BrainPOP Jr. vs Starfall I'm Reading
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BrainPOP Jr.
This app offers engaging animated movies, interactive activities, and quizzes for K-3 learners. It aims to transform passive screen time into active, enriched educational experiences with relatable characters guiding children through various subjects. The platform is designed to foster critical thinking and independent learning.
- Animated movies
- Interactive activities
- Quizzes
- K-3 curriculum
- Critical thinking focus
- Independent learning
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Access BrainPOP Jr.’s award-winning animated movies, activities and quizzes made by educators and replace your kids’ passive screen time with active, enriched learning. The gentle, humorous, and relatable characters Annie and Moby serve as guides through each topic, empowering kids to form their own ideas. BrainPOP Jr. is designed to cultivate critical thinking skills and encourage children to ask questions and make connections. Start your free trial today to access content for grades K-3 across all subjects. BrainPOP Jr. is a research-backed learning platform created by educators that know how kids learn best, and perfect for age-appropriate, independent learning. Start watching, learning, playing and growing with us! Terms of Use: https://www.brainpop.com/about/terms_of_use/ Privacy Policy: https://www.brainpop.com/about/privacy_policy/ User Agreement: https://www.brainpop.com/about/user_agreement/
Starfall I'm Reading
This app helps young children transition from learning to read to reading to learn. It offers a selection of stories and activities designed to build comprehension and fluency using high-frequency words in context. An AutoRead feature models fluent reading and can be toggled off for independent readers.
- Stories and activities for reading comprehension
- Controlled vocabulary with high-frequency words
- AutoRead feature to model fluent reading
- Plays, fiction, non-fiction, comics, and fables
- Audio support for fluency practice
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Starfall® I’m Reading is the fourth step of Starfall’s Learn to Read phonics sequence, which teaches the foundational skills for learning to read. Step 1: ABCs Step 2: Learn to Read Step 3: It’s Fun to Read Step 4: I’m Reading! Starfall I’m Reading is the final step of Starfall’s free early learn-to-read sequence. I’m Reading! focuses on bridging the gap between basic phonics and true reading mastery. The program expands fluency and comprehension through exercise with words from the Dolch and Fry sight word lists. These words are challenging to sound out phonetically, but represent the majority of words found in children’s texts. Familiarity with these words builds confidence and natural ease with reading. The texts cover a wide range of multicultural fiction and nonfiction stories, with clickable words and sentences for fluency assistance throughout. Travel-ready. No internet connection required. Find Starfall I’m Reading, along with 700+ additional activities and counting across reading, math, music, and more in the Starfall app. The Starfall website and applications are program services of Starfall Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) publicly supported nonprofit organization. Starfall® and Starfall.com® are registered trademarks in the US, the European Union, and various other countries. Copyright © 2002–2026 by Starfall Education. All rights reserved. Starfall apps are inclusively designed to support all children, including English Language Learners (ELLs). Starfall also 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.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Starfall I'm Reading at none against BrainPOP Jr.'s 5. Starfall I'm Reading also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 72%). BrainPOP Jr.'s advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 10 months) and rating (4.6 vs 4.2). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. BrainPOP Jr. sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Starfall I'm Reading asks for nothing beyond the download.
BrainPOP Jr. holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BrainPOP Jr. has 21K ratings behind it against 47, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of BrainPOP Jr.'s written reviews are positive against 100% of Starfall I'm Reading's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
BrainPOP Jr. ships an update every 6 weeks, Starfall I'm Reading every 10 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | BrainPOP Jr. | Starfall I'm Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (21K ratings) — better | 4.2 (47 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 72.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 21K — better | 47 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 10 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 102 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BrainPOP® | Starfall Education Foundation |
Customer experience
BrainPOP Jr.
Starfall I'm Reading
Bugs and requests
BrainPOP Jr.
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes when trying to subscribe
- Videos not loading properly
- Quiz functionality not working
Requested features
5 requests- More free videos and content
- Lower subscription pricing
- Improved device compatibility
- Expanded topic coverage
- Better navigation and organization
Starfall I'm Reading
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BrainPOP Jr.
- BrainPOP Jr. Explorer Subscription$3.991 Month
- Full Access Monthly14 Days trial$14.991 Month
- BrainPOP Jr. Monthly Combo14 Days trial$19.991 Month
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- Full Access Yearly14 Days trial$119.001 Year
- BrainPOP Jr. Yearly Combo14 Days trial$159.991 Year
Starfall I'm Reading
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BrainPOP Jr. free?
Is Starfall I'm Reading free?
Which has better reviews, BrainPOP Jr. or Starfall I'm Reading?
Do BrainPOP Jr. or Starfall I'm Reading have ads?
Which is updated more often, BrainPOP Jr. or Starfall I'm Reading?
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