Comparison

Starfall Learn to Read vs Read Not Guess

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

Read Not Guess

This app offers science-based phonics lessons and decodable stories to help parents teach their children to read. It focuses on building reading confidence and fluency through an engaging and intuitive learning experience.

Highlights
  • Phonics-based reading lessons
  • Decodable stories for fluency
  • Intuitive design for parents and kids
  • Progress tracking
  • Engaging learning environment
Features
Read full description

# Read Not Guess: Teach Your Child to Read with Phonics Give your child the gift of reading with Read Not Guess, the easy-to-use app that helps parents teach their children to read using phonics and decodable stories. Our proven method, trusted by over 5,000 parents, makes learning to read simple and fun. With Read Not Guess, your child will master the basics of reading through engaging, phonics-based lessons designed to build confidence and fluency. The app features carefully crafted decodable stories, perfect for early readers, allowing your child to sound out words and develop strong reading skills. ## Key features: - Phonics-based lessons to support your child’s reading journey - Decodable stories that build fluency and confidence - Simple and intuitive design, easy for both parents and kids - Progress tracking to celebrate your child's reading success - A supportive and engaging learning environment Join thousands of parents who trust Read Not Guess to guide their child through the joy of reading. Start today and make reading easy, effective, and fun! Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Starfall Learn to Read4 screens
Read Not Guess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Read Not Guess at 5.0 against Starfall Learn to Read's 4.2. Read Not Guess also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 9 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 75%). Starfall Learn to Read's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Read Not Guess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Starfall Learn to Read asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Read Not Guess holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starfall Learn to Read has 229 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Starfall Learn to Read's written reviews are positive against 100% of Read Not Guess's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Starfall Learn to Read ships an update every 9 months, Read Not Guess weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Starfall Learn to Read versus Read Not Guess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarfall Learn to ReadRead Not Guess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (229 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings229 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size91 MB113 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStarfall Education FoundationAldeman Education LLC

Customer experience

Starfall Learn to Read

All ratings229 ratings
Positive77.3%
Neutral7.0%
Negative15.7%
Written reviews75 reviews
Positive74.7%
Neutral1.3%
Negative24.0%

Read Not Guess

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Read Not Guess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Starfall Learn to Read

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Read Not Guess

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Pro$3.991 Month
  • Read Not Guess Pro$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Starfall Learn to Read free?
Starfall Learn to Read is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Read Not Guess free?
Read Not Guess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Starfall Learn to Read or Read Not Guess?
Read Not Guess is rated higher. Starfall Learn to Read averages 4.2 out of 5 from 229 ratings, while Read Not Guess averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.
Do Starfall Learn to Read or Read Not Guess have ads?
Read Not Guess shows ads; Starfall Learn to Read does not.
Which is updated more often, Starfall Learn to Read or Read Not Guess?
Starfall Learn to Read ships an update every 9 months, and Read Not Guess weekly. Most recently, Starfall Learn to Read was updated on October 17, 2026 and Read Not Guess on October 6, 2026.

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