Missing Numbers vs Twinkl Formation & Handwriting
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Missing Numbers
This app helps young students develop problem-solving skills through engaging addition and subtraction activities. It encourages mathematical talk and metacognition by guiding students through various counting and strategy-based problem-solving methods.
- Problem-solving skills development
- Addition and subtraction focus
- Counting and partitioning strategies
- Scaffolding with visible/hidden objects
- Four distinct activity types
- Encourages mathematical talk
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Missing Numbers introduces problem solving skills to young students. Problem solving can and should be introduced at this early stage, so that young students can begin to demonstrate mathematical 'talk', through discussion of different ways to solve problems and metacognition. Missing Numbers focuses on problems involving addition and subtraction. Initially students solve problems through counting all the objects visible or through partitioning or segregation and counting all the objects given. Missing Numbers encourages students to use more sophisticated strategies such as counting backward and counting on. Missing Numbers scaffolds students through the use of seen and unseen (hidden) objects, allowing students to 'check' their answer by 'peeking' at the hidden objects and the ability to move objects to allow ease of counting. Missing Numbers is broken into four different types of activities: = How Many = How many altogether e.g. 5+6=? = Show Me = Move the objects to show partitioning in subtraction e.g. 5-2=? = Addition = There are 6 altogether. How many are (hiding) in my hand? e.g. ?+3=6 = Subtraction = There are 4 altogether. How many are in the box? 4-?=1.
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting
This app helps young learners develop essential handwriting skills by practicing letter and number formation, and shapes. It offers a fun, engaging, and prep-free experience for children, with customizable word lists and offline functionality.
- Letter and number formation practice
- Shape tracing
- Fine motor skill development
- Customizable word lists
- Offline functionality
- Multi-language support
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Take the hassle out of handwriting lessons with the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app! It’s a fun-filled, prep-free way to help your little learners form letters, numbers and shapes, and build those all-important fine motor skills. So, why will you love the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app? Your weekend is safe. Just set them up and watch them practice. You get back the time you’d spend prepping tracing sheets for lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers 1-100, and simple shapes. No more begging to practice! The kids are actually asking to use it. That's a win-win. From the classroom to the car. It works on any device and keeps the learning consistent, no matter where they are. It's built by people who get it. The app has been developed by expert lead teachers and senior practitioners , so you can have total confidence in its standards. Phonics panic, solved. Phase 2/3 sounds and over 100 CVC words are ready-to-go, so you have exactly what you need for your next lesson. Cater to all your learners, wherever you are in the world. The app has specific fonts and professional audio in English for the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, along with Welsh, Spanish, Arabic and Afrikaans. Stress-free screen time. The app works completely offline, so you can breathe easy knowing the kids are safe and the content is secure. Adaptable to your needs. Create your own custom word lists to personalize the experience for your learners. Full support for your teaching. The app is compatible with a great range of supporting printable resources from the Twinkl website. How to access the Twinkl Formation & Handwriting app: Twinkl Ultimate members get full access to the app and all of Twinkl’s other mobile and web apps as part of your membership. If you just want app access without the wider benefits of Twinkl, you can take out an in-app subscription. Or, if you want to see how it works, you can try some of the features of the app for free in Try! Mode. Got questions? You can contact our lovely Twinkl Cares team 24/7, and you can always speak to a real human - that’s the Twinkl difference. Our Privacy Policy: https://www.twinkl.com/legal#privacy-policy Our Terms and Conditions: https://www.twinkl.com/legal#terms-and-conditions Apple Standard Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Rated 3+ by the Indonesia Game Rating System (IGRS)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Missing Numbers at 100% against Twinkl Formation & Handwriting's 41%. Missing Numbers also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). Twinkl Formation & Handwriting's advantage is price (Free vs $1.99) and rating (4.5 vs 3.5). On 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
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting is free to download; Missing Numbers costs $1.99 up front. Twinkl Formation & Handwriting sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month. Missing Numbers asks for nothing beyond the download.
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Twinkl Formation & Handwriting has 61 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Missing Numbers's written reviews are positive against 41% of Twinkl Formation & Handwriting's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Missing Numbers ships an update every 38 months, Twinkl Formation & Handwriting every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Missing Numbers | Twinkl Formation & Handwriting |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.5 (2 ratings) | 4.5 (61 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 41.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 61 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 38 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 225 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Aleesha Kondys | Twinkl Limited |
Customer experience
Missing Numbers
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting
In-app purchases
Missing Numbers
No in-app purchases
Twinkl Formation & Handwriting
- Twinkl Monthly Subscription$0.491 Month
- Annual Subscription$2.991 Year
Questions
Is Missing Numbers free?
Is Twinkl Formation & Handwriting free?
Which has better reviews, Missing Numbers or Twinkl Formation & Handwriting?
Do Missing Numbers or Twinkl Formation & Handwriting have ads?
Which is updated more often, Missing Numbers or Twinkl Formation & Handwriting?
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