Itsy Bitsy Spider vs Starfall It's Fun to Read
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Itsy Bitsy Spider
An interactive and educational retelling of a classic nursery rhyme for young children. Features include hidden surprises, sing-along recording, and mini-games that teach counting and nature.
- Interactive illustrations with hidden surprises
- Record your own voice singing
- Learn about nature with Cloe the fly
- Counting activities with a squirrel
- Play peek-a-boo with a frog
- Watch a caterpillar transform
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An award-winning original tribute to a childhood classic, Itsy Bitsy Spider offers children a fun, interactive and educational experience. AGES: 2-5. OVERVIEW - 100% interactive illustrations with hidden surprises on every page - Easy navigation – just poke the spider to move to the next scene - Use the record feature to sing along CATEGORY: Nursery Rhyme ACTIVITIES - FOLLOW the spider on an adventure – up, down and all around - LEARN about the environment and nature from Cloe the fly - COUNT with a squirrel as he builds his house - PLAY peek-a-boo with a frog - SING along and record your own voice - LISTEN to classical music performed on a violin and cello - WATCH a caterpillar become a beautiful butterfly - COLLECT colorful eggs on the spider web AWARDS - Parents’ Choice Gold Award - Parents’ Choice Foundation - Children’s Technology Review Editor’s Choice Award for Excellence in Design ABOUT DUCK DUCK MOOSE (A subsidiary of Khan Academy) Duck Duck Moose, an award-winning creator of educational mobile apps for families, is a passionate team of engineers, artists, designers, and educators. Founded in 2008, the company has created 21 top-selling titles and has received 21 Parents’ Choice Awards, 18 Children’s Technology Review Awards, 12 Tech with Kids’ Best Pick App Awards, and a KAPi award for “Best Children’s App” at the International Consumer Electronics Show. Khan Academy is a nonprofit with a mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Duck Duck Moose is now part of the Khan Academy family. Like all Khan Academy offerings, all Duck Duck Moose apps are now 100% free, without ads or subscriptions. For kids ages 2-7, don't miss Khan Academy Kids, our new early learning app to help young children with reading, writing, math and social-emotional development! We’d love to hear from you! Visit us at www.duckduckmoose.com or drop us a line at support@duckduckmoose.com.
Starfall It's Fun to Read
This app offers a free selection of reading activities designed to teach foundational reading skills. It features interactive games, stories, and creative exercises that make learning to read enjoyable for young children. The app requires no internet connection and can model fluent reading with an optional AutoRead feature.
- Interactive reading games
- Creative activities
- Poetry and tongue twisters
- Riddle solving
- Optional AutoRead feature
- Offline access
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Starfall® Fun to Read is the third step of Starfall’s Learn to Read phonics sequence, which teaches the foundational skills for learning to read. Step 1: ABCs Step 2: Learn to Read Step 3: It’s Fun to Read Step 4: I’m Reading! With a basic understanding of letter-sound relationships from ABCs and Learn to Read steps, children are ready to explore a variety of genres and topics that will expand their vocabulary, comprehension, and world knowledge. In Starfall Fun to Read, children can learn about famous artists, experiment with mixing colors, discover the lives of famous musicians, and engage with literary forms like poetry, tongue twisters, and riddles. By connecting these interactive experiences with written words, young readers build the confidence and curiosity necessary to become lifelong learners. Travel-ready. No internet connection required. Find Starfall It’s Fun to Read, along with 700+ additional activities and counting across reading, math, music, and more in the Starfall app. The Starfall website and applications are program services of Starfall Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) publicly supported nonprofit organization. Starfall® and Starfall.com® are registered trademarks in the US, the European Union, and various other countries. Copyright © 2002–2026 by Starfall Education. All rights reserved. Starfall apps are inclusively designed to support all children, including English Language Learners (ELLs). Starfall also provides an Enhanced Accessible Index for children with visual, hearing, or mobility impairments. For more information, please contact Customer Service at (+1) 303-417-6414.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Itsy Bitsy Spider at every 7 months against Starfall It's Fun to Read's every 21 months. Itsy Bitsy Spider also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). Starfall It's Fun to Read's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.2) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, review sentiment, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Starfall It's Fun to Read holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 40 and 49 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 70% and 70% positive.
Itsy Bitsy Spider ships an update every 7 months, Starfall It's Fun to Read every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Itsy Bitsy Spider | Starfall It's Fun to Read |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (40 ratings) | 4.4 (49 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 70.5% of reviews — better | 70.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 40 | 49 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months — better | Every 21 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 74 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Duck Duck Moose LLC | Starfall Education Foundation |
Customer experience
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Starfall It's Fun to Read
Bugs and requests
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Reported bugs
7 issues- App won't progress past opening screen after iOS 13 update
- App won't open at all after recent update
- Stuck on first page with no way to turn pages
- Sound not working despite troubleshooting
- Program crashes and requires restart to change pages
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- App incompatible with iPad HD version
- Freezes and performance issues
Requested features
8 requests- More nursery rhymes in similar format
- Additional screens and content
- Female or child voice option for singing
- More verses of Itsy Bitsy Spider incorporated
- Automatic music playback option
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- Multi-touch support for simultaneous screen touches
- Ability to switch singer voice
- More interactive activities and projects
Starfall It's Fun to Read
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Itsy Bitsy Spider
No in-app purchases
Starfall It's Fun to Read
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Itsy Bitsy Spider free?
Is Starfall It's Fun to Read free?
Which has better reviews, Itsy Bitsy Spider or Starfall It's Fun to Read?
Do Itsy Bitsy Spider or Starfall It's Fun to Read have ads?
Which is updated more often, Itsy Bitsy Spider or Starfall It's Fun to Read?
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