Number Rack, by MLC vs Reading Den
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.
Reading Den
This app teaches children to read using a structured, explicit phonics approach. It offers personalized practice, decodable stories, and encouraging feedback, designed to help all beginners, especially those who struggle.
- Explicit, systematic phonics instruction
- Personalized practice for confusing letters
- Truly decodable stories
- Consistent, clear audio recordings
- Encouraging, non-punitive correction
- Parent dashboard for progress tracking
- Dyslexia-friendly typeface option
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Reading Den teaches your child to read the way reading specialists do — one sound at a time, in a carefully structured sequence, with nothing left to guesswork. Built on the science of reading, Reading Den uses explicit, systematic phonics: the approach with the strongest evidence for helping all children learn to read, especially those who struggle. WHY FAMILIES CHOOSE READING DEN • Personalized practice for confusing letters and sounds Mix up b and d? Short e and i? Reading Den notices the exact mistakes your child makes and gently brings those specific contrasts back into practice. Instead of simply saying “try again,” the app models the correct answer and guides your child forward. • Truly decodable stories Your child is never asked to read words they haven’t been taught to sound out. Every story uses only previously learned sounds and patterns, allowing beginning readers to genuinely decode every page — not memorize it. • One warm, consistent recorded voice Every sound, word, instruction, and story is professionally recorded, including isolated phonemes spoken clearly without extra “buh” or “duh” sounds that can make blending more difficult. • Encouraging correction — never punishment Wrong answers are met with a supportive “my turn, then your turn” approach, similar to working with a skilled tutor. No buzzers, timers, lives, or penalties. HOW IT WORKS Your child progresses through 43 worlds and more than 380 words, beginning with short vowels and continuing through digraphs, blends, magic-e, vowel teams, bossy-r patterns, multisyllabic words, and common word parts. Each new sound is taught explicitly: • what it looks like • what it says • how the mouth forms it Children then practice by building words, identifying sounds, and reading fully decodable stories. A short daily review brings mastered words back on a spaced schedule so decoding gradually becomes automatic and effortless. A quick placement check ensures your child starts at the right level instead of repeating skills they already know. FOR GROWN-UPS A parent dashboard shows skill progress, commonly confused letter pairs, and upcoming learning goals. Reading comfort settings include: • a dyslexia-friendly typeface option • adjustable text size • reduced motion settings Multiple reader profiles make it easy for the whole family to use the app. DESIGNED FOR STRUGGLING READERS Reading Den was designed around how struggling readers — including children with dyslexia — learn best: explicit instruction, continuous blending, cumulative review, and multisensory support. That same structure also makes it an excellent foundation for every beginning reader ages 4–8. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No ads • No subscriptions • No accounts • No data collection Everything stays on your iPad, and the app works completely offline. One single purchase unlocks every world for every reader in your family. Start your child’s reading journey in the Den — where every word they learn truly becomes their own. Terms of Service: https://nigelware.com/legal/reading-den/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://nigelware.com/legal/reading-den/privacy-policy Apple Standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Reading Den at 5.0 against Number Rack, by MLC's 3.2. Reading Den also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 25 months). Number Rack, by MLC's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (9 vs 1). On price, ads 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. Reading Den sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Number Rack, by MLC asks for nothing beyond the download.
Reading Den holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.2. 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, Reading Den every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Number Rack, by MLC | Reading Den |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.2 (9 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 9 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 25 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.7 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 57 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Math Learning Center | Glen Bentley |
Customer experience
Number Rack, by MLC
Reading Den
In-app purchases
Number Rack, by MLC
No in-app purchases
Reading Den
- Unlock Everything$14.99
Questions
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