Comparison

SplashLearn vs Learn to Read

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

Head to head
About

SplashLearn

This app offers curriculum-aligned math and reading lessons for children aged 2-11 through interactive games, books, and activities. It adapts to each child's learning level, providing personalized support and challenges to build foundational skills and confidence.

Highlights
  • Curriculum-aligned math and reading lessons
  • Interactive learning games and activities
  • Personalized learning paths
  • Progress tracking for parents
  • 4000+ games, books, and challenges
  • Safe, ad-free environment
Read full description

Loved by over 60 million kids and used in 1 in 3 US schools, SplashLearn is a learning app for ages 2 to 11. It blends curriculum-aligned lessons with fun learning games, books, worksheets, and rewards that keep children curious, motivated, and confident. With SplashLearn, children build strong foundations in math, reading, and critical thinking through interactive, hands-on activities. The app adapts to each child’s level, offering support when they need it and challenge when they’re ready. Whether your child is tracing letters or solving complex word problems, SplashLearn meets them exactly where they are and guides them forward with confidence. WHY PARENTS TRUST SPLASHLEARN - Covers Preschool to Grade 5 curriculum for both Math and Reading - Perfect blend of educational games, stories, puzzles, activities, and flash cards - Free learning games for kids that build real skills, not just screen time - Designed for independent use- kids can learn on their own - Real-time progress tracking and insights for parents - Safe, ad-free, COPPA & GDPR compliant learning app for kids WHY KIDS LOVE IT - 4000+ fun learning games, decodable books, math challenges, and story books - Exciting learning worlds where they collect coins, rewards, and new characters - Engaging animation, and kid-friendly design - Play math games, reading games, phonics puzzles, spelling challenges- all in one place WHAT MATH SKILLS WILL MY CHILD LEARN? - Preschool & Kindergarten: Counting, shapes, tracing numbers, addition with visuals, patterns - Grade 1: Place value, subtraction, telling time, math facts, measurement, basic word problems - Grade 2: Multiplication, money, regrouping, critical thinking, understanding number relationships - Grade 3: Division, fractions, time, measurement, advanced math games - Grade 4 & 5: Multi-step word problems, decimals, geometry, fractions, data charts, reasoning Each grade has interactive learning games that make abstract concepts easy and memorable. Kids don’t just memorize, they understand by doing. WHAT READING SKILLS WILL MY CHILD LEARN? - Letter recognition (ABC), phonics, sight words, and tracing - Blending sounds to build words - Picture-based vocabulary learning - Fun decodable books and bedtime reading stories - Spelling games and reading fluency boosters - Comprehension through questions, animation, and narration Kids hear the word, see the word, say the word, and use it- making learning natural and playful. PERSONALIZED & SMART LEARNING PATH The app adjusts difficulty based on each child’s progress. If your child needs more help with subtraction or phonics, it slows down and gives extra practice. If they’re ready for more challenge, it moves ahead. It’s like a personal tutor, inside a game. PROVEN & AWARD-WINNING - Featured on Fox News - Editor’s Choice- Children’s Technology Review - Parent Choice Award winner - Trusted by teachers, used in 1 in 3 US schools - Best Educational Game for Kids (Multiple categories) SAFE FOR KIDS, PEACEFUL FOR PARENTS No ads, no pop-ups, no distractions. Just thoughtfully designed kids’ educational games in a clean, safe, and friendly environment. FREE TRIAL & EASY SUBSCRIPTION Try it free! Get full access during your free trial, then choose a flexible plan that fits your family. Enjoy unlimited learning games, lessons, and rewards with one subscription. SUPPORT We’re here for you → https://support.splashlearn.com/hc/en-us PRIVACY & TERMS - https://www.splashlearn.com/privacy - https://www.splashlearn.com/terms-of-use

About

Learn to Read

This app provides interactive stories and over 700 hands-on lessons designed to help children from preschool to second grade learn to read. It focuses on phonics, sight words, and vocabulary through engaging, multi-sensory activities and mini-games, all in a kid-safe, ad-free environment.

Highlights
  • Interactive stories
  • Over 700 hands-on lessons
  • Phonics and sight word learning
  • Vocabulary building
  • Multi-sensory activities
  • Mini-games and rewards
  • Offline learning
Currently charting
Read full description

From the creators behind Duolingo, the world’s #1 education app, comes Duolingo ABC! Duolingo ABC is the fun, hands-on way for your child to learn to read! From preschool to second grade, engage kids with interactive stories and over 700 hands-on lessons. Duolingo ABC offers bite-sized lessons to help kids learn the alphabet, phonics, sight words, vocabulary, and more! Lessons also include multi-sensory activities, such as tracing, drag-and-drop prompts and more. Interactive stories will teach kids to read and build fluency. Delightful stories include engaging imagery while reading words aloud to kids and highlighting each word spoken. This utilizes multi-sensory learning, and can help your child learn to read independently. Fun mini games and rewards work in tandem with the bite-sized lessons, keeping kids motivated to learn while building their confidence. Duolingo ABC helps kids have fun while they sound out words, practice reading and writing in English, and build reading literacy skills for a lifetime!! DUOLINGO ABC FEATURES: Lessons & Stories: - Engage kids in hands-on learning they will love! - New lessons are added often, so there is always something new to discover! - Bite-sized lessons help kids learn phonics, sight words & vocabulary - Enjoy fun activities like letter tracing and interactive stories, suitable for even the youngest learners - Kids will love, play and learn from Duolingo ABC’s cast of characters! Designed For Kids, By Experts: - Designed by literacy & early-education experts to develop kids’ skills in phonics, sight words, reading & more - Lessons are built to feel like a game, mixing learning with fun! - Get children excited to learn with mini games & rewards to stay motivated and keep going - Thoughtfully designed learning sequences will build confidence in your kids with each success! Kid-Safe & Ad-Free - Rest easy, parents: There are no ads or in-app purchases to worry about - Age appropriate content: content is focused on preschool, kindergarten and first and second grade level lessons Offline Learning - On a plane? At a restaurant? Duolingo ABC can be used anytime, anywhere - Enjoy playing and learning offline - so kids can learn wherever you go Duolingo ABC is an educational learning app that offers immersive lessons to teach preschool to second grade kids reading fundamentals. -- Privacy Policy: https://www.duolingo.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://www.duolingo.com/terms

Screenshots

SplashLearn4 screens
Learn to Read4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Learn to Read at none against SplashLearn's 14. SplashLearn's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (32K vs 3.8K). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. SplashLearn sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Learn to Read asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SplashLearn holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SplashLearn has 32K ratings behind it against 3.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of SplashLearn's written reviews are positive against 67% of Learn to Read's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SplashLearn ships an update every 2 weeks, Learn to Read every 10 days. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
SplashLearn versus Learn to Read: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSplashLearnLearn to Read
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (32K ratings) — better4.3 (3.8K ratings)
Positive reviews74.2% of reviews — better67.4% of reviews
Number of ratings32K — better3.8K
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#70 — better#210
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size497 MB212 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStudyPad, Inc.Duolingo, Inc

Customer experience

SplashLearn

All ratings32,327 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral3.7%
Negative8.5%
Written reviews877 reviews
Positive74.2%
Neutral4.3%
Negative21.4%

Learn to Read

All ratings3,753 ratings
Positive79.6%
Neutral6.1%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews733 reviews
Positive67.4%
Neutral12.6%
Negative20.1%

User reviews

SplashLearn

From 32K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and engaging learning experience
  • 💡 Effective for reinforcing math and reading skills
  • 🚀 Constant updates and progress reports
  • 👍 Motivating reward system with coins and achievements
  • 💡 Personalized learning paths and curriculum

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Technical issues like crashes, freezing, and loading problems
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔒 Difficulty canceling subscription
  • 🤔 Limited free access, forces paid subscription
  • 🤔 Repetitive content and lack of variety in some areas

Learn to Read

From 3.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for kids with autism
  • 👍 Engaging and fun for young learners
  • 👍 Helps with speech and language development
  • 👍 Effective for teaching reading and writing
  • 👍 Free and ad-free app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent voice recognition
  • 🐛 Allows incorrect answers to be marked as correct
  • 🐛 Levels can get repetitive
  • 🐛 Difficulty settings not customizable
  • 🐛 Progress not saved properly

Bugs and requests

SplashLearn

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Progress not saving properly
  • Incorrect answers being marked as correct
  • Profiles not working or logging out unexpectedly

Requested features

4 requests
  • More advanced content for higher grade levels
  • Option to turn off answers and allow more time for students
  • Improved sync between app and web versions
  • Better customer support and responsiveness

Learn to Read

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Levels getting stuck on certain content
  • App crashing or freezing
  • Login/password reset issues
  • Incorrect information in some stories

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more languages beyond English
  • Introduce British English accent option
  • Provide progress tracking and analytics for parents
  • Offer more advanced content for older kids
  • Add math and other subject areas

In-app purchases

9 purchases

SplashLearn

Subscriptions9
  • SplashLearn Membership Monthly7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • SplashLearn Membership Monthly7 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • SplashLearn Membership Monthly7 Days trial2 variants$9.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • SplashLearn Membership Monthly7 Days trial2 variants$11.991 Month
  • SplashLearn Solo - Monthly7 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • SplashLearn Membership 3-Month7 Days trial$23.993 Months
  • SplashLearn Membership Yearly7 Days trial2 variants$69.991 Year
  • SplashLearn Solo - Yearly7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • SplashLearn Membership Yearly7 Days trial$89.991 Year
None

Learn to Read

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SplashLearn free?
SplashLearn is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Learn to Read free?
Learn to Read is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SplashLearn or Learn to Read?
SplashLearn is rated higher. SplashLearn averages 4.5 out of 5 from 32K ratings, while Learn to Read averages 4.3 from 3.8K ratings.
Do SplashLearn or Learn to Read have ads?
Neither SplashLearn nor Learn to Read shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SplashLearn or Learn to Read?
SplashLearn ships an update every 2 weeks, and Learn to Read every 10 days. Most recently, SplashLearn was updated on November 1, 2026 and Learn to Read on November 1, 2026.
Which is more popular, SplashLearn or Learn to Read?
SplashLearn currently peaks at #70 in the App Store charts, and Learn to Read at #210. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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