Starfall Learn to Read vs Hangman Sight Words
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.
Hangman Sight Words
This educational game helps children learn essential vocabulary through a classic word-guessing challenge. Customize word lists and visual themes to enhance the learning experience and track progress through various levels.
- Word set selection
- Background customization
- Progress tracking
- Family-friendly gameplay
- Sight word learning
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Hangman Sight Words is a great game for the whole family. Select the word set and background in the "Settings" screen. Progress through the word sets until you master the game.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Starfall Learn to Read at 75% against Hangman Sight Words's 0%. Starfall Learn to Read also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and rating (4.2 vs 3.7). Hangman Sight Words's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Hangman Sight Words sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Starfall Learn to Read asks for nothing beyond the download.
Starfall Learn to Read holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starfall Learn to Read has 228 ratings behind it against 13, 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 0% of Hangman Sight Words's.
Starfall Learn to Read ships an update every 9 months, Hangman Sight Words every 32 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Starfall Learn to Read | Hangman Sight Words |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (228 ratings) — better | 3.7 (13 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 74.7% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 228 — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months — better | Every 32 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 91 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Starfall Education Foundation | Horizon Business, Inc. |
Customer experience
Starfall Learn to Read
Hangman Sight Words
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
Hangman Sight Words
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Starfall Learn to Read
No in-app purchases
Hangman Sight Words
- Remove Ads$4.99
- Grade 1 Sight Words$4.99
- Grade 2 Sight Words$4.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Grade 3 Sight Words$4.99
Questions
Is Starfall Learn to Read free?
Is Hangman Sight Words free?
Which has better reviews, Starfall Learn to Read or Hangman Sight Words?
Do Starfall Learn to Read or Hangman Sight Words have ads?
Which is updated more often, Starfall Learn to Read or Hangman Sight Words?
Other comparisons
