# BrainPOP vs Newsela Student

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.

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 14, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | BrainPOP | Newsela Student |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (34K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brainpop/id364894352/reviews) | [4.7 (29K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newsela-student/id966371321/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **34K** | 29K |
| Positive reviews | **92.7% of reviews** | 75.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 25 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [BrainPOP®](https://appshunter.io/developer/364894355) | [Newsela](https://appshunter.io/developer/966370935) |

## What reviewers say

### BrainPOP

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brainpop/id364894352)

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.

**Highlights:** Animated educational movies, Interactive activities, Quizzes, Content for grades 3-8, All subjects covered, Research-backed learning platform

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BrainPOP Explorer Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| BrainPOP Full Access | $15.99 | per month |
| BrainPOP Combo Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| BrainPOP Full Access Yearly | $129.99 | per year |
| BrainPOP Combo Yearly | $159.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and educational
- 🚀 Helpful for learning
- 👍 Great for kids
- 👍 Funny and entertaining
- 👍 Informative videos

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 💰 Limited free content
- 🙄 Biased or one-sided content
- 🙄 Lacks detail in some topics

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues
- Playback problems
- Syncing issues across devices

**Requested features**

- More topics and content
- Lower subscription cost
- Better organization of content
- More character diversity
- Support for older devices


### Newsela Student

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newsela-student/id966371321)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🔍 Lack of specific search options
- 💤 Boring or one-sided content
- 🤔 Grading system needs improvement
- 📱 Mobile app issues (login, navigation)

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BrainPOP free?

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

### Is Newsela Student free?

Newsela Student is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, BrainPOP or Newsela Student?

BrainPOP and Newsela Student are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 34K and 29K ratings respectively.

### Do BrainPOP or Newsela Student have ads?

Neither BrainPOP nor Newsela Student shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BrainPOP or Newsela Student?

BrainPOP ships an update every 2 months, and Newsela Student every 2 months. Most recently, BrainPOP was updated on October 14, 2026 and Newsela Student on October 14, 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.*