Pattern Sets vs Boom Cards
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pattern Sets
This app helps young learners develop number sense by practicing subitizing, the ability to quickly recognize quantities without counting. It features various dot patterns, dice patterns, and 10-frames for practice, with adjustable settings for exposure time and quantity range.
- Subitizing practice
- Dot patterns
- Dice patterns
- 10-frames
- Adjustable time and quantity
- Two-color patterns
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Subitizing, or quickly recognizing the quantity of objects in a group without having to count, is an important number sense skill. Practice recognizing the number of dots in a variety of pattern types including from 1 to 10 dots. Dice patterns and patterns based on 10-frames are included. Patterns are made with one or two colors. Set the length of time a pattern is shown and the range of dots displayed. The iPad version also incorporates up to 20 dots and two 10 Frames Pattern Sets is one app in the NumberSense series designed at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois for K-2 grade students. In addition to the support website, see www.augustana.edu/numbersense for information about the project. Pattern Sets is one app in the NumberSense series designed at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois for K-2 grade students. In addition to the support website, see www.augustana.edu/numbersense for information about the project.
Boom Cards
This app allows students to play interactive, self-grading digital flashcards on their iOS devices. It syncs with a teacher's account, enabling assignment of activities and performance tracking. Millions of educators trust this platform for engaging learning experiences.
- Self-grading digital flashcards
- Synchronizes with Boom Classroom
- Assign materials to classes
- Review student performance
- Access over 500,000 decks
- Detailed student reports
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Less prep. Less grading. More actual teaching. Boom Cards are flexible, easy to use, and designed to fit into real classrooms and therapy settings without adding to your workload. With Boom Cards, educators and therapists assign interactive, self-grading digital activities that collect student performance data. Progress is easy to review without extra work. Use the app to assign decks, manage students, and view detailed reports that show accuracy and latency—data that supports differentiation, intervention, enrichment, and data-informed instruction or therapy. A Boom account is required and available at wow.boomlearning.com. Boom Cards also work on most modern desktops, laptops, tablets, phones, and interactive whiteboards. Choose from over 500,000 decks covering a wide range of subjects and grade levels. Boom Cards support general education, special education, and therapy services, including English Language Learners and students receiving related services. Content areas include English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Writing, Social Emotional Learning, Character Education, and more. Grade levels include Preschool through Transition and Adult.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Pattern Sets at 5.0 against Boom Cards's 2.5. Pattern Sets also leads on iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). Boom Cards's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
Pattern Sets holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively.
Pattern Sets ships an update every 7 months, Boom Cards every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pattern Sets | Boom Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 2.5 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 40.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Classroom Focused Software | Omega Labs Inc. |
Customer experience
Pattern Sets
Boom Cards
In-app purchases
Pattern Sets
No in-app purchases
Boom Cards
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Pattern Sets free?
Is Boom Cards free?
Which has better reviews, Pattern Sets or Boom Cards?
Do Pattern Sets or Boom Cards have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pattern Sets or Boom Cards?
Other comparisons
