Comparison

Number Rack, by MLC vs Owlet

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

Head to head
About

Number Rack, by MLC

This virtual manipulative tool helps children develop number sense through interactive bead groupings. It supports exploration of addition and subtraction strategies with customizable rows and colors. Ideal for elementary classrooms, it includes annotation and sharing features.

Highlights
  • 1-10 rows of 10 beads
  • Resizable bead covers for subtraction
  • Color-coded bead rows
  • Annotation and drawing tools
  • Math text and writing tools
  • Shareable work via image or code
Features
Read full description

Number Rack facilitates the natural development of children’s number sense. The movable, colored beads encourage learners to think in groups of fives and tens, helping them to explore and discover a variety of addition and subtraction strategies. This virtual version of the manipulative is an open-ended educational tool, ideal for elementary classrooms and other learning environments. FEATURES • Display 1 to 10 rows of beads, 10 beads per row. • Hide beads with resizable covers, which allows teachers or learners to model subtraction or difference problems. • Reverse the colors of rows 6 to 10 to distinguish (or not) groupings of 25 beads. • Use the drawing tools to annotate work and show understanding. • Add equations, expressions, and descriptions with the math text and writing tools. • Share work by saving an image or providing a share code to others. Great for creating the initial setup of an activity, then sharing it with students so they can explore it further.

About

Owlet

Read full description

Owlet: Cube3 is an app that uses the Owlet CubeTower manipulative. Students create numbers by stacking small cubes in the columns of the CubeTower. Cube3 has five modes. Each corresponds to a different topic in place value: Tens, Hundreds, Money, Hundredths, and Thousandths. For each topic, there are five different activities. - Explore: Students place cubes in the CubeTower to create numbers that are shown on the tablet. - Make: Students are prompted to make a target number by placing cubes in the CubeTower. - Build: Students solve number puzzles. For example, students might be asked to build a number between 200 and 300 using 5 cubes. - Compare: Students create a number in the CubeTower and then compare it to a number generated by the app. - Round: Students use the CubeTower to round a number to a specified place.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Number Rack, by MLC at 3.2 against Owlet's 1.0. Number Rack, by MLC also leads on ratings volume (9 vs 1). Owlet's advantage is update cadence (every 6 months vs every 25 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.7). On price, 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Number Rack, by MLC holds the better App Store score, 3.2 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Number Rack, by MLC has 9 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Number Rack, by MLC ships an update every 25 months, Owlet every 6 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Number Rack, by MLC versus Owlet: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNumber Rack, by MLCOwlet
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (9 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 25 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPadiPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS14.712.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB123 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Math Learning CenterBirdBrain Technologies LLC

In-app purchases

None

Number Rack, by MLC

No in-app purchases

None

Owlet

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Number Rack, by MLC free?
Number Rack, by MLC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Owlet free?
Owlet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Number Rack, by MLC or Owlet?
Number Rack, by MLC is rated higher. Number Rack, by MLC averages 3.2 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Owlet averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Number Rack, by MLC or Owlet have ads?
Neither Number Rack, by MLC nor Owlet shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Number Rack, by MLC or Owlet?
Number Rack, by MLC ships an update every 25 months, and Owlet every 6 months. Most recently, Number Rack, by MLC was updated on October 24, 2026 and Owlet on October 24, 2026.

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