Comparison

PopMath Lite vs Pearl Diver HD

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

Head to head
About

PopMath Lite

This educational game helps children practice basic arithmetic operations by popping matching bubbles. It offers a fun and engaging way to reinforce addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills with increasing difficulty.

Highlights
  • Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division practice
  • Bubble popping gameplay
  • Increasing number difficulty
  • Operator-specific practice
  • Performance feedback
  • Personalized messages
Features
Read full description

Awarded «Kids' Choice» by Wired Magazine and «The Best Educational iPhone Apps for Kids» by BestKidsApps! PopMath Lite is the lite version (additions only) of the award-winning math game to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. 6 pairs of bubbles with numbers float on the screen above beautiful backgrounds. Each bubble contains a number, like 7 and 3+4: pop the right pairs! As you progress through levels, numbers increase. You can also chose to practice a specific operator. End of levels greet you with your time for that level, a message personalized to your performance, and the number of mistakes you did. Contact us for ideas and feedback laurent@appblit.com

About

Pearl Diver HD

Dive into the ocean depths to master the number line, including fractions and decimals, by collecting pearls. This game is designed by educators to align with Common Core standards for grades 3-8.

Highlights
  • Number line mastery
  • Fractions and decimals
  • Common Core standards alignment
  • Progress tracking
  • Educational game design
  • Pearl collection gameplay
Features
Read full description

Throw on your diving helmet, and head into the depths of the sea! Master the number line, including fractions and decimals, while gathering beautiful pearls. Will you find the elusive black pearl? • Ideal for elementary and middle school students, grades 3-8. Developed by mathematics educators, researchers, and game developers at the Learning Games Lab at New Mexico State University. Games developed by the Learning Games Lab undergo a rigorous instructional design process, extensive user testing, and input from learners, teachers, and researchers. Pearl Diver addresses Common Core standards relevant to the number line and properties of numbers, including: • Understanding numbers, ways of representing numbers, and number systems. • Understanding and representing commonly used fractions. • Understanding fractions as part of unit wholes and as locations on number lines. • Comparing and ordering fractions, and finding their approximate locations on the number line. For information about learning effectiveness, see the Math Snacks Research Summary: http://mathsnacks.com/research.html For information about the NMSU Learning Games Lab, visit http://learninggameslab.org. Developed as part of the "Math Snacks" initiative. Other free animations, activities, and games are available through the Math Snacks web site at http://mathsnacks.org. Math Snack materials were developed with support from the National Science Foundation (0918794). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Some materials were originally prototyped or discussed as part of a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Education (U295A050004).

Screenshots

PopMath Lite4 screens
Pearl Diver HD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PopMath Lite at 5.0 against Pearl Diver HD's 1.5. PopMath Lite also leads on update cadence (every 8 months vs every 20 months) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.6). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PopMath Lite holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 2 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of PopMath Lite's written reviews are positive against 71% of Pearl Diver HD's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PopMath Lite ships an update every 8 months, Pearl Diver HD every 20 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PopMath Lite versus Pearl Diver HD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPopMath LitePearl Diver HD
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better1.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews64.5% of reviews71.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 8 months — betterEvery 20 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAppBlit LLCNew Mexico State University Board of Regents

Customer experience

PopMath Lite

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive64.5%
Neutral9.7%
Negative25.8%

Pearl Diver HD

All ratings2 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%

In-app purchases

None

PopMath Lite

No in-app purchases

None

Pearl Diver HD

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PopMath Lite free?
PopMath Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pearl Diver HD free?
Pearl Diver HD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PopMath Lite or Pearl Diver HD?
PopMath Lite is rated higher. PopMath Lite averages 5.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Pearl Diver HD averages 1.5 from 2 ratings.
Do PopMath Lite or Pearl Diver HD have ads?
Neither PopMath Lite nor Pearl Diver HD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PopMath Lite or Pearl Diver HD?
PopMath Lite ships an update every 8 months, and Pearl Diver HD every 20 months. Most recently, PopMath Lite was updated on October 31, 2026 and Pearl Diver HD on November 1, 2026.

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