Comparison

Basic Math vs Needs

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

Head to head
About

Basic Math

Practice essential math skills through repetitive exercises. This app offers addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems suitable for children and adults. An optional upgrade unlocks advanced features like a numeric keypad, customizable difficulty, and performance tracking.

Highlights
  • Addition exercises
  • Subtraction exercises
  • Multiplication exercises
  • Division exercises
  • Adjustable difficulty
  • Performance reporting
Features
Read full description

This is an application based on the drill-and-practice instructional strategy. Similar to memorization, such a strategy presents the tasks to be completed repetitively to build up the foundation skills for more meaningful learning in the future. This application provides exercises covering basic mathematical skills like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The exercises are targeted for children under 12 years, and sometimes even adults, with varying degrees of difficulty depending on their age. Upgrade to Basic Math Deluxe to unlock the following features: - A numeric keypad to enter answers, besides using multiple-choice answers - Enter values using the usual calculator left-to-right mode, or working style right-to-left mode - Sound effects - A times table to practise multiplication tables - Option to configure max and minimum operand value - A report card to review your performance in past exercises

About

Needs

Features
Read full description

You speak first. That is the whole idea. Needs is an English course you do, not one you watch. Every zone starts from a real situation: ordering in a café, asking directions, the chemist, the doctor, a phone call, a complaint, a chat with a neighbour. Each one ends in something you can do. Grammar and vocabulary are moves inside the situation, never separate drills. What you do Speak into the microphone and get scored on your pronunciation. The recording stops by itself when you finish. Read aloud, sentence by sentence, and hear the phrase read back in a natural-sounding voice. Type real answers to open questions, and the app corrects them. Tap any word to see it in your own language. Colour in a real work of art, by Vermeer, Van Gogh and others, as you learn. The painting is the reward. Where you start A placement test puts you at a level that fits. It is measured, not guessed. From there you work through six settings, London through to World, from A1 up to C1: 168 zones in all. Survival, free The English you need on day one. Money, a taxi, a hotel, the chemist, an emergency, an SOS. All free except the final challenge. Exam and professional courses 21 courses, paper by paper. Exams: IELTS, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge B2 First, C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency, A2 Key for Schools, TOEIC, OET and Linguaskill Business. Fields: business, interviews, presentations, negotiation, medical English, tech, aviation, hospitality, legal, economics, banking and finance, and academic writing. They come with Pro. When the day is over Bedtime Mode: a bedtime story, a poem, a song and soft vocabulary, on a dark, calm screen. Also inside Sir York's Library, with a Grammar Bank, Sounds of English pronunciation practice, and Today's World: news, videos and podcasts. A daily goal of three activities, and a streak. Sir York is a small dog, and he guides you through the app. No adverts, anywhere. The app speaks Spanish and English. Free to use: Pro adds things, and nothing about getting in requires paying. Made by Verónica Arena, an English teacher. Instituto Needs, Buenos Aires. There is no large company behind it. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Our terms: https://veroare-needs-app.expo.app/legal?doc=terms Privacy Policy: https://veroare-needs-app.expo.app/legal?doc=privacy

Screenshots

Basic Math4 screens
Needs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Basic Math at none against Needs's 6. Needs's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Needs sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Basic Math asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Basic Math ships an update every 2 months, Needs every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Basic Math versus Needs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBasic MathNeeds
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews63.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB355 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperExplorer TechnologiesVERONICA BEATRIZ ARENA

Bugs and requests

Basic Math

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Application abruptly stops when checking Report Card
  • Tic Tac Toe mode instantly presumes two players
  • Timer only counts up and not down
  • Requires iOS 4, not compatible with older devices

Requested features

11 requests
  • Offer percents
  • Allow adjustment of problems per session
  • Option to change Tic Tac Toe mode to single player
  • Explain why questions were missed
  • Make timer count down
Show 6 more
  • Add more operations
  • Add percentages and angles
  • Option to type in own answers instead of multiple choice
  • Make problems go faster
  • Change settings for difficulty and speed
  • Add grammar, science, and music modules

Needs

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Basic Math

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Needs

Subscriptions2
  • Needs Pro, one month$6.991 Month
  • Needs Pro, one year1 Year trial$44.991 Year
One-time4
  • 500 coins$1.99
  • 1,500 coins$4.99
  • 4,000 coins$9.99
Show 1 more
  • 10,000 coins$19.99

Questions

Is Basic Math free?
Basic Math is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Needs free?
Needs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Basic Math or Needs have ads?
Basic Math shows ads; Needs does not.
Which is updated more often, Basic Math or Needs?
Basic Math ships an update every 2 months, and Needs every 3 days. Most recently, Basic Math was updated on October 27, 2026 and Needs on October 31, 2026.

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