First Grade Reading Program vs Starfall
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
First Grade Reading Program
This phonics-based reading program helps young learners develop fluency and comprehension. It features read-along audio for stories and interactive word family exercises. Multiple-choice questions after each story reinforce understanding.
- Phonics-based reading approach
- Read-along audio stories
- Word family exercises
- Reading comprehension questions
- Fluency and confidence building
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This app is a great reading program that will teach students how to read using a phonics based approach. This app is great for visual and auditory learners. Students will read the stories fluently with confidence as they read along with the audio. Each story has audio which will aid students who are learning to read. The stories are written with a phonics based approach. After each story, there are multiple choice questions to answer. This will help students with reading comprehension. Additionally, this app contains word families. Students must find the correct word out of a word family that matches a picture. Word families help students with reading. Fluency and reading comprehension go hand in hand. All formal reading assessments consist of fluency and reading comprehension. Students will be confident when they are formally assessed by using this app. Over 20 stories
Starfall
This app offers engaging reading and math activities for children from preschool to 5th grade. It features games, songs, and interactive lessons designed by educators to support early literacy and numeracy skills. The platform also includes accessibility features for children with impairments.
- Reading phonics and fluency
- Math concepts and operations
- Interactive games and songs
- Accessibility features
- Sequential learning objectives
- Holiday activities and sing-alongs
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Starfall® fun activities, games, and songs includes reading, math, music, and more – read, learn, and play preschool to fifth grade. Includes free and subscriber content. Starfall provides an Enhanced Accessible Index for children with visual, hearing, or mobility impairments. For more information, please contact Customer Service at (+1) 303-417-6414. Join Zac the Rat® and his friends on an exciting learning journey, starting with the ABCs and 123s and advancing up to grade 5 grammar and mathematics. Starfall's playful open format intuitively guides children through sequential learning objectives for reading, math, art, music, and social subjects like kindness and caring. *Highlights* *Reading (phonics, fluency, grammar) -- ABCs, Learn to Read, I’m Reading, Talking Library, Punctuation, Parts of Speech *Math -- Numbers, Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication and Division, Geometry and Measurement, Fractions *More -- Holiday Activities, Nursery Rhymes, Sing-Alongs, Interactive Calendar *Why Starfall* *Research based, teacher tested, child approved. The Starfall® systematic approach was created by experienced educators using time-tested instructional methods. *Try it for free. All of the basics for learning how to read are available to everyone. *No advertisements. Whether a free user or subscriber, you won’t see any ads. *Pass it forward! Subscribers gain access to hundreds of additional activities and support the free sections for others to enjoy. *What people are saying about Starfall* Listed on PC Magazine’s “15 best Online Learning Services for Kids,” Think Five’s “Top 5 Most Used Apps by Elementary Teachers,” and as one Parent's Magazine's "70 Best Apps for Families." "Kids can learn about letter recognition, phonics, and reading. Skill acquisition is appropriately gradual... Starfall does an excellent job of offering clear and intriguing early literacy lessons." —Common Sense Media “I truly believe that Starfall set the foundation for my future.” —Sarah, undergraduate at Stanford University *Subscription information* If you choose to purchase a Starfall subscription, a $5.99 (USD) payment will be applied to your Apple ID account upon confirmation of purchase and monthly after that. Your subscription will automatically renew unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. This subscription is valid only for home use. It can be used on devices signed in with your Apple ID, as well as any associated Family Sharing devices. *Additional Info* This app requires an internet connection and is intended for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Grades 1-5. It also supports English language development, special education, and homeschool environments. Privacy Policy: https://teach.starfall.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://teach.starfall.com/terms The Starfall website and applications are program services of Starfall Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) publicly supported nonprofit. Copyright © 2002–2024 by Starfall Education and its licensors. All rights reserved. Starfall® and Starfall.com® are registered trademarks in the U.S., the European Union, and various other countries.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Starfall at Free against First Grade Reading Program's $0.99. Starfall also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 21 months) and ratings volume (4.3K vs 1). First Grade Reading Program's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.1) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads 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
Starfall is free to download; First Grade Reading Program costs $0.99 up front. Starfall sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per month. First Grade Reading Program asks for nothing beyond the download.
First Grade Reading Program holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starfall has 4.3K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of First Grade Reading Program's written reviews are positive against 75% of Starfall's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
First Grade Reading Program ships an update every 21 months, Starfall every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | First Grade Reading Program | Starfall |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.1 (4.3K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 74.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 4.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 21 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Freemium — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #186 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 99 MB | 155 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Visual Learning Aids, LLC | Starfall Education Foundation |
Customer experience
First Grade Reading Program
Starfall
Bugs and requests
First Grade Reading Program
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Starfall
Reported bugs
5 issues- Subscription issues and trouble logging in
- Freezing and crashing on certain devices
- Glitches in specific games and activities
- Compatibility problems with newer OS versions
- Incorrect pronunciation of numbers and dates
Requested features
5 requests- Add more advanced content for older kids
- Improve accessibility for visually impaired users
- Provide offline mode for use without internet
- Allow customization of character and settings
- Integrate with other educational platforms
In-app purchases
First Grade Reading Program
No in-app purchases
Starfall
- Starfall Monthly$5.991 Month
Questions
Is First Grade Reading Program free?
Is Starfall free?
Which has better reviews, First Grade Reading Program or Starfall?
Do First Grade Reading Program or Starfall have ads?
Which is updated more often, First Grade Reading Program or Starfall?
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