# CDC's Milestone Tracker vs Happy Ladders

The clearest difference is update cadence: Happy Ladders at every 2 weeks against CDC's Milestone Tracker's every 6 months. CDC's Milestone Tracker's advantage is ratings volume (10K vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for CDC's Milestone Tracker against 5.0 for Happy Ladders. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CDC's Milestone Tracker has 10K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

CDC's Milestone Tracker ships an update every 6 months, Happy Ladders every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CDC's Milestone Tracker | Happy Ladders |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (10K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cdcs-milestone-tracker/id1232718688/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/happy-ladders/id6447273331/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **10K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 61.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 61 MB | 88 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Centers For Disease Control and Prevention](https://appshunter.io/developer/439259253) | [Happy Ladders LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1680801242) |

## What reviewers say

### CDC's Milestone Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cdcs-milestone-tracker/id1232718688)

Monitor your child's developmental progress from 2 months to 5 years with interactive checklists. Includes tips, videos, and guidance on when to seek professional advice. Easily share milestone summaries with healthcare providers.

**Highlights:** Add multiple children, Interactive milestone checklists, Milestone photos and videos, Developmental tips and activities, Guidance on early developmental concerns, Track doctor's appointments, Share milestone summaries

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Comprehensive milestone tracking
- 💡 Helpful videos and activities
- 🔍 Useful for monitoring child development
- ⭐ Great resource for parents and caregivers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (e.g., app crashes, incorrect age display)
- 🔍 Overly sensitive to missing milestones, causing unnecessary worry
- 🗣️ Needs more language options beyond English and Spanish
- 🔗 Broken or missing links to external resources
- 🔍 Lacks flexibility for customizing milestones (e.g., for children with special needs)

**Reported bugs**

- Incorrect age display for children
- Milestone checklist reset after app updates
- Reference videos not working as expected
- Inability to input child's exact age or prematurity details

**Requested features**

- Ability to sync data between multiple devices
- Option to track milestones beyond early childhood
- Integration with other child health and development apps
- More customization options for milestone tracking
- Improved data visualization and reporting


### Happy Ladders

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/happy-ladders/id6447273331)

This app provides personalized developmental plans for young children, offering daily activities that adapt to your child's interests. An AI coach offers guidance, and progress is tracked through consistent daily engagement. It also includes a community forum for parents.

**Highlights:** Personalized developmental plans, Daily adaptable activities, AI coaching support, Progress tracking, Parent community forum, Multilingual support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CDC's Milestone Tracker free?

CDC's Milestone Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Happy Ladders free?

Happy Ladders is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, CDC's Milestone Tracker or Happy Ladders?

Happy Ladders is rated higher. CDC's Milestone Tracker averages 4.9 out of 5 from 10K ratings, while Happy Ladders averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do CDC's Milestone Tracker or Happy Ladders have ads?

Neither CDC's Milestone Tracker nor Happy Ladders shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CDC's Milestone Tracker or Happy Ladders?

CDC's Milestone Tracker ships an update every 6 months, and Happy Ladders every 2 weeks. Most recently, CDC's Milestone Tracker was updated on October 18, 2026 and Happy Ladders on September 19, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*