Comparison

FrogID vs SparkTrove

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

Head to head
About

FrogID

This app allows users to identify Australian frog species by recording their calls. It contributes to a national citizen science initiative, helping experts track frog populations and monitor waterway health.

Highlights
  • Record frog calls
  • Identify frog species
  • Citizen science project
  • Submit records for verification
  • Track frog populations
  • Monitor waterway health
Read full description

FrogID is Australia’s first national citizen science frog identification initiative – a project led by the Australian Museum in partnership with Australia’s leading natural history museums and IBM. Use the App to create a profile, record frog calls and match your calls to the frog calls on the app. Then upload your records to the Australian Museum frog experts for species verification. With your help we can put more frog species on the map and track changes to their species and habitats over time, and therefore monitor our waterway's health.

About

SparkTrove

Read full description

SparkTrove is a learning adventure for children aged 6 to 8, built around one simple idea: a child learns best when they are enjoying themselves and nobody is rushing them. Your child picks a companion - Ember the dragon, Bolt the robot, Luna the unicorn, Rex the dinosaur, Cosmo the astronaut cat, or Pip the fairy fox - and that character greets them by name, presents every question, and cheers them on. SIX PLACES TO EXPLORE - Numbers Mountain - counting, addition and subtraction, and number stories - Story Meadow - rhymes, sounds, sight words, and short stories to read - Word Workshop - spelling with letter tiles, sentences, and punctuation - Time Cave - dinosaurs, ancient Egypt, castles, explorers, and inventions - Friendship Grove - kindness, taking turns, feelings, and listening - Star Lab - stars and space, animals, plants, weather, and how things work Or tap Surprise Me and let the app choose, leaning gently toward whichever subject your child has been practising least. GROWS WITH YOUR CHILD Every subject has its own level, from 1 to 10. Questions get a little harder when your child is doing well and quietly step back when they are not - no announcements, no red marks, no sense of failing. The aim is the sweet spot where the work feels challenging but achievable. A wrong answer is never punished. The character offers a hint and one more try, and if it is still tricky, shows the answer with a friendly explanation. Coins are never taken away. A TROVE WORTH BUILDING Correct answers earn gold coins, worth more for harder questions. Coins fill a treasure chest, unlock trophies along the way, and never decrease. BUILT FOR SIX-YEAR-OLDS - Big, forgiving buttons and clear, generous text - A speaker button on every question, for children still learning to read - Six voices to choose from, adjustable by a grown-up - Full VoiceOver support - No timers, no streaks, no daily-login pressure, and nothing that begs your child to come back MADE FOR PARENTS TO TRUST - No advertising of any kind - No in-app purchases - No accounts and no sign-up - Nothing is collected, and nothing is sent anywhere - your child's name, coins and progress stay on your device - No microphone and no camera; listening activities work by asking questions afterwards, never by recording - No chat, no messaging, no links out of the child's area - Works completely offline, on a plane or in the car A grown-ups area behind an adult check shows each subject's level and accuracy, sets how much the character speaks, changes the voice, and erases everything in two taps. ABOUT THE QUESTIONS SparkTrove ships with more than 4,800 activities. They are written in advance with the help of AI and then checked automatically for safety, reading level, and factual accuracy before they can appear. History and science questions may only restate facts from a reviewed fact sheet. Your child's answers are never sent to an AI system, and there is no chat anywhere in the app. Made in Sydney by Axara Pty Ltd.

Screenshots

FrogID3 screens
SparkTrove4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SparkTrove at daily against FrogID's every 4 months. FrogID's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FrogID ships an update every 4 months, SparkTrove daily. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
FrogID versus SparkTrove: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFrogIDSparkTrove
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (18 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews52.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings18 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size96 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAustralian MuseumSanjib Biswas

Bugs and requests

FrogID

Reported bugs

43 issues
  • App crashes constantly
  • Database updating hangs
  • Recording issues (cutting out, no results)
  • App freezes
  • App logs off frequently
Show 38 more
  • Photo upload fails or disappears
  • Password issues
  • Cannot record with Bluetooth
  • App crashes on opening/explore screen
  • Lost recordings
  • App not loading
  • Microphone not working
  • Notes section behind keyboard
  • Submit icon frozen
  • Null frogs error
  • App closes itself
  • Cannot submit recordings
  • App crashes when accessing Profile
  • Recording page issues
  • Cannot send recordings
  • Submit status 'not submitted'
  • App crashes frequently
  • No way to match new frogs
  • App closes down when accessing Profile
  • Cannot record without audio
  • App hangs and hangs
  • Verification is very slow
  • App is deaf unless frog is close
  • Assumptions on species based on habitat
  • Upload doesn't work
  • No way to know if recording submitted
  • Frustrating bugs
  • No feedback on submissions
  • App keeps logging off
  • Photos too small
  • Cannot identify rare species
  • App is useless if not working
  • No expert or community verification
  • Primitive app, needs work
  • Limited to Australia
  • Long wait for confirmation
  • No photo search
  • Discouraging lack of feedback

Requested features

12 requests
  • Add photo search functionality
  • Include other countries (e.g., US, Minnesota)
  • Allow photo submission without audio
  • Add a short list function
  • Add a call playlist function
Show 7 more
  • Show user status (e.g., Tadpole)
  • Add a stats page showing population changes
  • Allow uploading audio from video/audio clips
  • Option to upload photo for identification
  • Filter based on location
  • Add dark mode
  • Add advanced analytics dashboard

SparkTrove

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

FrogID

No in-app purchases

None

SparkTrove

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FrogID free?
FrogID is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SparkTrove free?
SparkTrove is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do FrogID or SparkTrove have ads?
Neither FrogID nor SparkTrove shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FrogID or SparkTrove?
FrogID ships an update every 4 months, and SparkTrove daily. Most recently, FrogID was updated on October 26, 2026 and SparkTrove on October 13, 2026.

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