Math Snacks Video vs Newsela Student
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Math Snacks Video
This app offers engaging animated videos and resources to help students in grades 4-8 understand key math concepts like ratios, rates, and proportions. It can be used offline and includes supplementary materials for teachers and learners.
- Animated math concept videos
- Offline usability
- Supports number line, ratios, rates, proportions
- Companion teaching resources
- Printable teacher and learner guides
- Aligned with Common Core standards
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Take these Math Snacks videos on the go, or use them in classrooms without an Internet connection. Supports learning about the number line, ratios, rates and proportions. Bad Date: Find true love with the right ratio. Overruled!: Kingdoms teeter on the brink of war over unit conversion. Atlantean Dodgeball: Face up in a battle of ratios. Scale Ella: Our heroine uses scale factor to reverse the antics of the evil Scaleo. Number Rights: Rally the numbers to fight for their rights. Ratey the Math Cat: He can't resist pointing out the rates and "purrportions" in daily life. We have a rich collection of teaching resources and “extras” to support you, available at mathsnacks.org You will find: • Companion "Teaching With" videos for each animation showing an experienced teacher using the animation in the classroom and integrating it into a content lesson. • Printable Teacher’s Guides with discussion questions, vocabulary, and companion activities. • Printable Learner’s Guides for students which helps them apply the concepts from the animations to problem-solving activities. • Printable Comic Book Transcripts which helps kids, especially English Language Learners, follow along with the animations or refer back to them during discussion. • Games for learning. • Information on mapping the Math Snacks animations and activities onto Common Core standards. All of the student-facing resources are available in both English and Spanish. Math Snacks have been designed to be integrated into instruction, as part of the curriculum you are already using in grades 4-8. Some Math Snacks address more than one content area and can be used in a variety of lessons at different grade levels. All Math Snacks products are aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) and address the CCSSM Mathematical Practices when used as recommended. Produced by mathematics educators, researchers, and animators at the Learning Games Lab at New Mexico State University. The Learning Games Lab at New Mexico State University produces educational, research-based games and media for a wide variety of partners. Learning Games Lab products undergo a rigorous instructional design process, extensive user testing, and input from learners, teachers, and researchers. © 2009-2016 NMSU Board of Regents. All rights reserved. NMSU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educator. Math Snacks materials were developed in part 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).
Newsela Student
This app offers engaging articles on diverse topics, each presented at five different reading levels. It includes activities and quizzes to deepen understanding, automatically adjusting difficulty to keep learners challenged and motivated. Students can track their progress and practice vocabulary.
- Leveled articles on any topic
- Adjustable reading levels
- Integrated activities and quizzes
- Offline annotation and submission
- Real-time progress tracking
- Vocabulary practice (Power Words)
- Curated and custom learning sets
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Connect what’s happening in class to what’s happening in the world around you. Newsela brings authentic, real-world content into the classroom with embedded scaffolds that build knowledge, reading comprehension, and confidence across subject areas. Explore high-interest non-fiction articles, Generation Genius videos, and interactive PhET Simulations. What students can do in this app: EXPLORE HIGH-INTEREST TOPICS Discover fresh content across current events, science, technology, animals, sports, arts, pop culture, engineering, space, and more. READ YOUR OWN WAY Customize the experience with adjustable reading supports like Language Translation and Listen mode. INTERACT WITH ARTICLES Annotate text, take Polls, complete Checks for Understanding, and use Guided Highlighting. STAY ON TRACK View assignments, check due dates, and set up reminders. TAKE ON READING CHALLENGES Pick from a library of interesting articles, build independent reading habits, and earn classroom rewards. Why educators love Newsela: PROVEN SKILL GROWTH Research shows regular Newsela use can lead to up to four (4) additional months of literacy growth. RELEVANT AND TRUSTED Developed by expert learning designers in partnership with trusted publishers to deliver standards-aligned, engaging content each week. What educators are saying: “We need tools that are ever-changing, just like the world.” - New Jersey educator “Gives [students] something they can practice independently.” - Ohio teacher “They are pushing themselves to read at more difficult levels.” - Virginia teacher “They were able to connect to the novel, thereby bringing it to life.” - Michigan educator Since 2013, Newsela has worked toward one mission: Meaningful classroom learning for every student, every day. To get started, download the app and sign in with your school account or learning management system (LMS). Terms of Service: https://newsela.com/legal/terms Privacy Policy: https://newsela.com/legal/newsela-privacy-policy Help Center: https://help.newsela.com/en/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Newsela Student at 4.7 against Math Snacks Video's 4.0. Newsela Student also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 29 months) and ratings volume (29K vs 2). Math Snacks Video's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 76%) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 15.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Newsela Student holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Newsela Student has 29K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Math Snacks Video's written reviews are positive against 76% of Newsela Student's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Math Snacks Video ships an update every 29 months, Newsela Student every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Math Snacks Video | Newsela Student |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (2 ratings) | 4.7 (29K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 75.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 29K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 29 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.3 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 361 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | New Mexico State University Board of Regents | Newsela |
Customer experience
Math Snacks Video
Newsela Student
Bugs and requests
Math Snacks Video
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Newsela Student
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login issues on iOS 12
- Binder page frequently freezes or glitches
- Inability to see all available article sets
- Replying and submitting work takes too long
Requested features
5 requests- Add word definitions or translations
- Implement auto-save for writing assignments
- Introduce a teacher-specific version of the app
- Expand content to include more global news
- Improve multitasking and split-screen support
In-app purchases
Math Snacks Video
No in-app purchases
Newsela Student
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Math Snacks Video free?
Is Newsela Student free?
Which has better reviews, Math Snacks Video or Newsela Student?
Do Math Snacks Video or Newsela Student have ads?
Which is updated more often, Math Snacks Video or Newsela Student?
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