schools/id1480979200) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Education |

## More apps by Esa Helttula

- [Column Subtraction](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/column-subtraction/id341040894)
- [Long Division](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/long-division/id341041204)
- [Long Multiplication](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/long-multiplication/id345037369)
- [Partial Sums Addition](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/partial-sums-addition/id351022022)
- [Trade-First Subtraction](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trade-first-subtraction/id351022585)

All apps by Esa Helttula: https://appshunter.io/developer/339440196

## Related topics

[column addition](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/column-addition) · [column addition method](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/column-addition-method)

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-24.*