# ThinkPlayful vs SmartTeach

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ThinkPlayful at 100% against SmartTeach's 24%. ThinkPlayful also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). SmartTeach's advantage is ratings volume (1.2K vs 7). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

ThinkPlayful holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmartTeach has 1.2K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of ThinkPlayful's written reviews are positive against 24% of SmartTeach's.

ThinkPlayful ships an update every 5 weeks, SmartTeach monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ThinkPlayful | SmartTeach |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thinkplayful/id1500810749/reviews)** | [4.8 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartteach/id1663286926/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 7 | **1.2K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 24.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 147 MB | 105 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MathBRIX LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1193311668) | [Teaching Strategies, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/571518842) |

## What reviewers say

### ThinkPlayful

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thinkplayful/id1500810749)

This app offers guided play activities for families to build early math and STEM skills in young children. It focuses on critical thinking and problem-solving through engaging on- and off-screen experiences, promoting kindergarten readiness.

**Highlights:** Guided play activities, Early math and STEM foundations, Critical thinking development, Problem-solving skills, Family engagement, Kindergarten readiness

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### SmartTeach

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartteach/id1663286926)

This app helps early childhood educators streamline daily classroom tasks. It simplifies documentation, classroom management, and family communication with easy-to-use tools for online and offline use.

**Highlights:** Create documentation and share insights, View and teach from daily schedule, Communicate with families, Save and share photos/videos, Assess from curriculum resources, Track attendance and care routines, Conduct health screenings

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy and awesome app to track notes and submit to Teaching Strategies Gold
- 👍 Brings together curriculum and assessment
- 👍 Convenient and easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent technical glitches and bugs
- 🐛 Performance issues
- 🐛 Login issues
- 🐛 Messaging and communication problems
- 🐛 Delayed or failed uploads

**Reported bugs**

- Screener not working when clicking plus sign
- Inability to log in through app, but able to log in on website
- Delayed or failed message delivery
- Uploaded documentation still showing in app, causing confusion

**Requested features**

- Add ability to select and apply objectives to multiple pieces of documentation at once
- Add ability to select and delete multiple photos/videos at once
- Add ability to change date on add documentation page
- Add landscape mode support for easier typing
- Improve translation and communication features for ESL families


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ThinkPlayful free?

ThinkPlayful is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SmartTeach free?

SmartTeach is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ThinkPlayful or SmartTeach?

ThinkPlayful is rated higher. ThinkPlayful averages 5.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while SmartTeach averages 4.8 from 1.2K ratings.

### Do ThinkPlayful or SmartTeach have ads?

Neither ThinkPlayful nor SmartTeach shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ThinkPlayful or SmartTeach?

ThinkPlayful ships an update every 5 weeks, and SmartTeach monthly. Most recently, ThinkPlayful was updated on September 12, 2026 and SmartTeach on September 17, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*