BrainPOP vs Newsela Student
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BrainPOP
This app offers award-winning animated educational videos, interactive activities, and quizzes designed by educators. It aims to transform passive screen time into active, enriched learning experiences for children in grades 3-8 across all subjects.
- Animated educational movies
- Interactive activities
- Quizzes
- Content for grades 3-8
- All subjects covered
- Research-backed learning platform
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Access BrainPOP’s award-winning animated movies, activities and quizzes made by educators and replace your kids’ passive screen time with active, enriched learning. Start your free trial today to access content for grades 3-8 across all subjects. BrainPOP is a research-backed learning platform created by educators that know how kids learn best, and perfect for age-appropriate, independent learning. Start watching, learning, playing and growing with us! Terms of Use: https://www.brainpop.com/about/terms_of_use/ Privacy Policy: https://www.brainpop.com/about/privacy_policy/ User Agreement: https://www.brainpop.com/about/user_agreement/
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 in-app purchases: Newsela Student at none against BrainPOP's 5. BrainPOP's advantage is review sentiment (93% vs 76%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. BrainPOP sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Newsela Student asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for BrainPOP against 4.7 for Newsela Student. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 34K and 29K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of BrainPOP's written reviews are positive against 76% of Newsela Student's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 13, 2026.
| Parameter | BrainPOP | Newsela Student |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (34K ratings) | 4.7 (29K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 92.7% of reviews — better | 75.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 34K — better | 29K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BrainPOP® | Newsela |
Customer experience
BrainPOP
Newsela Student
User reviews
BrainPOP
From 34K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Fun and educational
- 🚀 Helpful for learning
- 👍 Great for kids
- 👍 Funny and entertaining
- 👍 Informative videos
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 💰 Limited free content
- 🙄 Biased or one-sided content
- 🙄 Lacks detail in some topics
Newsela Student
From 29K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Good app for different reading levels
- 📚 Variety of informative articles
- 🎓 Useful for education and learning
- 🤓 Helps improve reading and vocabulary
- 🙌 Great resource for teachers and students
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🔍 Lack of specific search options
- 💤 Boring or one-sided content
- 🤔 Grading system needs improvement
- 📱 Mobile app issues (login, navigation)
Bugs and requests
BrainPOP
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login issues
- Playback problems
- Syncing issues across devices
Requested features
5 requests- More topics and content
- Lower subscription cost
- Better organization of content
- More character diversity
- Support for older devices
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
BrainPOP
- BrainPOP Explorer Subscription$3.991 Month
- BrainPOP Full Access14 Days trial$15.991 Month
- BrainPOP Combo Monthly14 Days trial$19.991 Month
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- BrainPOP Full Access Yearly14 Days trial$129.991 Year
- BrainPOP Combo Yearly14 Days trial$159.991 Year
Newsela Student
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BrainPOP free?
Is Newsela Student free?
Which has better reviews, BrainPOP or Newsela Student?
Do BrainPOP or Newsela Student have ads?
Which is updated more often, BrainPOP or Newsela Student?
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