# Positive Discipline vs Thumsters

The clearest difference is price: Thumsters at Free against Positive Discipline's $2.99. Thumsters also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (874 vs 9). Positive Discipline's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and review sentiment (80% vs 69%). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Thumsters is free to download; Positive Discipline costs $2.99 up front. Thumsters sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Positive Discipline asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Positive Discipline against 4.7 for Thumsters. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thumsters has 874 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Positive Discipline's written reviews are positive against 69% of Thumsters's.

Positive Discipline ships an update every 9 months, Thumsters fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Positive Discipline | Thumsters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/positive-discipline/id363488035/reviews) | **[4.7 (874 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thumsters-behavior-tracker/id1274298804/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **874** |
| Positive reviews | **80.0% of reviews** | 68.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 20 MB | 92 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [Positive Discipline](https://appshunter.io/developer/363488038) | [KØBEN digital](https://appshunter.io/developer/1225099509) |

## What reviewers say

### Positive Discipline

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/positive-discipline/id363488035)

Offers parenting tools that teach children valuable life skills like self-discipline and responsibility without punishment or rewards. Focuses on fostering intrinsic motivation for children to become self-reliant and successful.

**Highlights:** Alternatives to punishment, Teaches social and life skills, Fosters self-discipline and responsibility, Promotes intrinsic motivation, Meets Five Criteria for Positive Discipline, Develops self-reliance and capability

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Thumsters

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thumsters-behavior-tracker/id1274298804)

This app helps parents foster positive behavior and build stronger connections with their children through a reward-based tracking system. It offers tools for habit formation, emotional coaching, and consistent parenting across multiple caregivers, designed for children aged 4-12.

**Highlights:** Real-time behavior tracking (thumbs up/down), Kid-friendly chore list and reward system, Emotional coaching and awareness tools, Multi-device syncing for caregivers, Customizable reward system, Designed for ages 4-12

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Premium Subscription | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Premium Subscription | $7.99 | per month |
| Monthly Premium Subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| 6 Month Premium Subscription | $39.99 | per 6 months |
| Yearly Premium Subscription | $47.99 | per year |
| 6 month premium subscription | $59.99 | per 6 months |
| ThumbsUp full account - 1 year | $79.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app for tracking daily behavior
- 👍 Friendly and intuitive UX
- 👍 Effective reward system with thumbs up/down
- 👍 Customizable goals and reasons
- 👍 Helpful for improving kids' behavior

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs, especially when adding photos
- 🔋 App drains battery quickly
- 🔒 Issues with account syncing and multi-device access
- 🔒 Lack of child-specific profile and controls
- 🔒 Too many steps required to give thumbs up/down

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when adding child profiles
- Sync issues between devices
- Thumbs up/down disappearing or not registering properly
- Inconsistent behavior after app updates

**Requested features**

- Allow kids to track their own progress
- Add more customization options for goals and rewards
- Implement better reporting and analytics
- Improve Apple Watch integration
- Simplify the process of giving thumbs up/down


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Positive Discipline free?

Positive Discipline costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Thumsters free?

Thumsters is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Positive Discipline or Thumsters?

Thumsters is rated higher. Positive Discipline averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Thumsters averages 4.7 from 874 ratings.

### Do Positive Discipline or Thumsters have ads?

Neither Positive Discipline nor Thumsters shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Positive Discipline or Thumsters?

Positive Discipline ships an update every 9 months, and Thumsters fortnightly. Most recently, Positive Discipline was updated on October 27, 2026 and Thumsters on October 26, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*