Comparison

ALA vs Comprehension Builder

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

Head to head
About

ALA

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Technology-based approach for writing instruction *Note: This free version only includes the We Beat the Street story, the rest are available as an in-app purchase. This technology-aided instruction for writing complements Teaching to Standards: English Language Arts and is companion product for reading (Access Language Arts). Students write grade-aligned opinion paragraphs about eight adapted pieces of literature, including fiction and nonfiction. Students are supported step by step in constructing personalized paragraphs. Includes activities to improve reading comprehension and vocabulary development. Researched and proven effective in secondary classrooms. Integrate during instruction using Teaching to Standards: ELA, or use this app alone to achieve standards-aligned skills in both reading and writing. Stories include: Holes, The Outsiders, Number the Stars, Dragonwings, We Beat the Street, Neighbors, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Sadako.

About

Comprehension Builder

Features
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** Happy Frog Apps is a Mom’s Choice Award Winner! Also featured on FunEducationalApps.com, TeachersWithApps.com, and more! ** The “Comprehension Builder” app builds skills in passage comprehension, working memory and answering multiple choice questions about a text. What parents say about our awesome apps: *** 5 stars! Brilliant! An app that understands how kids actually learn. Thank you. *** 5 stars! Every one of your apps that I’ve tried is great! When using “Comprehension Builder”, your learner will first read a passage. The learner must then hold the information in memory in order to answer a multiple choice question. To build sustained attention and working memory, early levels contain 2-sentence texts with limited word count. As comprehension is demonstrated and memory increases, the texts increase in length and difficulty. “Comprehension Builder” contains 200+ fiction and non-fiction texts on a variety of topics. This app is perfect for learners who: - when reading or listening, information seems to ‘go in one ear and out the other.’ - have trouble responding to questions about a text unless they can refer back to the text. - can understand each sentence, but don’t seem to put them together to make meaning from the text as a whole. Additional Features: - Incremental learning. New levels are unlocked only when your child demonstrates mastery. - Fun and engaging Reward Center to increase motivation. - Contains over 600 questions, with content designed by professional teachers and researchers. Our apps are designed for and tested by typical and special needs children. Testers include children with Autism and other special needs. Our apps work for them! Our apps are also suitable for adults dealing with aphasia or learning English as a Second Language. To evaluate the app, download the free version, which has 2 free levels. The remaining levels accessed with an in-app purchase. If you prefer no in-app purchases, download the School Edition (SE) version of this app, which includes all levels and up to 10 users. We take customer service very seriously! If you ever have a problem or find that we've missed something, contact us at our website and we will do our best to fix the problem.  www.HappyFrogApps.com Our apps are safe for kids. We collect NO private information in our app. None! Our apps do not allow unrestricted web or social media access. We conform to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

Screenshots

Comprehension Builder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ALA at Free against Comprehension Builder's $7.99. ALA also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 40 months). Comprehension Builder's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads and iOS requirement 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

ALA is free to download; Comprehension Builder costs $7.99 up front. ALA sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Comprehension Builder asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ALA ships an update every 3 months, Comprehension Builder every 40 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 2 level
ALA versus Comprehension Builder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterALAComprehension Builder
PriceFree — better$7.99
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 40 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13.012.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size352 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAttainment CompanyJanine Toole

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ALA

One-time1
  • Full Version$39.99
None

Comprehension Builder

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ALA free?
ALA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Comprehension Builder free?
Comprehension Builder costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do ALA or Comprehension Builder have ads?
Neither ALA nor Comprehension Builder shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ALA or Comprehension Builder?
ALA ships an update every 3 months, and Comprehension Builder every 40 months. Most recently, ALA was updated on September 17, 2026 and Comprehension Builder on September 19, 2026.

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