Starfall Learn to Read vs Osmo ABCs
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Starfall Learn to Read
This free app offers engaging books, games, and movies to help children learn to read. It focuses on vowel sounds and spelling through interactive activities, songs, and movies, fostering a love for language and reading.
- Interactive reading activities
- Engaging games and movies
- Focus on vowel sounds and spelling
- Songs and positive reinforcement
- Suitable for emerging readers
- Supports English language learners
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Starfall® Learn to Read is the second 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! In Starfall Learn to Read, children explore early phonics in a sequential, stress-free environment. Each step of the learning journey comes to life with help from the Vowel Pals—delightful characters that add depth and personality to each vowel sound. Children develop their phonics skills through the use of CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, sight words, and vowel teams. Mastering the skills taught in Starfall Learn to Read helps children become confident, independent readers. Travel-ready. No internet connection required. Find Starfall Learn 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.
Osmo ABCs
Engage young learners in a hands-on adventure to build pre-reading skills. Through interactive play with a friendly monster, children develop confidence in letter recognition, phonics, and vocabulary. This app requires physical Osmo pieces and a compatible iPhone or iPad.
- Letter recognition
- Phonics learning
- Vocabulary building
- Over 300 words
- Hands-on play
- Interactive adventure
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More than 300 words! Through this playful hands-on adventure with Mo the Monster, kids become confident about letter recognition, phonics, and vocabulary. *Play your favourite Osmo ABCs on both iPhone and iPad! Use your iPhone with the Osmo Base for iPad and Silicone Sticks & Rings pieces - each can be found at playosmo.com. *Requires the Osmo Base for iPad and Silicone Sticks & Rings pieces. Learn more by visiting www.playosmo.com. *Please see our device compatibility list here: https://support.playosmo.com/hc/articles/115010156067 ABOUT OSMO -- 21ST CENTURY PLAY AND LEARNING Osmo uses the screen to create a new healthy, hands-on learning experience that promotes creativity, problem-solving and social interaction. We do this with our reflective artificial intelligence technology.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Starfall Learn to Read at 71% against Osmo ABCs's 19%. Starfall Learn to Read also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.7) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Osmo ABCs's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Starfall Learn to Read holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 228 and 266 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Starfall Learn to Read's written reviews are positive against 19% of Osmo ABCs's.
Starfall Learn to Read ships an update every 9 months, Osmo ABCs every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Starfall Learn to Read | Osmo ABCs |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (228 ratings) — better | 3.7 (266 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 71.3% of reviews — better | 18.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 228 | 266 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 91 MB | 843 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Starfall Education Foundation | Tangible Play |
Customer experience
Starfall Learn to Read
Osmo ABCs
User reviews
Starfall Learn to Read
From 228 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📚 Excellent phonics and reading instruction method
- 🎵 Engaging songs and catchy tunes that maintain interest
- 🎨 Well-designed animations and interactive stories
- 👶 Effective for children with learning difficulties (dyslexia, ADHD, special needs)
- 💰 Free version available with substantial content
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes and fails to load on some devices
- ❌ Math games incompatible with certain iOS versions
- 📱 Technical issues with black/green screens on launch
- 🔄 Requires multiple restarts to function properly
- 💳 Misleading pricing - paid version converted to free
Osmo ABCs
From 266 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 😃 Amazing game
- 💖 Love it so much
- ✨ So much fun
- 👍 Great app for kids
- 💯 Everything is spot on
Room to improve
- ❌ Not compatible with iPad Pro
- ❌ Not receiving verification code
- ❌ Faulty readings
- ❌ Unusable like this
- ❌ Not playable
Bugs and requests
Starfall Learn to Read
Reported bugs
8 issues- App won't load beyond launch screen (black or green screen)
- Math games incompatible with iPhone updates
- Sound not playing in some instances
- App requires deletion and reinstallation to function
- Crashes on iOS 9.2.1 and older versions
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- Glitches when pressing letter machine words
- App needs to be opened twice each time to run
- Compatibility issues with various iOS versions
Requested features
10 requests- Reward/star system for motivation and progress tracking
- Lesson progression markers showing mastery of modules
- Writing and spelling exercises to reinforce learning
- More stories and content variety
- UK English version option
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- Settings to control word pronunciation features
- More word-building exercises
- Sight vocabulary games for common words
- Additional phonics rules (ng, tch, ck, tion, sion)
- Level progression system to track advancement
Osmo ABCs
Reported bugs
11 issues- Not compatible with iPad Pro
- Not receiving verification code
- Faulty readings (wrong tile detection)
- Camera orientation issues on newer iPads
- App won't open for some users
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- Reflector not recognizing letters/pieces
- No sound
- Audio keeps dropping
- App crashes on opening
- ABC app not opening
- Connectivity issues with ABC game redirection
Requested features
3 requests- Update app for newer iPads
- Fix ABC game redirection to App Store
- Fix audio issues
In-app purchases
Starfall Learn to Read
No in-app purchases
Osmo ABCs
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Starfall Learn to Read free?
Is Osmo ABCs free?
Which has better reviews, Starfall Learn to Read or Osmo ABCs?
Do Starfall Learn to Read or Osmo ABCs have ads?
Which is updated more often, Starfall Learn to Read or Osmo ABCs?
Other comparisons
