Ladybird Maths vs School Stream
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ladybird Maths
This app uses a ladybird's symmetrical spots to teach doubling and halving math facts. It helps build speed and accuracy in basic arithmetic through interactive counting, doubling, and halving exercises.
- Doubling and halving exercises
- Symmetry-based learning
- Interactive counting
- Subitising recognition
- Fair/unfair sharing concepts
- Early division precursor
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Ladybird Maths uses the symmetrical image of a lady bird and her spots to teach and build mental mathematics number facts of doubling and halving. The importance of recalling doubling and halving facts relates to the speed, accuracy and ease these number facts bring to addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems. Ladybird Maths Teaching Module can be used anyway you wish. An important concept before using the App is to discuss symmetry in nature. A ladybird has symmetrical spots, therefore spots must be placed on each of the ladybird's wings equally. You might ask: - Put one dot on each of the ladybirds wings, how many altogether? - Put ten spots on the ladybird. Is there a way to write an equation showing what you have just done e.g. 5 +5. - If a child puts 3 spots, 7 spots, discuss why this is "unfair" sharing. Discuss what fair sharing might look like. - Can you make a list of the doubles? The following sections can be completed independently or with adult assistance. =Count= This task introduces counting the spots on the ladybird. Initially, students may count each spot by touching them 'one-to one', then they may come to recognise the spots automatically, this is called 'subitising'. Some students may count one side, then double the number. =Doubles= The task asks students to place counters on the lady bug to create a double and then type in on the keypad the correct answer. Early counters will place the counters on the ladybug then proceed to count from 1, this is called one-to-one counting and is a very important skill not to be rushed over, as it becomes an important means of checking for accuracy later on. Students may then place counters on the ladybird, then 'count on' from the highest number e.g. if four was already there, they may count 5, 6, 7, 8. Some students may count the spots twice, then use the keypad. Finally students will subitise the spots (know the number automatically), then recall the doubles fact. =Halves= This section asks students to count half of the spots that appear, then use the keypad to answer. Some students may quickly come to realise that this means counting one-to one the spots on one wing, whilst others will subitise the number on one wing. The keypad also encourages early calculator skills. =Fair / unfair= This task introduces the new vocabulary fair and unfair. Students are asked to decide whether the spots are shared fairly or unfairly. Spots may be shared across one ladybird's wings or across three ladybirds. This topic is designed as a precusor to division as sharing. It is important that students can visualise the unfair or fair spots. =Sharing= Students are asked to share a given amount of spots across one, two or three ladybirds, then select how many spots each ladybird has on the keypad. Student initially may share out the spots one at a time, whilst later they may come to subitise or count the spots then move the correct number to each ladybird. Some students may neglect moving of the spots and attain the answer, pressing the keypad answer straight away. =Multiply= A reversal of sharing, the spots are placed on 1, 2, 3 or 4 ladybirds, students answer with how many spots altogether. Early counters will count all of the spots starting from 1, whilst more sophisticated counters may use repeated addition e.g. 2+2+2+2. Later students will notice patterns to skip count or solve the problem as 2x4. The keypad is used to answer the problem.
School Stream
Stay connected with your child's school through a comprehensive communication platform. Receive real-time updates, submit digital forms, and communicate instantly with school staff. Features include a digital calendar, translation services, and cashless payment options.
- Digital forms submission
- Instant parent messenger
- Cashless payments
- Digital calendar
- Translation feature
- Notices and newsletters
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Everything you need to keep track of school life – sent straight to your phone. School Stream is packed with features including digital forms, instant parent messenger, cashless payments, digital calendar, translation feature, and more. School Stream is simple to use and free for parents. “I’ve been using this app for the past 3 years and it is a lifesaver! I get reminders the night before if there is anything happening the next day I need to know about. I can just check the app and it’s easy.” We are proud communication partners with schools all over Australia and around the world. Communicate with school anytime, anywhere. Receive simplified, reliable communication from school via School Stream - in real-time. Notices & Newsletters Receive relevant notices, reminders and newsletters from school - directly to your smartphone. Digital Forms No more lost forms or crumpled up notes at the bottom of the schoolbag. Sign and submit permission forms digitally. Messenger Unlimited messaging between school and home. Always free for families. A dedicated private messaging service for all of school life. Translation An on-demand translation feature with over 100 languages keeps everyone in the loop. Events & Calendar Receive event notices straight from school directly to your smartphone. Everything you need to know - including permission notes, time and date details, and even a location map. Sync directly to your calendar. Customisation & Branding A beautiful, intuitive interface for a user-friendly and professional app experience for parents.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: School Stream at Free against Ladybird Maths's $1.99. School Stream also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.4) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 43 months). Ladybird Maths's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.5). On review sentiment, 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
School Stream is free to download; Ladybird Maths costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
School Stream holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: School Stream has 330 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 67% and 66% positive.
Ladybird Maths ships an update every 43 months, School Stream every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ladybird Maths | School Stream |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.4 (5 ratings) | 4.5 (330 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better | 66.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 330 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 43 months | Every 4 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 80 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Aleesha Kondys | Schoolzine Pty Ltd |
Customer experience
Ladybird Maths
School Stream
Bugs and requests
Ladybird Maths
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
School Stream
Reported bugs
10 issues- App crashes after updates
- Photos fail to load or display
- Notifications appear with no new content
- Content takes 15-30+ minutes to load after notification
- Filtering by year still shows all years
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- Disappearing notifications and messages
- App won't load - connection errors
- Sudden app closures
- Overlapping menus in interface
- Missing absentee day records
Requested features
10 requests- Direct messaging with teachers
- Auto-fill form fields
- Ability to report absences through app
- Better filtering by year/class
- Class number specification for multiple children
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- Improved notification customization
- Photo zoom functionality
- Confirmation receipts for submissions
- Better organization of newsletters
- Improved UI/UX design
In-app purchases
Ladybird Maths
No in-app purchases
School Stream
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Ladybird Maths free?
Is School Stream free?
Which has better reviews, Ladybird Maths or School Stream?
Do Ladybird Maths or School Stream have ads?
Which is updated more often, Ladybird Maths or School Stream?
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