Comparison

BrainPOP Jr. vs Starfall It's Fun to Read

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Animated movies
  • Interactive activities
  • Quizzes
  • K-3 curriculum
  • Critical thinking focus
  • Independent learning
Read full description

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/

About

Starfall It's Fun to Read

This app offers a free selection of reading activities designed to teach foundational reading skills. It features interactive games, stories, and creative exercises that make learning to read enjoyable for young children. The app requires no internet connection and can model fluent reading with an optional AutoRead feature.

Highlights
  • Interactive reading games
  • Creative activities
  • Poetry and tongue twisters
  • Riddle solving
  • Optional AutoRead feature
  • Offline access
Features
Read full description

Starfall® Fun to Read is the third 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! With a basic understanding of letter-sound relationships from ABCs and Learn to Read steps, children are ready to explore a variety of genres and topics that will expand their vocabulary, comprehension, and world knowledge. In Starfall Fun to Read, children can learn about famous artists, experiment with mixing colors, discover the lives of famous musicians, and engage with literary forms like poetry, tongue twisters, and riddles. By connecting these interactive experiences with written words, young readers build the confidence and curiosity necessary to become lifelong learners. Travel-ready. No internet connection required. Find Starfall It’s Fun to Read, 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

BrainPOP Jr.4 screens
Starfall It's Fun to Read4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Starfall It's Fun to Read at none against BrainPOP Jr.'s 5. BrainPOP Jr.'s advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 21 months) and ratings volume (21K vs 49). On price, review sentiment, 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. BrainPOP Jr. sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Starfall It's Fun to Read asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BrainPOP Jr. holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BrainPOP Jr. has 21K ratings behind it against 49, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of BrainPOP Jr.'s written reviews are positive against 70% of Starfall It's Fun to Read's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BrainPOP Jr. ships an update every 6 weeks, Starfall It's Fun to Read every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
BrainPOP Jr. versus Starfall It's Fun to Read: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrainPOP Jr.Starfall It's Fun to Read
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (21K ratings) — better4.4 (49 ratings)
Positive reviews72.3% of reviews — better70.0% of reviews
Number of ratings21K — better49
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 21 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB74 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrainPOP®Starfall Education Foundation

Customer experience

BrainPOP Jr.

All ratings20,857 ratings
Positive90.3%
Neutral4.2%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews188 reviews
Positive72.3%
Neutral8.5%
Negative19.1%

Starfall It's Fun to Read

All ratings49 ratings
Positive81.6%
Neutral6.1%
Negative12.2%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative30.0%

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 It's Fun to Read

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

BrainPOP Jr.

Subscriptions5
  • BrainPOP Jr. Explorer Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Full Access Monthly14 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • BrainPOP Jr. Monthly Combo14 Days trial$19.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Full Access Yearly14 Days trial$119.001 Year
  • BrainPOP Jr. Yearly Combo14 Days trial$159.991 Year
None

Starfall It's Fun to Read

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BrainPOP Jr. free?
BrainPOP Jr. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Starfall It's Fun to Read free?
Starfall It's Fun to Read is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BrainPOP Jr. or Starfall It's Fun to Read?
BrainPOP Jr. is rated higher. BrainPOP Jr. averages 4.6 out of 5 from 21K ratings, while Starfall It's Fun to Read averages 4.4 from 49 ratings.
Do BrainPOP Jr. or Starfall It's Fun to Read have ads?
Neither BrainPOP Jr. nor Starfall It's Fun to Read shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BrainPOP Jr. or Starfall It's Fun to Read?
BrainPOP Jr. ships an update every 6 weeks, and Starfall It's Fun to Read every 21 months. Most recently, BrainPOP Jr. was updated on November 5, 2026 and Starfall It's Fun to Read on November 3, 2026.

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