Abacus Lesson vs Flash Mental Math
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Abacus Lesson
Learn addition and subtraction using a virtual abacus, also known as a Soroban. This app helps you develop mental calculation skills, enabling you to perform calculations without physical tools.
- Learn addition
- Learn subtraction
- Virtual abacus (Soroban)
- Develop mental calculation skills
- Perform calculations without physical tools
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This is an app that you can learn addition and subtraction using an abacus. An abacus is named "Soroban" in Japan. Do you know what an abacus is? The abacus is very simple calculator used in China, Japan, Korea and so on. Some people may say "Isn't it an unnecessary tool if you have a calculator such as a smartphone?". Answer would be "No". The biggest difference between electric calculators and the abacus is whether you need to hold it in your hand when calculating. Because of its simplicity, you will be able to easily use the abacus in your mind. Imagine that you can use calculations of about 3 digits in your life without physical tools. This app will give you the skill of calculation.
Flash Mental Math
Practice mental arithmetic with various difficulty levels and custom modes. This app serves as a brain training tool to enhance calculation skills.
- Mental arithmetic practice
- Easy, normal, and difficult modes
- Customizable modes
- Brain training
- Calculation skill improvement
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Flash mental arithmetic practice app In addition to the easy, normal, and difficult modes, there are also custom modes. It can also be a brain training to improve mental arithmetic
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Flash Mental Math at none against Abacus Lesson's 3. Abacus Lesson's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (836 vs 19). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Abacus Lesson sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Flash Mental Math asks for nothing beyond the download.
Abacus Lesson holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Abacus Lesson has 836 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 93% of Abacus Lesson's written reviews are positive against 100% of Flash Mental Math's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Abacus Lesson ships an update every 3 weeks, Flash Mental Math every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Abacus Lesson | Flash Mental Math |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (836 ratings) — better | 4.7 (19 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 93.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 836 — better | 19 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 138 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hirokazu Komatsu | Ryouhei Azuma |
Customer experience
Abacus Lesson
Flash Mental Math
Bugs and requests
Abacus Lesson
Reported bugs
4 issues- Accidental app closure on iPhone during bead swiping
- Error in lesson 3 addition summary
- Sloppy English translation causing confusion
- Lessons difficult to read visually
Requested features
6 requests- Add Chinese Abacus (Suanpan) option
- Landscape view support
- Level skip functionality
- Better English translation/editing
- Clearer problem presentation with equation format
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- Improved lesson readability
Flash Mental Math
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Abacus Lesson
- Donation Lv1 for hiding Ad$1.99
- Donation Lv2 for hiding Ad$3.99
- Donation Lv3 for hiding Ad$8.99
Flash Mental Math
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Abacus Lesson free?
Is Flash Mental Math free?
Which has better reviews, Abacus Lesson or Flash Mental Math?
Do Abacus Lesson or Flash Mental Math have ads?
Which is updated more often, Abacus Lesson or Flash Mental Math?
Other comparisons
