Comparison

Texas 1836 vs Starfall

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

Head to head
About

Texas 1836

Experience the historic site of Washington-on-the-Brazos through augmented reality. See the town as it was in 1836, superimposed on the modern landscape, and explore its buildings and people. An offsite tour option is available for exploration elsewhere.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality historical overlay
  • Virtual 1836 town exploration
  • Toggle between AR and virtual views
  • Onsite and offsite tour options
  • Explore historical buildings and people
Read full description

Explore the historic site of Washington-on-the-Brazos with this magic window into history.  See the town of Washington as it looked in 1836, when delegates from all parts of Texas came to write the Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the Republic of Texas. Through the magic of augmented-reality, the app presents a virtual town of Washington, full scale and overlaid on the historic site for you to explore. IMPORTANT: • This app is primarily designed for use at the Washington-on-the-Brazos Historic Site, southeast of College Station, Texas. (No wi-fi or cell service required after downloading the app.) • To explore the 1836 virtual town elsewhere, choose the Offsite Tour. Discover the town by walking around the historic site, meeting the people and exploring the buildings as they were in 1836. Toggle between the full virtual world and the augmented-reality view that superimposes buildings and people against the modern environment. Washington-on-the-Brazos, the birthplace of Texas, was a crucible of Texas democracy, the place where Texans gave voice to their grievances, forged their Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and brought forth a new nation: the Republic of Texas. Download the app and see it like never before! Developed by: The Star of the Republic Museum, Blinn College, and Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site, Texas Parks and Wildlife App development by Eduweb, Inc. The project was funded by a grant from the Texas Pioneer Foundation, with support from the Washington on the Brazos State Park Association.

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

Texas 18364 screens
Starfall4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Starfall at 4.1 against Texas 1836's 2.9. Starfall also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 43%) and ratings volume (4.3K vs 55). Texas 1836's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, 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. Starfall sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per month. Texas 1836 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Starfall holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starfall has 4.3K ratings behind it against 55, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Texas 1836's written reviews are positive against 75% of Starfall's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Texas 1836 ships an update fortnightly, Starfall every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Texas 1836 versus Starfall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTexas 1836Starfall
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (55 ratings)4.1 (4.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews74.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings554.3K — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size435 MB155 MB
Age rating4+4+
DevelopereduwebStarfall Education Foundation

Customer experience

Texas 1836

All ratings55 ratings
Positive43.6%
Neutral5.5%
Negative50.9%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative57.1%

Starfall

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

Bugs and requests

Texas 1836

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

Texas 1836

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Starfall

Subscriptions1
  • Starfall Monthly$5.991 Month

Questions

Is Texas 1836 free?
Texas 1836 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Starfall free?
Starfall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Texas 1836 or Starfall?
Starfall is rated higher. Texas 1836 averages 2.9 out of 5 from 55 ratings, while Starfall averages 4.1 from 4.3K ratings.
Do Texas 1836 or Starfall have ads?
Neither Texas 1836 nor Starfall shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Texas 1836 or Starfall?
Texas 1836 ships an update fortnightly, and Starfall every 2 months. Most recently, Texas 1836 was updated on October 7, 2026 and Starfall on October 19, 2026.

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