NumBots vs Reading Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NumBots
This platform helps children master mental addition and subtraction, moving them from counting to calculating. It focuses on building understanding, recall, and fluency in these core math skills. Designed for early learners, it offers an engaging way to achieve mathematical proficiency.
- Master mental addition
- Master mental subtraction
- Build understanding
- Develop recall
- Achieve fluency
- Transition from counting to calculating
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Addition & Subtraction. Solved. From the innovators who bring you Times Tables Rock Stars, comes a highly engaging platform for learning to add and subtract… NumBots! NumBots is all about every child achieving the “triple win” of understanding, recall and fluency in mental addition and subtraction, so that they move from counting to calculating. Suitable from Year 1 (UK) or Kindergarten (US) upwards. Younger players will be able to access the early stages from a mathematical point of view but will find it increasingly harder to reach the level of fluency required to make continued progress.
Reading Buddy
This app allows students and teachers to download and read eBooks offline, providing flexible reading opportunities. It features an eBook library with audio support to enhance comprehension and ensure learning at the right pace.
- Downloadable eBooks for offline reading
- Access to leveled eBooks
- Audio-enhanced eBooks
- Offline reading anytime, anywhere
- Develop comprehension skills
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This app is a companion for students and teachers with an online subscription to Oxford Reading Buddy so they can download their eBooks for reading offline. Once downloaded, students can read their Oxford Reading Buddy eBooks—anytime, anywhere – providing more opportunities for reading. With an eBook library, based on our Oxford Levels framework, each child can learn at precisely the right pace. Audio for each eBook is included, so students can develop their comprehension skills alongside their reading skills. Develop deeper comprehension skills and encourage children to read more with this companion app for Oxford Reading Buddy. Features include: - Downloadable eBooks for offline reading - anytime, anywhere - Access to eBooks at the right Oxford Level - Audio-enhanced eBooks to develop comprehension skills Accessing the app is easy: simply log in with the same username and password for your online subscription to Oxford Reading Buddy.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: NumBots at 4.7 against Reading Buddy's 3.7. NumBots also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 20 months) and ratings volume (304 vs 6). Reading Buddy's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 13.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
NumBots holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NumBots has 304 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of NumBots's written reviews are positive against 50% of Reading Buddy's.
NumBots ships an update every 5 weeks, Reading Buddy every 20 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and August 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NumBots | Reading Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (304 ratings) — better | 3.7 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.5% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 304 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 20 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | Maths Circle Ltd | Oxford University Press |
Customer experience
NumBots
Reading Buddy
Bugs and requests
NumBots
Reported bugs
5 issues- Coins and stars not tracking correctly
- Login issues across devices
- Keyboard not showing up on tablets
- Levels randomly locked or missing
- App crashing and freezing
Requested features
5 requests- More advanced levels and content
- Ability to skip to appropriate level
- Less emphasis on speed, more on accuracy
- Family account support
- Improved login and persistence
Reading Buddy
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
NumBots
No in-app purchases
Reading Buddy
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is NumBots free?
Is Reading Buddy free?
Which has better reviews, NumBots or Reading Buddy?
Do NumBots or Reading Buddy have ads?
Which is updated more often, NumBots or Reading Buddy?
Other comparisons
