Journals alive vs Ignite by Hatch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Journals alive
This app enhances printed journals for early learners, bringing letters, numbers, and shapes to life with interactive zoo animals. It offers an engaging way to master foundational educational concepts at home or in the classroom.
- Interactive learning experience
- Master alphabet letters
- Learn numbers 0-20
- Explore basic geometric shapes
- Augmented reality zoo animals
- Engaging for home and classroom
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This app makes our printed journals (My Letters alive Journal and My Math alive Journal) come alive for an interactive learning experience. Early learners can master the 26 letters of the English alphabet, numbers 0 to 20 (0 to 10 for Pre-K), and basic geometric shapes. Watch our zoo animals come alive for an engaging experience in the classroom or at home!
Ignite by Hatch
This app offers quick, engaging skill-building games for Pre-K children to prepare them for kindergarten. It provides individualized learning experiences with 170 sequenced skills and automatically collects real-time skill assessment data for teachers.
- Skill-building games for Pre-K
- 170 sequenced learning skills
- Individualized learning experiences
- Real-time child skill assessment
- Teacher data reporting
- Kindergarten readiness focus
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Ignite by Hatch is created specifically for Pre-K children to play quick, engaging skill-building experiences. Ignite by Hatch propels children towards kindergarten readiness through the delivery of 170 sequenced skills designed to provide individualized learning experiences. When children play Ignite by Hatch in the classroom, real-time child skill assessment data is automatically collected and provided to teachers, saving teachers time while enabling a more robust understanding of every child’s abilities.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Journals alive at 4.4 against Ignite by Hatch's 3.6. Journals alive also leads on iOS requirement (8.1 vs 15.5). Ignite by Hatch's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 6 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Journals alive holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 7 respectively.
Journals alive ships an update every 6 months, Ignite by Hatch monthly. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Journals alive | Ignite by Hatch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (11 ratings) — better | 3.6 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 11.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.1 — better | 15.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 273 MB | 357 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alive Studios, LLC | Hatch, Inc. |
Customer experience
Journals alive
Ignite by Hatch
In-app purchases
Journals alive
No in-app purchases
Ignite by Hatch
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Journals alive free?
Is Ignite by Hatch free?
Which has better reviews, Journals alive or Ignite by Hatch?
Do Journals alive or Ignite by Hatch have ads?
Which is updated more often, Journals alive or Ignite by Hatch?
Other comparisons
