Comparison

Splash Reading vs StringMaster

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

Head to head
About

Splash Reading

This app helps children from Kindergarten to Grade 5 master English Language Arts skills through engaging, game-based activities. It covers phonics, sight words, spelling, grammar, and comprehension, fostering reading fluency and writing confidence.

Highlights
  • Phonics and letter sound recognition
  • Sight word and vocabulary building
  • Spelling and grammar practice
  • Reading comprehension exercises
  • Interactive game-based learning
  • Progressive guided learning path
Read full description

Award-winning reading app trusted by millions of families and educators! Splash Reading helps kids master English Language Arts (ELA) skills from Kindergarten through Grade 5. Designed by experts, it combines structured lessons with fun, game-based activities to build strong readers and confident writers. Awards & Recognition - Winner of the Tabby Award for Best Educational App - Featured as “No. 1 Education App” by Apple - Loved by millions of kids, teachers, and parents worldwide About Splash Reading Splash Reading turns learning into an engaging journey. Through phonics, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and comprehension lessons, children progress step-by-step at their own pace. Each activity helps them strengthen reading fluency, boost confidence, and enjoy learning. What Your Child Will Learn → Kindergarten - Recognize letters and sounds - Trace letters and learn sequencing - Explore sight words, rhyming words, and phonics basics → Grade 1 - Build foundational reading and writing skills - Master sight words, bossy R words, and silent e - Practice rhyming, digraphs, and vowel blends → Grade 2 - Strengthen fluency and phonics understanding - Learn diphthongs, trigraphs, and consonant clusters - Expand vocabulary and spelling accuracy → Grade 3 - Develop reading comprehension and word usage - Improve writing and spelling through fun activities - Practice cursive writing and sentence construction → Grade 4 - Advance grammar and vocabulary - Analyze text meaning and improve comprehension - Strengthen writing structure and creativity → Grade 5 - Master advanced grammar and vocabulary - Read complex passages with understanding - Enhance creative and analytical writing skills Why Families Love SplashLearn - Guided Learning Path: Lessons build progressively for smooth skill development - Playful Practice: Interactive games turn reading and writing into fun challenges - Independent Learning: Kids learn confidently at their own pace - Safe and Ad-Free: A secure environment designed by educators Parent Reviews - “My son struggled with reading until we tried Splash Reading. Now he enjoys it every day!” – Parent of a 2nd Grader - “The phonics games are amazing. My daughter’s fluency has improved so much.” – Parent of a 1st Grader - “A fantastic app for independent learning. My kids are having fun while improving.” – Parent of a 4th Grader Subscription & Free Trial Try it free! Get full access during your free trial, then choose a flexible plan that fits your family. Enjoy unlimited access to reading and writing activities for your child. Need Help? We’re here for you → https://support.splashlearn.com/hc/en-us Privacy & Terms Your child’s safety comes first. - https://www.splashlearn.com/privacy - https://www.splashlearn.com/terms-of-use

About

StringMaster

This comprehensive music learning app offers tools for chord building, scale visualization, songwriting, and instrument tuning. It supports a wide range of instruments and provides features for both beginners and seasoned musicians.

Highlights
  • Chord building and detection
  • Scale visualization and playback
  • Songwriting tools
  • Chromatic tuner and metronome
  • Fretboard learning
  • Alternate tuning and capo support
  • Piano keyboard mapping
Features
Read full description

Introducing StringMaster, the original heart of the StringMaster family of applications that represent the pinnacle of advanced music applications for iPad and Mac, tailored for musicians ranging from relative beginners to seasoned guitarists. The StringMaster family has five versions catering to diverse needs with StringMaster providing most of the features of the Pro version, with the exception of Fretlight Guitar support and the Jam/MIDI capability, though in app upgrades are available for these features. Unlock a world of possibilities with support for chord building and detection, chord tones, scales, and songwriting, backed by a chromatic tuner, metronome, fretboard learning, flexible alternate tuning and capo support for any instrument in any orientation, and more. The StringMaster family boasts over 150,000 users and having held the #1 Music App position in 34 countries. It supports an array of instruments, from acoustic and electric guitars to bass guitars, banjos, mandolins, ukuleles, pianos, and even balalaikas. Dive into a rich sound library with distortion, reverb, or piano options for any instrument. Whether you're a guitarist, bassist, or multi-instrumentalist, StringMaster has you covered. Key features include chord building and detection, a comprehensive fretboard learning system, advanced songwriting tools, and flexible alternate tuning and capo support for any instrument in any orientation. StringMaster 4 introduces piano keyboard support, allowing seamless mapping of guitar chords to the piano keyboard. Explore the robust capabilities of StringMaster: * Play and discover chords and fingering with natural tones. * Display and play scales, including scale runs up the fretboard. * Visualize chord notes, suggested fingering, and Chord Tones. * Utilize the unique Note Finding capability to learn notes and their relative positions on the fretboard. * Benefit from the integrated Chromatic Tuner and Metronome, playable in the background. * Leverage StringMaster's chord-naming algorithms based on finger positions. * Unleash your creativity with the Song Writer, recommending chord progressions and facilitating songwriting. * Master instruments by comparing chords, patterns, and fingerings across a variety of instruments. * Output MIDI from played notes. Experience the next level of musical exploration and education with StringMaster – where versatility meets excellence. Join the global community of musicians who have made StringMaster their go-to app for musical innovation. Download StringMaster now and elevate your musical journey to new heights! Note that the App Purchase of StringMaster Pro includes full Fretlight Wireless support as well as the "Jam" capability.

Screenshots

Splash Reading4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Splash Reading at Free against StringMaster's $14.99. Splash Reading also leads on ratings volume (2.5K vs 24) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). StringMaster's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (80% vs 64%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

Splash Reading is free to download; StringMaster costs $14.99 up front. Splash Reading sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and StringMaster sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

StringMaster holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Splash Reading has 2.5K ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Splash Reading's written reviews are positive against 80% of StringMaster's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Splash Reading ships an update every 3 weeks, StringMaster every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Splash Reading versus StringMaster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSplash ReadingStringMaster
PriceFree — better$14.99
Rating4.3 (2.5K ratings)4.7 (24 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.7% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.5K — better24
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad, Mac
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size494 MB172 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStudyPad, Inc.Great Apptitude Pty Ltd

Customer experience

Splash Reading

All ratings2,463 ratings
Positive81.6%
Neutral3.8%
Negative14.6%
Written reviews322 reviews
Positive63.7%
Neutral4.7%
Negative31.7%

StringMaster

All ratings23 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral5.7%
Negative14.3%

Bugs and requests

Splash Reading

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues
  • Incompatibility with older devices
  • Syncing problems between app and parent account

Requested features

4 requests
  • More free content and levels
  • Ability to customize difficulty
  • Multi-language support
  • Better sync across devices

StringMaster

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

14 purchases

Splash Reading

Subscriptions13
  • SplashLearn Mela Monthly Plan7 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial2 variants$9.991 Month
  • 1 Month Math & Reading Games7 Days trial$11.991 Month
Show 10 more
  • SplashLearn Solo - Monthly7 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • SplashLearn Membership Monthly7 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • Quarterly Subscription7 Days trial$23.993 Months
  • 3 Month Full Access7 Days trial$29.993 Months
  • One Year Full Access7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • SplashLearn Mela Yearly Plan7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • SplashLearn Solo - Yearly7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • SplashLearn Membership Yearly7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • 1 Year Math & Reading Games7 Days trial$89.991 Year
One-time1
  • Grade 4 Lifetime$9.99
2 purchases

StringMaster

One-time2
  • Fretlight Support$4.99
  • StringMaster Pro Upgrade$7.99

Questions

Is Splash Reading free?
Splash Reading is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is StringMaster free?
StringMaster costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Splash Reading or StringMaster?
StringMaster is rated higher. Splash Reading averages 4.3 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while StringMaster averages 4.7 from 24 ratings.
Do Splash Reading or StringMaster have ads?
Neither Splash Reading nor StringMaster shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Splash Reading or StringMaster?
Splash Reading ships an update every 3 weeks, and StringMaster every 3 months. Most recently, Splash Reading was updated on October 29, 2026 and StringMaster on October 12, 2026.

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