Comparison

First Grade Reading Program vs Starfall

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Phonics-based reading approach
  • Read-along audio stories
  • Word family exercises
  • Reading comprehension questions
  • Fluency and confidence building
Features
Read full description

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

About

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.

Highlights
  • Reading phonics and fluency
  • Math concepts and operations
  • Interactive games and songs
  • Accessibility features
  • Sequential learning objectives
  • Holiday activities and sing-alongs
Features
Read full description

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

First Grade Reading Program4 screens
Starfall4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
First Grade Reading Program versus Starfall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst Grade Reading ProgramStarfall
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.1 (4.3K ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews74.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings14.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 21 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
Best chart rank—#186 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size99 MB155 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVisual Learning Aids, LLCStarfall Education Foundation

Customer experience

First Grade Reading Program

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Starfall

All ratings4,287 ratings
Positive74.9%
Neutral6.5%
Negative18.6%
Written reviews261 reviews
Positive74.7%
Neutral7.3%
Negative18.0%

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

None

First Grade Reading Program

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Starfall

Subscriptions1
  • Starfall Monthly$5.991 Month

Questions

Is First Grade Reading Program free?
First Grade Reading Program costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Starfall free?
Starfall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, First Grade Reading Program or Starfall?
First Grade Reading Program is rated higher. First Grade Reading Program averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Starfall averages 4.1 from 4.3K ratings.
Do First Grade Reading Program or Starfall have ads?
Neither First Grade Reading Program nor Starfall shows ads.
Which is updated more often, First Grade Reading Program or Starfall?
First Grade Reading Program ships an update every 21 months, and Starfall every 2 months. Most recently, First Grade Reading Program was updated on October 6, 2026 and Starfall on October 12, 2026.

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