Comparison

National Archives DocsTeach vs ERSB Lite

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This app allows students to learn from historical documents assigned by teachers or explore activities by historical era.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 • Engage in activities that help you make sense of stories, events, and ideas of the past using historical documents from the holdings of the U.S. National Archives.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

ERSB Lite

This app builds early reading skills for students progressing from foundational literacy. It uses systematic instruction and assessments to help individuals read independently, proving effective for those with intellectual disabilities and autism.

Highlights
  • Early literacy skill development
  • Systematic instruction
  • Ongoing assessments
  • Progress to 2nd-grade reading level
  • Effective for intellectual disabilities
  • Effective for autism
Read full description

Note: This is the Free version of ERSB. Level 1 with 5 lessons is Free! The rest of the levels are available through the in-app store. Early Reading Skills Builder™(ERSB) curriculum, based on a multi-year research project from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, is a stepping stone for graduates of Attainment’s ELSB Curriculum. ERSB takes students who mastered these early literacy skills to a 2nd grade reading level. It incorporates systematic instruction and ongoing assessments to teach students to read independently. It’s been proven effective for students with moderate to severe intellectual disability and/or autism, including those with complex communication needs.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ERSB Lite at 4.0 against National Archives DocsTeach's 2.5. ERSB Lite also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 10 months). National Archives DocsTeach's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and review sentiment (33% vs 0%). On price, ratings volume, 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

Both are free to download. ERSB Lite sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. National Archives DocsTeach asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ERSB Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of National Archives DocsTeach's written reviews are positive against 0% of ERSB Lite's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

National Archives DocsTeach ships an update every 10 months, ERSB Lite every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
National Archives DocsTeach versus ERSB Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNational Archives DocsTeachERSB Lite
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (2 ratings)4.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings23 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS13.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB253 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNational Archives and Records AdministrationAttainment Company

Customer experience

National Archives DocsTeach

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

ERSB Lite

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

National Archives DocsTeach

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

ERSB Lite

One-time5
  • Levels 12-16$29.99
  • Levels 17-21$29.99
  • Levels 22-26$29.99
Show 2 more
  • Levels 2-6$29.99
  • Levels 7-11$29.99

Questions

Is National Archives DocsTeach free?
National Archives DocsTeach is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ERSB Lite free?
ERSB Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, National Archives DocsTeach or ERSB Lite?
ERSB Lite is rated higher. National Archives DocsTeach averages 2.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while ERSB Lite averages 4.0 from 3 ratings.
Do National Archives DocsTeach or ERSB Lite have ads?
Neither National Archives DocsTeach nor ERSB Lite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, National Archives DocsTeach or ERSB Lite?
National Archives DocsTeach ships an update every 10 months, and ERSB Lite every 2 months. Most recently, National Archives DocsTeach was updated on November 1, 2026 and ERSB Lite on November 1, 2026.

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