# Stack the States® vs Times Alive

The clearest difference is price: Stack the States® at $2.99 against Times Alive's $14.99. Stack the States® also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 13 months) and chart position (#4 vs #193). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Stack the States® costs $2.99 and Times Alive $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Times Alive holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stack the States® has 2.2K ratings behind it against 153, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 91% of Stack the States®'s written reviews are positive against 85% of Times Alive's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Stack the States® ships an update every 3 months, Times Alive every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Stack the States® | Times Alive |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$2.99** | $14.99 |
| Rating | [4.4 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stack-the-states/id381342267/reviews) | **[4.6 (153 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/times-alive/id1436641502/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.2K** | 153 |
| Positive reviews | **90.8% of reviews** | 84.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 13 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#4** | #193 |
| Size | 99 MB | 156 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Freecloud Design, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/324355664) | [City Creek](https://appshunter.io/developer/1382352784) |

## What reviewers say

### Stack the States®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stack-the-states/id381342267)

**Currently charting:** #4 Top Paid · Education, #67 Top Paid (US App Store)

Learn about the 50 US states through a fun and interactive game. Collect all states, unlock bonus games, and master capitals, shapes, flags, and more. This app makes geography engaging for all ages.

**Highlights:** Learn state capitals, shapes, and flags, Interactive drag-and-drop gameplay, Collect all 50 states on a personalized map, Unlock four bonus educational games, Hundreds of unique questions, Create multiple player profiles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 No ads/tracking
- 👍 Fun and educational
- 👍 Helpful for learning states
- 👍 Nostalgic/childhood game
- 👍 Great for all ages

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Capital drop glitch
- 🔍 Needs more content after completing all states
- 🔍 Difficulty level may be too high for younger kids

**Reported bugs**

- Washington state mapping issue
- Battery drain when app returns to home screen

**Requested features**

- Ability to view completed states again
- Add more state facts/trivia
- Include background photos related to states
- Add a country-wide puzzle mode
- Option to turn off state faces


### Times Alive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/times-alive/id1436641502)

**Currently charting:** #193 Top Paid · Education (US App Store)

This app makes learning multiplication tables engaging through story videos and songs. It offers quizzes and games covering all tables from 0-9, and tracks student progress. It's particularly beneficial for students with learning differences.

**Highlights:** Story videos and songs for memorization, Quizzes and games for all times tables (0-9), Progress tracking (completed lessons, scores, time), Pretest and post-test for progress monitoring, Supports students with learning differences

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Stack the States® free?

Stack the States® costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Times Alive free?

Times Alive costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Stack the States® or Times Alive?

Times Alive is rated higher. Stack the States® averages 4.4 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while Times Alive averages 4.6 from 153 ratings.

### Do Stack the States® or Times Alive have ads?

Neither Stack the States® nor Times Alive shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Stack the States® or Times Alive?

Stack the States® ships an update every 3 months, and Times Alive every 13 months. Most recently, Stack the States® was updated on October 29, 2026 and Times Alive on October 25, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Stack the States® or Times Alive?

Stack the States® currently peaks at #4 in the App Store charts, and Times Alive at #193. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

---

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