Comparison

First Grade Reading Program vs Monster Math

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

Monster Math

Embark on an exciting math adventure with this educational game designed for 1st to 3rd graders. Kids explore planets, complete missions, and collect badges while mastering addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The app focuses on building number sense and understanding math concepts through engaging gameplay.

Highlights
  • Math adventure gameplay
  • Grade-specific learning paths
  • Focus on number sense
  • Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division practice
  • Offline play
  • Ad-free environment
Features
Read full description

Embark on an EPIC math adventure with Monster Math games! With Monster Math, kids explore exciting new planets, take on missions to save them, and collect cool badges. And the best part? They’re building their math skills while having a blast playing the game! Students flag off their journey by creating a profile and diving into a math journey adapted for their grade. Monster Math is designed by educators & grounded in research by Math Fact Fluency Expert Dr. Jennifer Bay-Williams. It sets the stage for kids' educational journey and builds their math facts skill step by step as their young minds explore fun and challenging math planets, mastering one math skill at a time in a fun game based format so immersive that they won’t even realize they are learning math. With Monster Math, practicing math is nothing like doing worksheets or just recognizing flashcards.Kids take on mini math missions and build confidence as they get better at addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in a fun and engaging way! Winner of the Brain Child Award and National Parenting Product Award in 2020! WHY MONSTER MATH? Focus on building Number Sense: Instead of rote memorization only, Monster Math focuses on using visual cues to help kids understand how operations work, learn basic and advanced fact strategies, and in general get very flexible with numbers. It’s Engaging: We believe learning should spark joy, be visual, interactive, and fun. That’s why at Monster Math, we create mini math missions that feel like games while helping kids master key concepts! It’s aligned: Every mission in Monster Math is carefully designed to align with the Core curriculum as well as various state curriculums across the US, ensuring that kids are practicing the right skills at the right time. Designed for early elementary Grades: Monster Math covers key math concepts for 1st to 3rd graders, all aligned with Common Core standards. Stress-Free Learning: No time limits, no penalties, and no distractions, just pure math fun in a safe, ad-free environment! Play Anytime, Anywhere: Monster Math works offline, so kids can access the app and enjoy learning on the go, anytime and anywhere! WHAT PARENTS SAY ABOUT MONSTER MATH “My son has ADHD and loves the game. He is able to sit and play for an extended period of time. Without realizing that he is also learning. I highly recommend this game.” — Justin P’s Mom “Super excited that we found this one. I think this is the most fine learning apps online” — Areiladas1013 MONSTER MATH FOR PARENTS Monster Math isn’t just fun, it’s effective! Coming soon: You’ll get clear progress reports and skill breakdowns so you can easily track how your child is improving. MONSTER MATH FOR TEACHERS Monster Math is free for teachers. Use it to build Math fact fluency for your students. With student profiles, multiple kids can use the same device and still track their progress independently. SUBSCRIBE ONCE, LEARN FOREVER Sign up for a free 7-day trial to explore our learning experience. After the trial, subscribe annually for just $59.99/year. With one annual subscription, which works across multiple devices, your child unlocks all missions, updates, and future content. Subscription info: - Makkajai subscriptions are auto-renewable and annual with a 7-day Free Trial - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at the end of the Free trial - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase - Cancellation will not go into effect until the end of the monthly billing cycle For support, questions or comments, write to us at: support@makkajai.com Our privacy policy can be found at: http://www.makkajai.com/privacy-policy Our terms of use can be found at: http://www.makkajai.com/terms Connect with us on Facebook & Instagram

Screenshots

First Grade Reading Program4 screens
Monster Math4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Monster Math at Free against First Grade Reading Program's $0.99. Monster Math also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 21 months) and ratings volume (35K vs 1). First Grade Reading Program's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 7). 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

Monster Math is free to download; First Grade Reading Program costs $0.99 up front. Monster Math sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 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 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Monster Math has 35K 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 66% of Monster Math'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, Monster Math every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
First Grade Reading Program versus Monster Math: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst Grade Reading ProgramMonster Math
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.5 (35K ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews66.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings135K — better
Update frequencyEvery 21 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size99 MB208 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVisual Learning Aids, LLCMakkajai Edu Tech Private Limited

Customer experience

First Grade Reading Program

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

Monster Math

All ratings34,645 ratings
Positive87.0%
Neutral5.2%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews462 reviews
Positive66.2%
Neutral5.2%
Negative28.6%

Bugs and requests

First Grade Reading Program

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Monster Math

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Incorrect answers shown in the app
  • Subscription issues and inability to cancel
  • Compatibility problems with older devices
  • Login screen freezes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add multiplication mode
  • Increase difficulty levels beyond 5th grade
  • Provide more customization options
  • Add a pause button
  • Improve progress tracking and reporting

In-app purchases

None

First Grade Reading Program

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Monster Math

Subscriptions6
  • Monster Math Premium$9.991 Month
  • Genius Quarterly Subscription$29.993 Months
  • Monster Math Premium$44.996 Months
Show 3 more
  • Monster Math - Genius Annual Subscription7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Monster Math - Expert Annual Subscription7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Monster Math Premium7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Unlock Full Version$9.99

Questions

Is First Grade Reading Program free?
First Grade Reading Program costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Monster Math free?
Monster Math is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, First Grade Reading Program or Monster Math?
First Grade Reading Program is rated higher. First Grade Reading Program averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Monster Math averages 4.5 from 35K ratings.
Do First Grade Reading Program or Monster Math have ads?
Neither First Grade Reading Program nor Monster Math shows ads.
Which is updated more often, First Grade Reading Program or Monster Math?
First Grade Reading Program ships an update every 21 months, and Monster Math every 4 days. Most recently, First Grade Reading Program was updated on October 6, 2026 and Monster Math on October 16, 2026.

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