Comparison

MathTappers vs Main Idea

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

Head to head
About

MathTappers

This game helps learners master addition and subtraction facts through engaging visual and symbolic models. It offers two modes to support both younger and older learners in building accuracy and speed with basic math concepts.

Highlights
  • Addition and subtraction fact mastery
  • Visual grid mode for younger learners
  • Symbolic part-part-whole model
  • Focus on sense-making and accuracy
  • Develops fluency and recall speed
  • Supports understanding of fact families
Features
Read full description

MathTappers: Find Sums – learn basic facts for addition and subtraction Version 2.0 Description MathTappers: Find Sums is a simple game designed to help learners to make sense of addition (and subtraction), and then to support them in developing accuracy and improving their speed. Please go to MathTappers.com for additional information on all of our apps. For Parents: There are two modes provided to support your child as they play the game. The first mode is designed for younger learners and uses a picture of a grid in which apples are placed and both apples and blank spaces can easily be counted. The goal is to choose a pair of numbers that cause all of the un-shaded spaces to be filled with apples. The second mode uses a symbolic part-part-whole model designed to help older learners to efficiently and accurately recognize addition and subtraction facts. In this mode the goal is to pick two numbers that when placed in the top spaces add together to equal the value in the bottom space. The focus should always be on sense-making and accuracy before speed. Ask your child to explain how they know what the other number should be and what strategies they are using. Remember that this game is not intended to replace instruction – but rather to supplement it with a self-paced activity to support mastery and fluency. Mastering the concepts of addition and subtraction and building fluency in recalling the basic associations presented in this game are essential to success in later mathematics. Fluency is an individual attribute – challenge yourself with the game to get a sense of what levels of fluency you might expect your child to achieve. For Educators: MathTappers: Find Sums is designed to help learners to master basic addition and subtraction facts with understanding and then to encourage them to continue playing to develop efficient strategies and eventually improve their recall speed (fluency). This app doesn’t rely on the ‘magic’ of flash cards but rather presents useful models to support learners as they make sense of addition and subtraction. Although the game appears to be focused only on addition – subtraction is an inherent part of their activity and learning. Learners using this app are developing a sense of the relationship between two addends and a sum - providing them with opportunities to master both addition and subtraction facts concurrently. You cannot really understand that 7+3=10 or 3+7=10 without also understanding the rest of the fact family – i.e., that 10-7=3 and 10-3=7. It is expected that working with groups of fact families that share a common sum (e.g., sum to 10) will help learners to make connections between these families and synergistically enhance their mastery process. About: Design: Tim Pelton & Leslee Francis Pelton Programming: Mike Anderson, Joshua E Smith, Chris Rail & Garrett Reimer The designers of the MathTappers Apps are math educators and researchers seeking to create simple games that will help learners to make sense of mathematics one concept at a time. In each App we try to present at least one useful visual model to support learners as they strive to master the challenges presented. The regular version of each app is provided to users for free and is designed to be useful as-is. In addition, most MathTappers Apps offer an option to expand the feature set for a minimal fee. Revenues received from these upgrades will be used to support research on the educational utility of MathTappers Apps and further refinement and expansion of the MathTappers App collection. Play, Explore and Understand! Tim Pelton Web Site MathTappers: Find Sums – a math game to help children learn basic facts for addition and subtraction Support

About

Main Idea

This app helps children in grades 2-5 develop reading comprehension skills by focusing on identifying the main idea of sentences. It uses a fun, game-like approach with step-by-step learning and rewards to keep kids motivated. Designed by educators, it's suitable for both typical and special needs children.

Highlights
  • Step-by-step skill building
  • Game-like environment
  • Frustration-free learning
  • Reward Center for motivation
  • Parental review and reporting
  • Over 600 examples
  • Designed by teachers and researchers
Features
Read full description

** Featured on Appolicious.com & iHeartThisApp.com ** 'Main Idea -Sentences' helps kids who have trouble with reading comprehension. Identifying the main idea is a key part of reading comprehension. 'Main Idea -Sentences' builds this comprehension skill in a fun, game-like environment. The skill is developed step-by-step until mastery. *** Happy Frog Apps is a Mom's Choice Award winner! *** ***** 5 Stars - Thank you for this app! Other software I’ve used has moved too quickly for my son. This one worked! Can’t wait for the next Main Idea app…it’s coming, right? ***** 5 Stars - This app is one the best education apps I have used with my little one. It really helps to improve his reading abilities. He is obsessed with passing the levels and it never let him disappointed. One of the few apps that worth to upgrade to premium version. 'Main Idea - Sentences' is designed for children in Grades 2-5 who can read the words, but don't understand what they read. Beginning readers in earlier grades can also benefit from the targeted skill development. 'Main Idea - Sentences' develops the skill of knowing what a sentence is about. This skill must be firmly established before a child can determine what a paragraph or page is about. Key Benefits: - Builds comprehension skills step-by-step until mastery. - Incremental learning. New levels are unlocked only when your child is ready. - Frustration-free learning. Your child will always be guided to the correct answer. - Fun and engaging Reward Center to increase motivation. - Easy parental review. Just check out the stars to see how your child is doing. - Contains over 600 examples, with content designed by professional teachers and researchers. - Advanced levels include timers to ensure fluency. Research shows fluency in the foundation skills is critical to reading comprehension. - Can be used independently (just hand it over: your child will know what to do!) or with a therapist/parent for reading intervention. - Provides extensive reporting for up to 10 students to suit the needs of parents, teachers and therapists. Our apps are designed for and tested by typical and special needs children. Testers include children with Autism and other special needs. Our apps work for them! To evaluate the app, download the free version, which has 4 free levels. Additional levels and additional players can be accessed with in-app purchase. If you prefer no in-app purchases, download the School Edition of this app. While you're thinking about reading, check out our other apps that target WH questions, inferencing and answer identification skills. Learn more about reading comprehension and research at our website www.HappyFrogApps.com. Drop us a note, we'd love to hear from you! We take customer service very seriously! If you ever have a problem or find that we've missed something, contact us at our website and we will do our best to fix the problem. We are a member of the Moms With Apps program that promotes privacy in children's apps. We collect NO private information in our apps and our apps do not allow unrestricted web access.

Screenshots

MathTappers4 screens
Main Idea4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MathTappers at none against Main Idea's 3. MathTappers also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 71%). Main Idea's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 18 months). On price, rating, 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. Main Idea sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. MathTappers asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.7 for MathTappers against 3.7 for Main Idea. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 52 and 18 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of MathTappers's written reviews are positive against 71% of Main Idea's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MathTappers ships an update every 18 months, Main Idea every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
MathTappers versus Main Idea: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMathTappersMain Idea
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (52 ratings)3.7 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews — better71.4% of reviews
Number of ratings52 — better18
Update frequencyEvery 18 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJoshua SmithJanine Toole

Customer experience

MathTappers

All ratings52 ratings
Positive59.6%
Neutral19.2%
Negative21.2%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

Main Idea

All ratings19 ratings
Positive63.2%
Neutral15.8%
Negative21.1%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%

In-app purchases

None

MathTappers

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Main Idea

One-time3
  • Upgrade to 2 Users$1.99
  • Access All Levels$2.99
  • Up to 10 Users$2.99

Questions

Is MathTappers free?
MathTappers is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Main Idea free?
Main Idea is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MathTappers or Main Idea?
Main Idea is rated higher. MathTappers averages 3.7 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while Main Idea averages 3.7 from 18 ratings.
Do MathTappers or Main Idea have ads?
Neither MathTappers nor Main Idea shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MathTappers or Main Idea?
MathTappers ships an update every 18 months, and Main Idea every 3 months. Most recently, MathTappers was updated on November 1, 2026 and Main Idea on November 8, 2026.

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