Comparison

Learning Upgrade vs Cell

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

Head to head
About

Learning Upgrade

Master English and math with engaging songs, videos, and games. Prepare for exams like TOEFL, IELTS, and GED, or improve digital and life skills. Suitable for all learners, including those with learning difficulties.

Highlights
  • English language lessons
  • Math skills development
  • Exam preparation (GED, TOEFL, IELTS)
  • Digital literacy courses
  • Work and financial life skills
  • Engaging songs, videos, and games
  • Personalized learning path
Features
Read full description

Learn English and math quickly and easily for success at school, college, and work. The lessons in Learning Upgrade are filled with songs, video, and games to make learning fun! Just sign up, take a placement test, and start learning today! Are you trying to learn English or overcome a learning difficulty? Do you need to take an exam like TOEFL, IELTS, or GED? Need to pass a test to get a job or enter college? You can prepare for success by working at home on your own phone, any time and anywhere! The Learning Upgrade app includes more than 1000 lessons. English Upgrade courses include lessons on phonics, decoding, vocabulary, grammar, writing, listening, and more. Math Upgrade courses include lessons on fractions, percents, statistics, word problems, geometry, algebra, and more. The GED and HiSET courses prepare students to pass the high school equivalency tests. And the TOEFL and IELTS courses prepare you to score high on key English tests. The Digital Literacy course includes lessons on content creation, messaging, data, privacy, security, and digital citizenship. Work Life Skills teaches soft skills that help you succeed at your job. Financial Literacy has lessons on personal finance, banking, small business, credit, loans, and savings. And the U.S. Citizenship course helps you prepare for the interview and test. The Learning Upgrade curriculum includes engaging songs, videos, games, and rewards that encourage all learners to achieve mastery. Each lesson provides practice problems accompanied by immediate intervention and remediation with multimedia supports. Students can repeat lessons until they master them, earning a gold certificate when they become proficient in each of the standard’s benchmarks. Learning Upgrade is used by schools and organizations around the world to help students with special needs, learning difficulties, dyslexia, reading disabilities, autism, dyscalculia, and math learning disorder. Join the over 3 million students that have enrolled in Learning Upgrade. Just install the app and click ‘Sign Up’ to begin your path to English and math success. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Cell

Acquire essential life, work, and health skills through short, accessible lessons. This app offers courses in languages, math, digital literacy, and even health exercises, with certified coaching and certificates upon completion.

Highlights
  • Quick 3-minute lessons
  • Certified personal coach
  • Course certificates
  • Feedback and support
  • Offline learning
  • Cross-device access
Features
Read full description

Get the skills you need for everyday life, work, and health with Cell-Ed’s mobile learning app. We teach you important topics including languages, math, US citizenship, digital skills, and even basic exercises to improve your daily health! Our app makes learning easy with: - Quick 3-minute lessons - Certified, accredited personal coach - Course certificates - Feedback and support Whether you’re at home or on-the-go, you can learn anytime, anywhere. You can access your lessons on any phone or computer device, even without wi-fi. How it works: 1. Download the app for free. 2. Enter your PIN number (you get a PIN number from your sponsor such as local library, government program, employer, or healthcare provider). 3. Start learning! What learners like you are saying about Cell-Ed: "With Cell-Ed, because I learned to read, I feel liberated. This has changed my life." "The program is great, especially the work series. I landed a couple of interviews because of it." "Whoever came up with this program is a genius. Every school in the US should do this–to have a program that can teach via text messages." "It is really helpful and you can do it whenever you have time. I just connect my headphones and listen, even when I’m cooking or with my daughter." "When I got the certificate for completing 5 courses, it really brightened up my day … It made me feel very proud of myself." "I started not being able to walk the whole 6 minutes at the beginning of the program. My feet and legs hurt. I am now walking 30 minutes 3 times a day and my legs don't hurt anymore." Get started today!

Screenshots

Learning Upgrade4 screens
Cell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Cell at 4.0 against Learning Upgrade's 3.1. Cell also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4). Learning Upgrade's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Learning Upgrade sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Cell asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cell holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 21 and 29 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of Learning Upgrade's written reviews are positive against 25% of Cell's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on July 4, 2026 and July 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Learning Upgrade versus Cell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLearning UpgradeCell
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (21 ratings)4.0 (29 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.2% of reviews25.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2129 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB54 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLearning UpgradeCell-Ed, Inc.

Customer experience

Learning Upgrade

All ratings21 ratings
Positive52.4%
Neutral4.8%
Negative42.9%
Written reviews45 reviews
Positive22.2%
Neutral4.4%
Negative73.3%

Cell

All ratings29 ratings
Positive72.4%
Neutral10.3%
Negative17.2%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Learning Upgrade

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$4.991 Month
One-time3
  • 1 Month License$7.99
  • 3 Month License$19.99
  • 12 Month License$59.99
None

Cell

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Learning Upgrade free?
Learning Upgrade is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cell free?
Cell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Learning Upgrade or Cell?
Cell is rated higher. Learning Upgrade averages 3.1 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while Cell averages 4.0 from 29 ratings.
Do Learning Upgrade or Cell have ads?
Neither Learning Upgrade nor Cell shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Learning Upgrade or Cell?
Learning Upgrade ships an update every 3 months, and Cell every 3 months. Most recently, Learning Upgrade was updated on July 4, 2026 and Cell on July 23, 2026.

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