Comparison

Home on the Range vs Smithsonian

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

Head to head
About

Home on the Range

Explore plant and animal habitats through interactive questions. This simulation aligns with a grade 2 life science module focused on finding optimal growing conditions for plants.

Highlights
  • Habitat and range questions
  • Plant and animal focus
  • Grade 2 life science alignment
  • Interactive simulation
  • Smithsonian curriculum resource
Features
Read full description

This simulation asks users to answer questions about plant and animal habitats and habitat ranges. This resource is aligned with the Smithsonian Science for the Classroom grade 2 life science module, "How Can We Find the Best Place for a Plant to Grow?"

About

Smithsonian

Explore the solar system with interactive games and animations. Learn fascinating facts about planets, moons, and the asteroid belt. Designed for curious young minds to introduce astronomy basics.

Highlights
  • Fascinating facts about the solar system
  • Mini games like Space Winter Rush
  • Interactive activities
  • Educational animations
  • Read to Me text
  • Collect planet badges
Features
Read full description

Join us on an exciting voyage through the solar system! Play, touch, read. and learn facts about the 8 planets in our solar system in this new app from The ©Smithsonian and PlayDate Digital. Designed for curious minds, this app features brilliantly illustrated animations which are sure to engage and entertain. Why is Mars called the Red Planet? Which is the brightest Planet? How many moons does Neptune have? What is the Asteroid Belt? Explore Planets, learn facts, and play games as you rocket through the solar system. Your space enthusiast will love learning all about the wonders of space and the universe. The mini games reinforce the learnings and interactive activities will keep kids engaged. Features: • Lots of fascinating facts about our solar system, its planets, and more! • Featuring mini games including Space Winter Rush, Comet Ceasefire, Solar System Sorting, Gas Planets and more! • Over 10 other interactive activities related to your space adventure. • Educational content and animations will entertain and engage while teaching simple astronomy basics. • ‘Read to Me’ text • Collect solar system and planet badges as you complete each level Planets and the Solar System from ©Smithsonian Kids is designed to deliver on these Learning Goals: • STEM: Introduce young learners to astronomy and science methods. • STEM: Expand young learners' curiosity and knowledge of the world around them. • Counting and Quantifying: Identify and organize groups of objects logically. • Visual Discrimination: Distinguish between different shapes, sizes, colors. • Visual Memory: Remembering and recalling visual information. • Color Recognition and Differentiation: Identifying and naming colors. • Shape Recognition and Classification: Identifying objects based on different shapes. ABOUT THE SMITHSONIAN The ©Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum and research complex, dedicated to public education, national service, and scholarship in the arts, ©Smithsonian sciences, and history. The name of the ©Smithsonian Institution and the sunburst logo are registered trademarks of the ©Smithsonian Institution. For more information, please visit www.si.edu ABOUT PLAYDATE DIGITAL PlayDate Digital Inc. is a publisher of high-quality, interactive, mobile educational software for children. PlayDate Digital's products nurture children's emerging literacy and creativity skills by turning digital screens into engaging experiences. PlayDate Digital content is built in partnership with some of the world's most trusted global brands for kids. Visit us: playdatedigital.com Like us: facebook.com/playdatedigital Follow us: @playdatedigital Watch all our app trailers: youtube.com/PlayDateDigital1 HAVE QUESTIONS? We'd love to hear from you! Your questions suggestions and comments are always welcome. Contact us 24/7 at info@playdatedigital.com

Screenshots

Home on the Range3 screens
Smithsonian4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Home on the Range at none against Smithsonian's 2. Smithsonian's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 70 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Smithsonian sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Home on the Range asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Home on the Range ships an update every 70 months, Smithsonian every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on August 14, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Home on the Range versus Smithsonian: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHome on the RangeSmithsonian
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 70 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB285 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSmithsonian InstitutionPlayDate Digital

Customer experience

Home on the Range

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Smithsonian

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Home on the Range

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Smithsonian

One-time2
  • Remove Ads$1.99
  • Buy 5 Planets$2.99

Questions

Is Home on the Range free?
Home on the Range is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smithsonian free?
Smithsonian is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Home on the Range or Smithsonian have ads?
Neither Home on the Range nor Smithsonian shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Home on the Range or Smithsonian?
Home on the Range ships an update every 70 months, and Smithsonian every 3 months. Most recently, Home on the Range was updated on August 14, 2026 and Smithsonian on September 22, 2026.

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