Comparison

Abound Parenting vs MLP Virtual Village

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

Head to head
About

Abound Parenting

This app helps parents of children aged 3-9 foster reading success. It provides research-based insights into a child's reading development, engaging daily conversation prompts, and curated book recommendations. The goal is to build knowledge and critical thinking skills through regular, screen-free interactions.

Highlights
  • Reading development assessment
  • Expert-designed daily conversation prompts
  • Weekly academic vocabulary
  • Curated book recommendations
  • Progress tracking
  • Screen-free learning activities
Features
Read full description

OVERVIEW Discover the secret to reading success for your 3 - 9 yr old. Worried about where your child is on the road to reading? Wondering what you can do as a parent to help make sure your child becomes a great reader? Abound gives parents and caregivers of young children the information and tools they need to raise strong readers, including: A simple, research-based “check in” that shows where your child stands against age-appropriate reading benchmarks; Daily questions written by experts to drive engaging and fun conversations with your child that will build knowledge; A weekly academic word - critical vocabulary your child needs to know for school success; Carefully curated book recommendations based on your child’s current stage of development. Kids learn through repeated exposures to information, and slowly building up knowledge about a subject over time. But what parent has time to organize that? Abound uses the structure of a 2-week theme, with a plan of quick-and-regular conversations, to fit into busy schedules without putting your child in front of another screen. You're already talking with your child -- Abound motivates you to talk in a way that grows your child's brain and sets your child up to read well in the years ahead. Parents who use Abound are grateful to learn what it takes for their child to read well. But they talk the most about how surprised they are with what their child comes up with, and how good it feels to connect in ways that are so very satisfying. KEY FEATURES Research-based insights into your child’s reading development: Answer a brief questionnaire about your child to understand where he/she stands against state and national benchmarks on the three critical areas of reading development (what we call, Letters & Sounds, Vocabulary & Knowledge, and Awareness & Regulation); Receive feedback and recommendations on how to support your child’s reading growth; Track and monitor progress over time by checking your child’s development against benchmarks every 8 weeks; Easily share your child’s results with teachers and caregivers, and be fully prepared to discuss your child’s reading-related skills during the key early years. Engaging daily questions to generate essential back-and-forth conversations with your kids -- to get them to wonder, and think deeply and differently: Questions tied to a fun and entertaining two-week theme; Designed by experts to help you build crucial early reading and critical thinking skills; Preferences customized to engage in conversations at the times most convenient for you and your child; Learning content designed to integrate into your busy day – whether over dinner, or during the daily commute to child care or school Carefully curated book recommendations, along with suggested questions and vocabulary to expand your child’s understanding and perspective: LIke the daily questions, book recommendations are related to each two-week theme; Book selections are customized to your child’s age and learning-to-read stage. Tools to personalize the experience and capture and share precious memories: Add multiple children to one account; Email and share measurements against benchmarks with teachers and caregivers; Share special moments with family and friends; Large library of additional books and conversation-starters always available. ABOUT US Abound Parenting is a group of educators, early language and literacy experts, designers, and engineers, all united around the mission of improving worldwide literacy outcomes through the empowerment of parents. To learn more visit https://aboundparenting.com/about/. STAY IN TOUCH https://aboundparenting.com/blog/ https://www.facebook.com/aboundparenting https://www.instagram.com/aboundparenting/ https://www.twitter.com/aboundparenting/ TERMS OF USE https://aboundparenting.com/terms-of-service/

About

MLP Virtual Village

Features
Read full description

The Mindful Leaders Project is a premier training & retreat company that empowers educators, leaders, caregivers, therapists, and activists to tap into self-awareness, settle their nervous system, and foster heart-centered connections that liberate the potential of every child or youth in their care.

Screenshots

Abound Parenting4 screens
MLP Virtual Village4 screens

Verdict

The call

Abound Parenting and MLP Virtual Village are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Abound Parenting sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and MLP Virtual Village sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Abound Parenting versus MLP Virtual Village: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAbound ParentingMLP Virtual Village
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (22 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings22 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15 — better15.2
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB111 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Parent Uptake Project, Inc.Mindful Leaders Project, LLC

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Abound Parenting

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$19.991 Year
1 purchases

MLP Virtual Village

One-time1
  • MLP Virtual Village$29.99

Questions

Is Abound Parenting free?
Abound Parenting is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MLP Virtual Village free?
MLP Virtual Village is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Abound Parenting or MLP Virtual Village have ads?
Neither Abound Parenting nor MLP Virtual Village shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Abound Parenting or MLP Virtual Village?
Abound Parenting ships an update every 2 months, and MLP Virtual Village every 2 months. Most recently, Abound Parenting was updated on November 2, 2026 and MLP Virtual Village on October 30, 2026.

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