Comparison

Fry Words vs Bedtime Math

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

Head to head
About

Fry Words

This app helps young children learn to read by providing flashcards for the most common words. It offers customizable lists, engaging audio, and multiple game modes to make learning fun and effective for ages 1-4.

Highlights
  • Customizable word lists
  • Record your own voice
  • Multiple game modes
  • Adjustable speed and font
  • Continuous looping
  • Infant mode
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

"This is exactly what I asked Alligator Apps to develop for my classroom. Thank you so much!" The Fry 1000 Instant Words are a list of the most common words used for teaching reading, writing, and spelling. These high frequency words should be recognized instantly by readers. Dr. Edward B. Fry's Instant Words (which are often referred to as the "Fry Words") are the most common words used in English ranked in order of frequency. In 1996, Dr. Fry expanded on Dolch's sight word lists and research and published a book titled "Fry 1000 Instant Words." In his research, Dr. Fry found the following results: 25 words make up approximately 1/3 of all items published. 100 words comprise approximately 1/2 of all of the words found in publications. 300 words make up approximately 65% of all written material. To make learning the Fry Words fun, simple, and easy, we have broken all 1,000 Fry words into unique sets of 10 words each. Why Fry Words from Alligator Apps? We believe that educational apps should be ridiculously fun, immensely educational, and affordable for all. Ideal for Kids 1 - 4 Years Old Alligator Apps User Stories: "I really love this app! I use it daily with my daughter and she has already picked up on a handful of words within a weeks time. Easy to use and customize to your child needs." "My son is learning the Fry's word list in school and this is the perfect app! What a time saver. Instead of having to create hundreds of flashcards here they are and it's FREE." "Wonderful App! As a mom & as a certified Kindergarten teacher, I love all of the Alligator Apps. I use them with my infant twins daily & am brainstorming ways to use it with my students in the fall (specifically the shapes)!" Why you and your kids will love this app: • Add your own cards - you can add an unlimited number of new words and record your own voice • Add new lists - you can add and group flash cards into customizable lists which is ideal for learning • Fun & engaging voice artist keeps kids engaged • The application works both in portrait and landscape mode • 5 unique game modes from easy (2 words only) to challenging (6 words per page) • Fully customizable font size, font color, spelling (upper case, lower case, etc.) • Unique continuous looping feature so you can go through hundreds of flashcards automatically • Customizable speed - you decide how fast to go from flashcard to flashcard • Infant mode - includes ability to select extra large font size and red font color (ideal for babies less than 12 months of age) • Don't want to teach a given word? No problem, just delete the card • Multi-sensory learning tool - combining audio, voice, and written words HEROIC SUPPORT Heroic Support is not just what we do.  It's really what makes us, well, us.  It's that drive to make a difference in your life - no matter how big or small.  Really, it's our way of life because we want you to be our customer for a lifetime of fun and learning. Have questions?  We are here to help.  Email us at support@alligatorapps.com

About

Bedtime Math

This app makes math engaging for parents and children aged 3-9. Through interactive stories and discussions, it helps kids understand math concepts and improve their skills. It offers daily problems and a library of over 1,000 math challenges at various difficulty levels.

Highlights
  • Parent-child math activities
  • Story-based math problems
  • Multiple difficulty levels
  • Over 1,000 math problems
  • Skill and topic search
  • Daily math challenges
Features
Read full description

Our goal is simple: make math as beloved as the bedtime story. Unlike most educational apps, the Bedtime Math app is designed for parents and kids to do together – at bedtime or anytime! It’s a free, simple tool proven to boost kids’ math skills an extra three months in one school year. How? By making it a conversation, we help kids get to the right answer – and understand how they got there! First, read the short story to your kid. We cover everything from flamingoes to pillow forts to chocolate chips. Then read the question and talk through the reasoning. Targeted for families with kids ages 3-9, each post comes with three questions at different levels of challenge. Start with the “Wee Ones” and work your way up to “Little Kids” and “Big Kids,” go as far as your kid wants to go! Often there’s a harder “The Sky’s the Limit” level for extra challenge. Do the math problem of the day or search over 1,000 math problems by skill or topic. Bedtime Math encourages a dialogue between parents and kids about real-world math. Make it a part of your family’s routine today!

Screenshots

Fry Words4 screens
Bedtime Math4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Bedtime Math at Free against Fry Words's $0.99. Bedtime Math also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.6) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 35 months). Fry Words's advantage is chart position (#152 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). On ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Bedtime Math is free to download; Fry Words costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bedtime Math holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 44 and 61 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Fry Words's written reviews are positive against 85% of Bedtime Math's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fry Words ships an update every 35 months, Bedtime Math every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Fry Words versus Bedtime Math: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFry WordsBedtime Math
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.6 (44 ratings)4.2 (61 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.9% of reviews84.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4461 — better
Update frequencyEvery 35 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#152 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB98 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperInnovative Mobile AppsBEDTIME MATH FOUNDATION INC

Customer experience

Fry Words

All ratings44 ratings
Positive65.9%
Neutral6.8%
Negative27.3%
Written reviews79 reviews
Positive75.9%
Neutral7.6%
Negative16.5%

Bedtime Math

All ratings61 ratings
Positive80.3%
Neutral6.6%
Negative13.1%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral3.8%
Negative11.5%

User reviews

Fry Words

From 44 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Highly customizable word lists
  • 👍 Excellent for learning Fry words
  • 👍 Good variety of modes (flashcard, game)
  • 👍 Useful for various age groups (kindergarten to adult)
  • 👍 Offers spoken pronunciation of words

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sound issues (not working, low volume)
  • 🐛 App freezes/crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Recording feature doesn't work
  • 🐛 Basic functionality, lacks instructions
  • 🐛 Some words not capitalized correctly

Bedtime Math

From 61 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and engaging content
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Great for family bonding
  • 🧠 Educational and improves math skills
  • 💡 Creative and interesting problems
  • 🆓 Free to use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Voiceover accessibility missing
  • 🐛 Sound effects missing
  • 🐛 App crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Difficult to understand language in problems
  • 🐛 Wording of math problems can be confusing

Bugs and requests

Fry Words

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Sound unavailable/not working
  • Volume is too low
  • App freezes often
  • Recording option doesn't work
  • Sound does not remain on in settings
Show 9 more
  • App freezes and requires reinstallation
  • Lost custom lists after app freezes
  • Edit mode not working correctly
  • App freezes on iPhone 6
  • Customized lists not opening
  • Problems recording voice
  • Record option worked once then stopped
  • Buggy app
  • App not working correctly with new iOS

Requested features

14 requests
  • Ability to mark mastered cards
  • Option to create quick lists from all words
  • Improvement to the recording section
  • Update app for new iOS compatibility
  • Correct capitalization of 'I'
Show 9 more
  • Change font for 'a' to circle with a stick
  • Improve edit mode functionality
  • Group words according to current Fry lists
  • Add more games (rhyming, meaning)
  • Add a back button
  • Change transition motion to two-finger tap/swipe
  • Option to put custom lists first
  • Record keeping component for multiple students
  • Ability to self-check by clicking for pronunciation after word is presented

Bedtime Math

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App crashes
  • Voiceover accessibility removed
  • Sound effects missing
  • Cannot enter correct answers
  • Problems are difficult to understand
Show 6 more
  • Text is hard to read
  • Pictures/images not displaying
  • App does not launch
  • App does not load correctly
  • New math questions not available
  • Poor resolution on iPad

Requested features

10 requests
  • Bring back voiceover accessibility
  • Add fun appearing elements and sound effects
  • Add an alert notification feature for bedtime
  • Add a way to show which days have been read/completed
  • Make math harder, especially 'Big kid' level
Show 5 more
  • Add functional links like the website
  • Create a level between 'big kids' and 'sky is the limit'
  • International versions for other languages
  • Dark mode option
  • Ability to enter correct answers

In-app purchases

None

Fry Words

No in-app purchases

None

Bedtime Math

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fry Words free?
Fry Words costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bedtime Math free?
Bedtime Math is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Fry Words or Bedtime Math?
Bedtime Math is rated higher. Fry Words averages 3.6 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while Bedtime Math averages 4.2 from 61 ratings.
Do Fry Words or Bedtime Math have ads?
Neither Fry Words nor Bedtime Math shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fry Words or Bedtime Math?
Fry Words ships an update every 35 months, and Bedtime Math every 4 months. Most recently, Fry Words was updated on September 22, 2026 and Bedtime Math on September 19, 2026.

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