Comparison

Starfall Learn to Read vs Todo Math

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Todo Math

This app offers over 2,000 interactive math activities for children from preschool to 2nd grade. It covers counting, calculation, logic, geometry, and time-telling, with adjustable challenge levels and accessibility features for all learners.

Highlights
  • 2,000+ interactive math activities
  • Covers counting, calculation, logic, geometry, time
  • Adjustable challenge levels (Pre-K to 2nd grade)
  • Accessibility features (8 languages, dyslexic font)
  • Parent dashboard for progress tracking
  • Placement test for accurate level selection
Read full description

The #1 math app for early learners — from counting to multiplication. ■ #1 in the App Store in 20+ countries and created by an award-winning team. More than 10 million parents and 5,000 teachers have made Todo Math their go-to app for young learners › COMPREHENSIVE: 2,000+ interactive math activities for Pre-K through 2nd grade. › LOVED BY KIDS: math practice kids ask to play. Engaging gameplay, beautiful graphics, and adorable collectibles. › EDUCATIONAL: Common Core State Standards-aligned curriculum. 5,000+ elementary classrooms have used Todo Math. › INCLUSIVE & ACCESSIBLE: playable in 8 languages, left-handed mode, help button, dyslexic font and other accessibility features empower ALL children to learn independently. Try Todo Math for free today! › Easy email signup. › No commitment, no credit card information collected. ■ Todo Math covers all the fundamentals of early math education › Counting and Number Concepts - learn to write and count numbers. › Calculation - practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and word problems. › Mathematical Logic - number-based memory games and pictographs. › Geometry - Learn basic geometry, such as drawing and learning shapes. › Clocks & Calendars – learn days of the week, months of the year, and how to tell time. ■ Todo Math lets you select the right challenge level for your child › Level A (Preschool) – Count to 10 and identify the names of shapes. › Level B (Kindergarten Basics) – Count to 20, and add and subtract within 5. › Level C (Kindergarten Mastery) – Count to 100, add and subtract within 10, tell time to the hour. › Level D (1st Grade Basics) – Place value and simple geometry. › Level E (1st Grade Mastery) – Carry-over addition, subtraction with borrowing, and dividing a plane figure equally. › Level F (2nd Grade Basics) – Three-digit addition and subtraction, measurements with ruler, and graph data. › Level G (2nd Grade Mastery) – Comparing three-digit numbers, addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers, foundation of multiplication. › Level H (3rd Grade Basics) – Learn to do basic division. Understand the concept of fractions and know how many faces, edges, vertices each 3D shape contains. › Not sure of which level is right for your child? No problem! Use the in-app placement test. ■ Parents Page › Easily change your child’s level, edit their learning profile, and review their learning progress. › Sync profiles across multiple devices, including cross-platform. ■ Built by Experts › Leading education experts from Harvard, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Seoul National University. › Award-winning children mobile app designers. › Team was named co-winner of the Global Learning XPRIZE competition, a worldwide competition to have children teach themselves math and literacy skills. ■ Awards & Recognitions › #1 in the App Store (education category) in 20+ countries, including USA, China, the United Kingdom, Korea and Japan. › SIIA CODiE award finalist (2016). › Winner of the Parents’ Choice Award — Mobile App category (2015, 2018). › Awarded Best Design at the LAUNCH Education & Kids Conference (2013). › 5 out of 5 star rating from Common Sense Media. ■ Safety and Privacy › Todo Math complies with the US Children's Online Privacy Policy, does not contain any third party advertising, and can be played without an internet connection. ■ The Todo Math app that was serviced separately in the the Australian App Store has been unified with the global version. Please search for Todo Math in the App Store and install again. Log in with an existing account to continue where you left off. ■ Have questions? › Please check the FAQ on our website's help section (http://todomath.com/help). › You can get the fastest response by going to the website > Help > Contact Us or the in the Todo Math app > Parents Page > Help. ∙ ∙ ∙ We empower ALL children to learn independently.

Screenshots

Starfall Learn to Read4 screens
Todo Math4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Todo Math at 4.7 against Starfall Learn to Read's 4.2. Todo Math also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 228). Starfall Learn to Read's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). 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. Todo Math sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Starfall Learn to Read asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Todo Math holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Todo Math has 1.2K ratings behind it against 228, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Starfall Learn to Read's written reviews are positive against 74% of Todo Math's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Starfall Learn to Read ships an update every 9 months, Todo Math every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Starfall Learn to Read versus Todo Math: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarfall Learn to ReadTodo Math
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (228 ratings)4.7 (1.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.3% of reviews73.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2281.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size91 MB588 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStarfall Education FoundationEnuma, Inc.

Customer experience

Starfall Learn to Read

All ratings228 ratings
Positive77.2%
Neutral7.0%
Negative15.8%
Written reviews87 reviews
Positive71.3%
Neutral3.4%
Negative25.3%

Todo Math

All ratings1,142 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral2.6%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews295 reviews
Positive73.9%
Neutral7.5%
Negative18.6%

User reviews

Starfall Learn to Read

From 228 App Store ratings

What 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

Todo Math

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Engaging and educational math games
  • 🚀 Effective for learning math concepts
  • 💡 Customizable settings for different learning styles
  • 👍 Visually appealing and non-distracting graphics
  • 👍 Helpful for students with special needs

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔒 Lack of transparency around subscription details
  • 🚫 Removal of free features in later versions

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
Show 3 more
  • 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
Show 5 more
  • 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

Todo Math

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Sound not working on some devices
  • Handwriting recognition issues
  • Progress reset after app updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Expand content to higher grade levels
  • Add more languages and currency options
  • Improve progress tracking and reporting for parents
  • Introduce more personalization options
  • Provide offline access to content

In-app purchases

None

Starfall Learn to Read

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Todo Math

One-time6
  • One Year Subscription$49.99
  • One Year Subscription2 variants$69.99
  • One Year Subscription2 variants$79.99
Show 3 more
  • Two Years Subscription$89.99
  • One Year Subscription2 variants$99.99
  • Two Years Subscription2 variants$119.99

Questions

Is Starfall Learn to Read free?
Starfall Learn to Read is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Todo Math free?
Todo Math is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Starfall Learn to Read or Todo Math?
Todo Math is rated higher. Starfall Learn to Read averages 4.2 out of 5 from 228 ratings, while Todo Math averages 4.7 from 1.2K ratings.
Do Starfall Learn to Read or Todo Math have ads?
Neither Starfall Learn to Read nor Todo Math shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Starfall Learn to Read or Todo Math?
Starfall Learn to Read ships an update every 9 months, and Todo Math every 3 weeks. Most recently, Starfall Learn to Read was updated on October 28, 2026 and Todo Math on November 1, 2026.

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