Comparison

Osmo Numbers Classic vs CrushStations

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

Head to head
About

Osmo Numbers Classic

Engage children in hands-on math play by adding, counting, and multiplying tiles to pop number bubbles. This interactive game fosters a creative and explorative mindset towards mathematics, making learning fun and engaging in a vibrant underwater world.

Highlights
  • Add, count, and multiply tiles
  • Pop number bubbles
  • Collect over 90 unique fish
  • Learn math creatively
  • Develop problem-solving skills
  • Hands-on play experience
Read full description

Add, count & multiply tiles to pop the number bubbles. Popping enough will free 
fish & unleash a lightning storm! Learn to be the numbers master. **One of 2016’s most intuitive product designs.** - Fast Company Award "...once again, Osmo has built something wonderfully creative and interactive." - Venture Beat "Osmo Numbers takes the fear out of figures." - Forbes "…revamp the unimaginative worksheets educators use to teach math" - TechCrunch When kids understand there are many ways to solve a problem, math becomes creative & fun. By having no wrong answers, we replace fear of math with an explorative mindset. Your kids will play in this beautiful engaging underwater world for ages, collecting over 90 fish of all kinds, from Rainbow to Frankenfish! *Requires the Osmo Base and Numbers tiles, found at www.playosmo.com * Please see our device compatibility list here: https://support.playosmo.com/hc/articles/115010156067 About Osmo Osmo is using the screen to create a new healthy, hands-on learning experience that promotes creativity, problem-solving and social interaction. We do this with our reflective artificial intelligent technology.

About

CrushStations

This game trains working memory, a key executive function, by challenging players to remember creature colors and types to rescue them from an octopus. It's designed to improve cognitive skills linked to academic success.

Highlights
  • Working memory training
  • Executive function development
  • Creature memory challenges
  • Educational game design
  • Research-backed gameplay
Features
Read full description

CrushStations is a game designed to train working memory, a subskill of executive functions. Working memory involves holding information in mind and mentally working with it (Diamond, 2013). Players need to remember the color and type of creatures to free them and keep them out of reach of the hungry octopus. How does this support learning? Executive functions refer to a set of top-down, goal-oriented cognitive processes that enable people to control, monitor and plan behaviors and emotions. Miyake and Friedman’s model supports a unity-and-diversity view of EF in that it incorporates the three distinct but related components of EF: inhibitory control, task-switching and updating (Miyake et al., 2000). What is the research evidence? Our research suggests that CrushStations is an effective way to train working memory. The study supporting this claim will be published soon. Research has found that EF is related to performance in literacy and math along with long-term gains in school performance and academic readiness (Blair & Razza, 2007; Brock, Rimm-Kaufman, Nathanson, & Grimm, 2009; St Clair-Thompson & Gathercole, 2006; Welsh, Nix, Blair, Bierman, & Nelson, 2010) and that disparities in EF among preschool children from low-income versus high-income homes may contribute to the achievement gap (Blair & Razza, 2007; Noble, McCandliss, & Farah, 2007). This game is part of the Smart Suite, created by New York University’s CREATE lab in collaboration with the University of California, Santa Barbara, and The Graduate Center, CUNY. The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305A150417 to the University of California, Santa Barbara. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.

Screenshots

Osmo Numbers Classic4 screens
CrushStations4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: CrushStations at 4.5 against Osmo Numbers Classic's 4.0. CrushStations also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Osmo Numbers Classic's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 13 months) and ratings volume (264 vs 11). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CrushStations holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Osmo Numbers Classic has 264 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 55% of Osmo Numbers Classic's written reviews are positive against 50% of CrushStations's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Osmo Numbers Classic ships an update every 2 months, CrushStations every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Osmo Numbers Classic versus CrushStations: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOsmo Numbers ClassicCrushStations
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (264 ratings)4.5 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews55.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings264 — better11
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 13 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size185 MB294 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTangible PlayNew York University

Customer experience

Osmo Numbers Classic

All ratings264 ratings
Positive71.2%
Neutral8.0%
Negative20.8%
Written reviews60 reviews
Positive55.0%
Neutral11.7%
Negative33.3%

CrushStations

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral18.2%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Osmo Numbers Classic

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Apps not loading
  • Never-ending loading screen
  • App crashes
  • Cannot access camera
  • Doesn't recognize tiles properly
Show 5 more
  • Profile and progress not saving
  • Multiplication level displays addition
  • Combos not detected often
  • Game freezes
  • App unusable due to camera access issues

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add more levels
  • Include verbal number prompts
  • Simpler starting point for younger kids
  • More varied gameplay types
  • Add an exit button for games
Show 5 more
  • More challenging levels
  • Allow profile and progress saving
  • Fix multiplication portion issues
  • Add visual cues for words
  • Revert to older design

CrushStations

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Osmo Numbers Classic

No in-app purchases

None

CrushStations

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Osmo Numbers Classic free?
Osmo Numbers Classic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CrushStations free?
CrushStations is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Osmo Numbers Classic or CrushStations?
CrushStations is rated higher. Osmo Numbers Classic averages 4.0 out of 5 from 264 ratings, while CrushStations averages 4.5 from 11 ratings.
Do Osmo Numbers Classic or CrushStations have ads?
Neither Osmo Numbers Classic nor CrushStations shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Osmo Numbers Classic or CrushStations?
Osmo Numbers Classic ships an update every 2 months, and CrushStations every 13 months. Most recently, Osmo Numbers Classic was updated on November 11, 2026 and CrushStations on November 3, 2026.

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