# Teach Monster vs Build A Reader

The clearest difference is price: Build A Reader at Free against Teach Monster's $7.99. Teach Monster's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 14 months) and chart position (#2 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Build A Reader is free to download; Teach Monster costs $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Teach Monster ships an update monthly, Build A Reader every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Teach Monster | Build A Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $7.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/teach-monster-reading-for-fun/id1512939054/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 87.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 14 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 445 MB | 204 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.1** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Teach Your Monster](https://appshunter.io/developer/828392049) | [Tulsa City-County Library](https://appshunter.io/developer/456403254) |

## What reviewers say

### Teach Monster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/teach-monster-reading-for-fun/id1512939054)

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Paid · Book (US App Store)

This game encourages children to enjoy reading through interactive play. Kids can customize a monster, explore a magical village, and collect over 70 free ebooks. It's designed to boost reading confidence, empathy, and literacy skills in a fun, engaging environment.

**Highlights:** Monster customization, Explore a magical village, Collect over 70 free ebooks, Interactive reading quests, Develop empathy and literacy, Read diverse text types

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💖 Love it!
- 👍 Engages kids
- 👍 Awesome
- 👍 Great app for kids
- 👍 Fun game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Does not teach reading
- 🐛 App won't open
- 🐛 Buggy when carrying out baking tasks
- 🐛 Doesn't save progress

**Reported bugs**

- Changes to monster's appearance don't stay saved
- Progress wasn't saved so we have to start all over again from the beginning

**Requested features**

- When will chapter 5 come?
- Can you do another update for another job?
- Put an airport in the village so people who chose airport can fly some villagers
- How do we get to the other islands
- Make more stages please, oh and make more stars


### Build A Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/build-a-reader/id1601749442)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Teach Monster free?

Teach Monster costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Build A Reader free?

Build A Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Teach Monster or Build A Reader have ads?

Neither Teach Monster nor Build A Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Teach Monster or Build A Reader?

Teach Monster ships an update monthly, and Build A Reader every 14 months. Most recently, Teach Monster was updated on October 26, 2026 and Build A Reader on October 19, 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.*