Comparison

Start to read vs Grow Forest

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

Head to head
About

Start to read

Features
Read full description

Start to read practises your kids ability to read in a fun and interactive way. The app is developed for kids who have started to sound letters and provides exercises in six different levels. It starts with basic tasks to pair words with images and continues to more advanced tasks where the user needs to build words with letters to corresponding images. When the levels are cleared the kids are rewarded with balloons that can be used to unlock different reward images. Start to read is developed for kids that have just started to read, but are also useful for children and adults that are new to the English language. You can also use the settings section of the app to change language to practise in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Spanish, French or German. Start to read also contains a statistic section where adults can follow the kids progress by seeing how many of the tasks that have been answered correctly. Start to read does not contain any advertisements or in app purchases. The app is developed to provide an easy and clear design where images, text and the kids learning are in focus. The app does not contain any sounds of letters or words, which means that the user should be familiar with basic sounding of letters in order the get the most out of the app.

About

Grow Forest

Explore a magical forest, planting trees and building a community. Engage in creative activities like crafting and painting, and play mini-games. Learn about sustainability and nature in a child-friendly, stress-free environment.

Highlights
  • Build and craft a forest community
  • Plant and manage trees
  • Play 14 mini-games
  • Learn about sustainability
  • Kid-friendly interface
  • Hand-made graphics
Features
Read full description

Ah, the forest, such a magical place! In this particular forest, Banja and her friends are waiting for you to help them build a wonderful, healthy forest community. Plant and chop down trees to create wood that you can use to build houses, roads and renovate buildings. You can also create comic books and other fun stuff. The forest provides a wealth of things to do and produce. If the forest is feeling good, the inhabitants of the forest feel good - and not just the animals and humans. The supernatural beings of the forest, such as imps and trolls, will also be delighted and will thank you with their love. So step into the magical forest and start playing! FEATURES: - Build, craft, paint, play - explore a child's creativity - Create a large, magical forest world and watch it develop and grow - Play 14 different minigames - Interact with fun characters and creatures in the forest - Learn about the forest, sustainable forestry and climate change in a simple and fun way - Enjoy the hand-made graphic style and the harmonious sounds of the forest - No elements featuring stress or timers - Kid friendly interface - easy to understand and navigate - Kid-safe environment: totally free from 3rd party ads and commercials Grow Forest is a game specially developed for children aged 3 to 9 years old. The main purpose of the game is to entertain, but also to pique the player's curiosity of the forest and the part it plays in creating a sustainable society for us all. There are no stressful moments in the game, and children can play at their own pace, never risking getting stuck at any point. STAY TUNED Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GroPlay Instagram: http://www.instagr.am/GroPlay Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/GroPlay Website: www.GroPlay.com

Screenshots

Start to read4 screens
Grow Forest4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Start to read at every 2 months against Grow Forest's every 26 months. Start to read also leads on price ($2.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 13.0). On 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

Start to read costs $2.99 and Grow Forest $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Start to read ships an update every 2 months, Grow Forest every 26 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Start to read versus Grow Forest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStart to readGrow Forest
Price$2.99 — better$4.99
Rating—4.6 (18 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—18 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 26 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size174 MB157 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperaMASE ABGro Play

In-app purchases

None

Start to read

No in-app purchases

None

Grow Forest

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Start to read free?
Start to read costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Grow Forest free?
Grow Forest costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Start to read or Grow Forest have ads?
Neither Start to read nor Grow Forest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Start to read or Grow Forest?
Start to read ships an update every 2 months, and Grow Forest every 26 months. Most recently, Start to read was updated on October 16, 2026 and Grow Forest on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons