Comparison

National Archives DocsTeach vs Learn iLit 9

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

Head to head
About

National Archives DocsTeach

This app allows students to learn from historical documents assigned by teachers or explore activities by historical era. Educators can create and share custom learning activities using primary sources from the U.S. National Archives.

Highlights
  • Access teacher-assigned activities
  • Explore activities by historical era
  • Analyze digitized primary sources
  • Create custom learning activities
  • Works with DocsTeach.org website
Features
Read full description

DocsTeach is the app for learning with documents, from the U.S. National Archives. Students can enter a classroom code to access and complete activities assigned to them, or choose from a selection of learning activities by historical era. The app works alongside the DocsTeach.org website, where educators can find or create primary source-based activities to share with students either on the website or on their iPads. For Students: • Complete activities assigned by your teacher using the classroom code provided. • Or choose an era and challenge yourself with an activity. • Inspect and analyze digitized primary sources in high resolution. • Engage in activities that help you make sense of stories, events, and ideas of the past using historical documents from the holdings of the U.S. National Archives. For Educators: • Create a classroom of engaging activities in your free account on the DocsTeach.org website, then share the classroom’s auto-generated code with your students to access on their iPads. • Include your favorite activities created by the National Archives or other educators. • Design your own activities to share using the custom activity-creation tools: Discussion Topic, Spotlight, Zoom/Crop, Compare and Contrast, White Out/Black Out, Finding a Sequence, Making Connections, Mapping History, Seeing the Big Picture, Weighing the Evidence, and Interpreting Data. • Learn more at DocsTeach.org/resources/app • Register for a free account at DocsTeach.org DocsTeach is the online tool for teaching with documents from the U.S. National Archives. It is a product of the National Archives education division and made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the support of Texas Instruments, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, and Capital One.

About

Learn iLit 9

This comprehensive literacy solution offers interactive assignments, a digital notebook, and an e-library with over 2,500 titles. It supports offline mode and personalized instruction based on embedded assessments, preparing students for state and national standards.

Highlights
  • Interactive assignments
  • Digital notebook
  • E-library with 2,500+ titles
  • Offline mode support
  • Personalized instruction
  • Progress tracking
  • Co-teacher functionality
Features
Read full description

iLit is available for grades 6 through 12. Savvas Learning Company is a comprehensive literacy solution designed to produce two or more years of reading growth in a single year. The iLit student app contains everything a student needs to participate in an iLit class: interactive assignments, a digital notebook, and an e-library with over (2,500+) fiction and nonfiction titles. Recent additions include co-teacher functionality and student grouping throughout the app. iLit supports offline mode when the Internet isn’t available and a comprehensive automated rostering solution. The program was carefully crafted to meet the rigors of the Common Core State Standards as well as California, Florida, Texas, Nebraska, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and WIDA standards, and prepares students for success on the new Next Generation assessments. Individual, small group, and whole-class instruction is personalized based on a constant stream of data from a wide range of embedded assessments, including text-based performance tasks. iLit engages students like no other reading program through its vast library of high-interest nonfiction, instant support, engaging activities, and built-in reward systems that motivate students and track their progress. The iLit 20/45/90/ELL, Teacher and Student apps are all components of the iLit instructional product.

Verdict

The call

National Archives DocsTeach and Learn iLit 9 both sit at 2.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 33% of National Archives DocsTeach's written reviews are positive against 0% of Learn iLit 9's. National Archives DocsTeach also leads on iOS requirement (13.6 vs 15.0). Learn iLit 9's advantage is update cadence (every 5 months vs every 10 months) and ratings volume (6 vs 2). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 2.5 for National Archives DocsTeach against 2.5 for Learn iLit 9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 6 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 33% of National Archives DocsTeach's written reviews are positive against 0% of Learn iLit 9's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

National Archives DocsTeach ships an update every 10 months, Learn iLit 9 every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
National Archives DocsTeach versus Learn iLit 9: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNational Archives DocsTeachLearn iLit 9
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (2 ratings)2.5 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings26 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS13.6 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNational Archives and Records AdministrationSavvas Learning Company LLC

Customer experience

National Archives DocsTeach

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative60.0%

Learn iLit 9

All ratings6 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

National Archives DocsTeach

No in-app purchases

None

Learn iLit 9

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is National Archives DocsTeach free?
National Archives DocsTeach is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Learn iLit 9 free?
Learn iLit 9 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, National Archives DocsTeach or Learn iLit 9?
National Archives DocsTeach and Learn iLit 9 are both rated 2.5 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 6 ratings respectively.
Do National Archives DocsTeach or Learn iLit 9 have ads?
Neither National Archives DocsTeach nor Learn iLit 9 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, National Archives DocsTeach or Learn iLit 9?
National Archives DocsTeach ships an update every 10 months, and Learn iLit 9 every 5 months. Most recently, National Archives DocsTeach was updated on November 1, 2026 and Learn iLit 9 on November 3, 2026.

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