Comparison

Hairy Maclary vs Bubbles

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Hairy Maclary

An interactive digital book featuring a beloved children's story with narration by David Tennant and sign language interpretations. Children can touch words to hear them spoken and spelled, color pages, and record their own narration.

Highlights
  • Interactive narration by David Tennant
  • Video narration in 3 sign languages (NZSL, AUSLAN, ASL)
  • Touch words to hear and see them spoken and spelled
  • Coloring and painting mode
  • Record your own narration
  • Swipe-to-Read™ and Auto Play features
Features
Read full description

The immensely popular Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy is now available as an interactive KIWA Book with wonderful narration by David Tennant (Good Omens, Doctor Who). It has also had video narration in 3 sign languages; NZSL, AUSLAN & ASL Run your fingers over the text to hear the story and touch any word to hear and see it spoken and spelt. You can even colour in pages of the story and record your own voice. Hear the barking dogs and the ferocious yowl of Scarface Claw, all part of the interactive experience, giving children and parents’ hours of fun. This is not only a marvellous story, but a superb aid for early learning and literacy development. It was thirty years ago that a small black dog stepped out of the imagination of author and illustrator Lynley Dodd and onto the pages of a picture book. This book, Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy, is now famous the world over and the 20 titles in the Hairy Maclary and friends series have now sold more than six million copies worldwide. Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy combines simple narrative storytelling with virtuoso use of rhythm and rhyme, and Dodd’s gentle but energetic watercolour illustrations depict characters that are as well loved as they are mischievous. Features: • Tap the language button to view the new "Australian sign language" feature. • Swipe-to-Read™ the words to hear and playback the story at your own pace. • Touch-to-Hear™ individual words spoken. • Touch-to-Spell™ to hear the letters that spell each and every word. • Auto Play to enjoy the narration. • Use the My Narration function to read and record the story yourself and customize your book. • Paint mode can be used on each story page! • Paint has a paint palette, brush width, move and zoom, and undo abilities! • Tap the paint palette icon and tap a color to change the paint color! • Tap the brush palette icon and change the slider to change the brush size! This KIWA Book includes the narration, text, and user interface in this language: UK English narrated by David Tennant (Doctor Who) AUSLAN (Australian Sign) signed by Alex Jones ASL (American Sign) signed by Alex Jones NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language) signed by Josje Lelijveld PUFFIN BOOKS © & ™ Hairy Maclary and Friends, Lynley Dodd, 2010 licensed by Penguin Group (NZ) NEED HELP? Contact us: support@kiwadigital.com KIWA® is the world’s leading production house for experiential digital books. We partner with publishers and other content owners, using our patented technology to bring content to life in revolutionary new digital formats that deepen your child’s engagement and understanding. Check out our website: www.kiwadigital.com Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KiwaDigital

About

Bubbles

This interactive digital book teaches New Zealand Sign Language and English vocabulary through engaging animations, sound effects, and read-along features. It offers options for children to read independently or with narration, and includes coloring activities for illustrations.

Highlights
  • Swipe-to-Read™
  • Touch-to-Hear™
  • Touch-to-Spell™
  • Read-to-me and read-it-myself options
  • Record narration
  • Color illustrations
  • Animation and sound effects
Features
Read full description

Bubbles by Dot Meharry illustrated by Fraser Williamson This app is intended as a New Zealand Sign Language resource. FEATURES: - Swipe-to-Read™ - Touch-to-Hear™ - Touch-to-Spell™ - Read-to-me and read-it-myself options - Record your narration - Colour in the illustrations - Animation and sound effects - A child-friendly user interface - Parents/Teachers Notes This digital book contains text and audio in English and a video readthrough and vocabulary in NZSL NEED HELP? Contact us: support@kiwadigital.com KIWA® is the world’s leading production house for experiential digital books. We partner with publishers and other content owners, using our patented technology to bring content to life in revolutionary new digital formats that deepen your child’s engagement and understanding. Check out our website: www.kiwadigital.com Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KiwaDigital

Screenshots

Hairy Maclary4 screens
Bubbles4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bubbles at 100% against Hairy Maclary's 54%. Bubbles also leads on price (Free vs $1.99). Hairy Maclary's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 37 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Bubbles is free to download; Hairy Maclary costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hairy Maclary ships an update every 3 months, Bubbles every 37 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Hairy Maclary versus Bubbles: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHairy MaclaryBubbles
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews53.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 37 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size217 MB86 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKiwa Digital LimitedMinistry of Education

Customer experience

Hairy Maclary

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive53.7%
Neutral14.6%
Negative31.7%

Bubbles

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Hairy Maclary

No in-app purchases

None

Bubbles

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hairy Maclary free?
Hairy Maclary costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bubbles free?
Bubbles is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Hairy Maclary or Bubbles have ads?
Neither Hairy Maclary nor Bubbles shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hairy Maclary or Bubbles?
Hairy Maclary ships an update every 3 months, and Bubbles every 37 months. Most recently, Hairy Maclary was updated on November 6, 2026 and Bubbles on November 1, 2026.

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