# ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard vs Newsela Student

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Newsela Student at none against ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard's 10. Newsela Student also leads on device support (3 vs 1). ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Newsela Student asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard against 4.7 for Newsela Student. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14K and 29K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard's written reviews are positive against 76% of Newsela Student's.

ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard ships an update monthly, Newsela Student every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard | Newsela Student |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showme-interactive-whiteboard/id445066279/reviews) | **[4.7 (29K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newsela-student/id966371321/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 14K | **29K** |
| Positive reviews | 69.5% of reviews | **75.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 55 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Learnbat, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/375855452) | [Newsela](https://appshunter.io/developer/966370935) |

## What reviewers say

### ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showme-interactive-whiteboard/id445066279)

Create and share voice-over whiteboard tutorials with this intuitive app. Easily record lessons, import images and documents, and share your creations with a global community or privately with students. Ideal for educators and anyone wanting to explain concepts visually.

**Highlights:** Voice-record tutorials, Import images and documents, Draw and erase tools, Unlimited lesson length, Share recordings online, Create student groups, Organize lessons into courses

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Groups | $9.99 | per month |
| ShowMe Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| ShowMe Premium | $13.99 | per month |
| ShowMe Premium | $89.99 | per year |
| ShowMe Premium | $129.99 | per year |
| Color Pack - Goldfish | $0.99 | one-time |
| Color Pack - Cake Shop | $0.99 | one-time |
| Color Pack - Plum basket | $0.99 | one-time |
| Color Pack - Shades of blue | $0.99 | one-time |
| Save Private ShowMes | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Helpful for teaching and learning
- 💡 Great for creating instructional videos
- 🎨 Allows for creative expression
- 🤩 Loved by students and teachers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔒 Lack of offline functionality
- 🔍 Limited search and organization features
- 🖌️ Could use more drawing/editing tools

**Reported bugs**

- Unexpected loss of work and unsaved drafts
- Syncing issues between recorded audio and drawings
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
- Inconsistent performance on different devices

**Requested features**

- Add ability to rearrange and delete slides
- Improve video editing capabilities
- Integrate with more cloud storage services
- Optimize interface for larger iPad screens
- Allow offline access and local file storage


### Newsela Student

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newsela-student/id966371321)

This app offers engaging articles on diverse topics, each presented at five different reading levels. It includes activities and quizzes to deepen understanding, automatically adjusting difficulty to keep learners challenged and motivated. Students can track their progress and practice vocabulary.

**Highlights:** Leveled articles on any topic, Adjustable reading levels, Integrated activities and quizzes, Offline annotation and submission, Real-time progress tracking, Vocabulary practice (Power Words), Curated and custom learning sets

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good app for different reading levels
- 📚 Variety of informative articles
- 🎓 Useful for education and learning
- 🤓 Helps improve reading and vocabulary
- 🙌 Great resource for teachers and students

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🔍 Lack of specific search options
- 💤 Boring or one-sided content
- 🤔 Grading system needs improvement
- 📱 Mobile app issues (login, navigation)

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues on iOS 12
- Binder page frequently freezes or glitches
- Inability to see all available article sets
- Replying and submitting work takes too long

**Requested features**

- Add word definitions or translations
- Implement auto-save for writing assignments
- Introduce a teacher-specific version of the app
- Expand content to include more global news
- Improve multitasking and split-screen support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard free?

ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Newsela Student free?

Newsela Student is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard or Newsela Student?

Newsela Student is rated higher. ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard averages 4.6 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Newsela Student averages 4.7 from 29K ratings.

### Do ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard or Newsela Student have ads?

Neither ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard nor Newsela Student shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard or Newsela Student?

ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard ships an update monthly, and Newsela Student every 2 months. Most recently, ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard was updated on November 8, 2026 and Newsela Student on November 7, 2026.

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