Number Rack, by MLC vs Owlet
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Owlet
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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 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
Number Rack, by MLC ships an update every 25 months, Owlet every 6 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Number Rack, by MLC | Owlet |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.2 (9 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 9 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 25 months | Every 6 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPad | iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.7 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 123 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Math Learning Center | BirdBrain Technologies LLC |
In-app purchases
Number Rack, by MLC
No in-app purchases
Owlet
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Number Rack, by MLC free?
Is Owlet free?
Which has better reviews, Number Rack, by MLC or Owlet?
Do Number Rack, by MLC or Owlet have ads?
Which is updated more often, Number Rack, by MLC or Owlet?
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