Comparison

Number Line vs READING MAGIC 3

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

Head to head
About

Number Line

This educational game helps students master fractions, decimals, and percents. Players order equivalent values on a number line by dragging and dropping circles. It offers multiple levels and scores based on speed and accuracy.

Highlights
  • Order fractions, decimals, and percents
  • Interactive number line gameplay
  • Multiple difficulty levels
  • Scoring based on speed and accuracy
  • Drag-and-drop interface
Features
Read full description

My new app NumberLine2 for iOS7, iPad & iPhone5 is now available. Go to numberline2.com or tap on “Developer Apps” to find it. *************************************** WINNER OF THE VIRGINIA MOBILE LEARNING APPS DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE *************************************** Number Line is an educational game app to help students learn about fractions, decimals, and percents by ordering equivalent fractions, decimals, and percents on a number line. The app features multiple levels where the player must drag circles with either a percent, decimal or fraction onto a number line in the correct sequence. A score is earned based on the time it takes to put all the circles in the correct order (faster is better), plus points for each correct placement, minus points for each error.

About

READING MAGIC 3

This app makes learning to read an exciting adventure for children. It uses interactive activities and science-backed methods to help master words with two or more syllables, building essential literacy skills.

Highlights
  • Science of Reading methodology
  • Focus on multi-syllable words
  • Blending and segmenting skills
  • Phonemic awareness development
  • Three engaging learning modes
  • Interactive reading games
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

Unlock the Magic of Reading with READING MAGIC 3! Transform your child into a confident reader with READING MAGIC 3! This app makes learning to read an exciting adventure through interactive activities focused on short vowel words containing multiple syllables. Meticulously designed to provide an advanced boost to your child’s phonemic awareness, this app combines three foundational pillars of literacy science into one powerful, interactive ecosystem: Blending (Listening), Segmenting (Speaking), and Decoding (Reading). Grounded firmly in Science of Reading principles and utilizing University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) guidelines, READING MAGIC provides specific, precise training with extensive repetitions to help young brains bridge the gap between spoken sound units and complete words. IDEAL FOR BOTH BEGINNING PRE-READERS AND STRUGGLING READERS For Beginning Pre-Readers: A stress-free launchpad. By practicing words through pure sound sequences first, your child masters the internal mechanics of reading without cognitive overload. This keeps them from being frustrated by trying to learn separate, difficult skills at the same time. For Struggling or Remedial Readers: If your child's reading is hesitant or choppy, or if they guess at words, this app provides the targeted intervention recommended by modern reading science to help young brains bridge the gap. THREE CRITICAL SKILL-BUILDING PILLARS While many phonics programs completely overlook the auditory mechanics of reading, our program systematically guides your child through the complete progression of decoding: Skill 1: Blending (Listening): Interactive listening activities train your child’s neural processing ability to hear isolated sounds in words and join them together mentally. This builds the vital auditory runway required for future fluency. Skill 2: Segmenting (Speaking): True spelling and reading independence require the ability to pull spoken words apart into their individual sound units. These exercises build explicit awareness of the acoustic structure of language. Skill 3: Decoding (Reading): The ultimate bridge to literacy. Your child applies their mastery of blending and segmenting directly to text, smoothly moving from spoken sounds to visual words. STRUCTURAL SPACING & INSTRUCTION (Science-Backed Layout) Our app builds the actual findings of reading science directly into the user interface for maximum visual clarity: Anti-Crowding Design: Peer-reviewed research, including Marinus et al. (2016) and Wery & Diliberto (2017), demonstrates that generous letter spacing is critical for early decoding. By placing each letter on its own isolated card with distinct physical gaps, our layout eliminates visual crowding, allowing your child to isolate each sound unit cleanly. True Comprehension: The app strictly discourages picture guessing, forcing children to rely purely on their decoding skills to foster true comprehension and build lasting confidence. INDEPENDENT LEARNING & AESTHETIC SIMPLICITY Distraction-Free: Our minimalist design eliminates overstimulating audio-visual clutter, excessive sound effects, and animations to keep your child entirely focused on the mechanics of reading. Stress-Free Growth: Built-in natural feedback loops offer gentle corrections, nurturing self-discovery and independent learning at your child's own pace. EXPERT RESEARCH BACKING "Before a child can read fluently with their eyes, they must be able to blend fluently with their ears. Weakness in auditory blending is one of the strongest early predictors of later reading failure." — Dr. Joseph Torgesen, Florida State University. "Teaching students to blend and segment benefited their reading much more than did a multiple-skills approach... and teaching phonemic awareness with letters created effect sizes almost twice as large as teaching children without letters." — The National Reading Panel (NRP) Meta-Analysis

Screenshots

Number Line1 screens
READING MAGIC 34 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: READING MAGIC 3 at 4.9 against Number Line's 3.0. READING MAGIC 3 also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 68%). Number Line's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (663 vs 16). On price, ads 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. READING MAGIC 3 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Number Line asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

READING MAGIC 3 holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Number Line has 663 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Number Line's written reviews are positive against 89% of READING MAGIC 3's.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Number Line versus READING MAGIC 3: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNumber LineREADING MAGIC 3
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (663 ratings)4.9 (16 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.0% of reviews89.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings663 — better16
Update frequency—Every 22 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS2.0 — better13.7
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB250 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTodd BowdenPRESCHOOL UNIVERSITY

Customer experience

Number Line

All ratings665 ratings
Positive38.6%
Neutral21.7%
Negative39.7%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive68.0%
Neutral16.0%
Negative16.0%

READING MAGIC 3

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive89.5%
Neutral5.3%
Negative5.3%

Bugs and requests

Number Line

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Numbers/circles difficult or impossible to move
  • Screen slides horizontally when trying to interact with numbers
  • Some circles unresponsive to touch input
  • Done button not visible or accessible
  • Level progress not saved between sessions

Requested features

9 requests
  • Remember last level completed and save progress
  • User login system to track multiple users per device
  • Level selector to start at higher levels
  • Toggle options for decimals, fractions, and percents separately
  • Adjustable decimal point precision (1, 2, or 3 digits)
Show 4 more
  • High score list and performance tracking
  • Easier beginner levels for young children
  • Ability to view completed number line for comparison
  • Younger version or kid-friendly levels with fewer items

READING MAGIC 3

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Number Line

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

READING MAGIC 3

One-time1
  • Deluxe Upgrade$3.99

Questions

Is Number Line free?
Number Line is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is READING MAGIC 3 free?
READING MAGIC 3 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Number Line or READING MAGIC 3?
READING MAGIC 3 is rated higher. Number Line averages 3.0 out of 5 from 663 ratings, while READING MAGIC 3 averages 4.9 from 16 ratings.
Do Number Line or READING MAGIC 3 have ads?
Neither Number Line nor READING MAGIC 3 shows ads.

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