Comparison

READING MAGIC 2 vs Lola’s Math Train

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

Head to head
About

READING MAGIC 2

This app helps children master consonant blends, a key skill for reading success. It offers interactive modes for blending sounds, segmenting words, and independent reading practice with over 300 words and engaging themes.

Highlights
  • Blending Mode for sound practice
  • Segmenting Mode for word breakdown
  • Reading Mode for independent word reading
  • Focus on CCVC and CVCC words
  • Advanced consonant blend practice
  • Over 300 words with male/female voices
  • Themed lessons for engagement
Features
Read full description

Unlock the Magic of Reading with READING MAGIC 2! Transform your child into a confident reader with READING MAGIC 2! This app makes learning to read an exciting adventure with interactive activities focused on CCVC (Consonant-Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) and CVCC short-vowel blend words. Meticulously designed to provide an advanced boost to your child’s phonemic awareness, this app combines three foundational pillars of literacy science into one powerful, interactive ecosystem: Blending (Listening), Segmenting (Speaking), and Decoding (Reading). Grounded firmly in Science of Reading principles and utilizing University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) guidelines, READING MAGIC provides specific, precise training with extensive repetitions to help young brains bridge the gap between spoken sound units and complete words. IDEAL FOR BOTH BEGINNING PRE-READERS AND STRUGGLING READERS For Beginning Pre-Readers: A stress-free launchpad. By practicing words through pure sound sequences first, your child masters the internal mechanics of reading without cognitive overload. This keeps them from being frustrated by trying to learn separate, difficult skills at the same time. For Struggling or Remedial Readers: If your child's reading is hesitant or choppy, or if they guess at words, this app provides the targeted intervention recommended by modern reading science to help young brains bridge the gap. THREE CRITICAL SKILL-BUILDING PILLARS While many phonics programs completely overlook the auditory mechanics of reading, our program systematically guides your child through the complete progression of decoding: Skill 1: Blending (Listening): Interactive listening activities train your child’s neural processing ability to hear isolated sounds in words and join them together mentally. This builds the vital auditory runway required for future fluency. Skill 2: Segmenting (Speaking): True spelling and reading independence require the ability to pull spoken words apart into their individual sound units. These exercises build explicit awareness of the acoustic structure of language. Skill 3: Decoding (Reading): The ultimate bridge to literacy. Your child applies their mastery of blending and segmenting directly to text, smoothly moving from spoken sounds to visual words. STRUCTURAL SPACING & INSTRUCTION (Science-Backed Layout) Our app builds the actual findings of reading science directly into the user interface for maximum visual clarity: Anti-Crowding Design: Peer-reviewed research, including Marinus et al. (2016) and Wery & Diliberto (2017), demonstrates that generous letter spacing is critical for early decoding. By placing each letter on its own isolated card with distinct physical gaps, our layout eliminates visual crowding, allowing your child to isolate each sound unit cleanly. True Comprehension: The app strictly discourages picture guessing, forcing children to rely purely on their decoding skills to foster true comprehension and build lasting confidence. INDEPENDENT LEARNING & AESTHETIC SIMPLICITY Distraction-Free: Our minimalist design eliminates overstimulating audio-visual clutter, excessive sound effects, and animations to keep your child entirely focused on the mechanics of reading. Stress-Free Growth: Built-in natural feedback loops offer gentle corrections, nurturing self-discovery and independent learning at your child's own pace. EXPERT RESEARCH BACKING "Before a child can read fluently with their eyes, they must be able to blend fluently with their ears. Weakness in auditory blending is one of the strongest early predictors of later reading failure." — Dr. Joseph Torgesen, Florida State University. "Teaching students to blend and segment benefited their reading much more than did a multiple-skills approach... and teaching phonemic awareness with letters created effect sizes almost twice as large as teaching children without letters." — The National Reading Panel (NRP) Meta-Analysis

About

Lola’s Math Train

This app offers a fun and engaging way for young children aged 3-7 to learn basic math skills. It features multiple games focused on numbers, counting, addition, subtraction, and puzzle-solving, with difficulty that adapts to the child's progress.

Highlights
  • Nine mathematics games with Lola Panda
  • Addition and subtraction practice
  • Puzzle solving challenges
  • High-quality graphics and animations
  • Adaptive difficulty levels
  • Progress tracking for parents
Read full description

Lola's Math Train is specifically designed for children between 3-7 years old. Lola’s Math Train helps children learn key skills like addition, subtraction and puzzle solving all while having fun! SEVERAL EXCITING GAMES IN ONE Lola’s Math Train encourages children to learn mathematical key skills like addition, subtraction and puzzle solving all while having fun! By playing the games kids become more familiar with numbers and counting. As the kid’s skills improve, the game gets more challenging, but still manages to stay fun and engaging! This is one of the best ways to teach children addition and subtraction. Key Features: o Nine exciting mathematics games with Lola Panda™ o High-quality graphics and fun animations o Easy-to-use game design **************************** What's in the Full Version of Lola's Math Train? o Nineteen exciting math games with Lola Panda™ (numbers, addition, subtraction) o Various problem solving and kids’ math levels to choose from o LOLA PANDA™ Progress Tracker which keeps you updated on your child's progress o Advancing difficulty that keeps kids learning as their skills improve o Customized to your kid’s learning pace **************************** Available in languages: English, Chinese (Simplified, 汉语), Danish (dansk), Dutch (Nederlands), Finnish (suomi), French (français), German (Deutsch), Japanese (日本語), Korean (한국어/韓國語), Norwegian (norsk), Russian (русский), Spanish (español), Swedish (svenska). Are you ready to help your kid learn math in a fun way and become better at problem solving? The new math playground app will help your kid grasp basic math, master counting and learn numbers. Also check out our other popular educational Lola Panda games and apps for kids: - Lola’s Math World - Lola’s Math Train 2 - Lola's Alphabet Train - Lola's ABC Party - Learn to Read with Lola - Lola's ABC Party 2 - Lola's Beach Puzzle - I Spy with Lola - Lola's Fruit Shop Sudoku All the best Lola Panda games and apps can be found at www.lolapanda.com. LIKE Lola Panda on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lolapanda

Screenshots

READING MAGIC 24 screens
Lola’s Math Train4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Lola’s Math Train at every 3 months against READING MAGIC 2's every 19 months. READING MAGIC 2's advantage is review sentiment (81% vs 59%) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. READING MAGIC 2 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Lola’s Math Train sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

READING MAGIC 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 9 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of READING MAGIC 2's written reviews are positive against 59% of Lola’s Math Train's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

READING MAGIC 2 ships an update every 19 months, Lola’s Math Train every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
READING MAGIC 2 versus Lola’s Math Train: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterREADING MAGIC 2Lola’s Math Train
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (8 ratings) — better4.2 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews81.3% of reviews — better59.4% of reviews
Number of ratings89 — better
Update frequencyEvery 19 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.712.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size258 MB237 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPRESCHOOL UNIVERSITYBeiZ

Customer experience

READING MAGIC 2

All ratings21 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral9.5%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive81.3%
Neutral6.3%
Negative12.5%

Lola’s Math Train

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive59.4%
Neutral3.1%
Negative37.5%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

READING MAGIC 2

One-time1
  • Deluxe Upgrade$3.99
1 purchases

Lola’s Math Train

One-time1
  • Full version$4.99

Questions

Is READING MAGIC 2 free?
READING MAGIC 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lola’s Math Train free?
Lola’s Math Train is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, READING MAGIC 2 or Lola’s Math Train?
READING MAGIC 2 is rated higher. READING MAGIC 2 averages 4.5 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Lola’s Math Train averages 4.2 from 9 ratings.
Do READING MAGIC 2 or Lola’s Math Train have ads?
Neither READING MAGIC 2 nor Lola’s Math Train shows ads.
Which is updated more often, READING MAGIC 2 or Lola’s Math Train?
READING MAGIC 2 ships an update every 19 months, and Lola’s Math Train every 3 months. Most recently, READING MAGIC 2 was updated on November 6, 2026 and Lola’s Math Train on November 1, 2026.

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