Comparison

Ask a Mate vs I Can Read

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

Head to head
About

Ask a Mate

This app provides a safe space to explore difficult life questions with guidance from a supportive community and expert resources. It offers videos, mental health tools, and relationship assessments to help users find clarity and take their next steps.

Highlights
  • Video library with supportive content
  • Direct access to support helplines
  • Mental health resources
  • Relationship health assessment quiz
  • Safe online environment for exploration
Features
Read full description

Find advice on the hard topics. Ask A Mate is your safe space to explore life’s toughest questions—with guidance from people who’ve been there. Whether you’re navigating complex topics like relationships, consent, gender identity, or domestic violence, you don’t have to do it alone. We’ve brought together a supportive community and expert-backed tools to help you find clarity and take your next step. Whatever you’re going through, Ask A Mate is here to help you reflect, reset, and grow. Key Features: Video Library – Browse a growing collection of short, supportive videos from our mates answering life’s tough questions. Support Line Links – Direct access to helplines and services if you need to talk to someone now. Helpful Mental Health Resources – Explore a wide variety of mental health resources to start making taking the first step on your mental health journey Relationship Check-In – Take a quick quiz to get insight into the health of your relationships—because understanding how you feel is the first step to setting boundaries, building trust, or making a change. Safe Online Space – Explore hard topics from the safety of your own phone. No Judgment. Just Support. Life is hard sometimes. Ask A Mate is here to help you navigate through it. Whether you’re going through something big or something quiet, we’re here to help you make sense of it all. Start Getting Advice Today Download Ask A Mate and see how our mates can help you.

About

I Can Read

Features
Read full description

Welcome to I Can Read! With over 25 years of experience, we are well-equipped to help children with online learning, reading, and phonics. An AI voice-recorded recognition phonics programme that helps you to get instant feedback that supports your child’s education. Designed by child educational psychologists & experienced teachers, we are revolutionising the world of digital learning in English. I Can Read is perfect for little learners aged 2 years & above with bite-sized mini lessons in phonics and early English reading. Make learning fun with a curriculum full of comprehensive, synthetic phonics. Expand your child’s imagination and foster their love for reading. Access 1000+ engaging activities that teach sequencing, higher-order critical thinking, creativity, & problem solving. Learn to read by starting with learning the ABCs. Graduate to more challenging lessons in our online programme that is designed for self-paced learning and education. Download today to start your adventure with online, AI-powered learning! I CAN READ FEATURES: AI-POWERED TECHNOLOGY HELPING YOU LEARN PHONICS AI-powered voice recognition technology will accept or decline responses as your child records themselves answering questions and forming sounds in English. - Allows for instant feedback while reading. - Fosters the ability to be more attuned to the sounds of language while reading or sounding out basic phonics. READING WITH STELLA - Reading begins with play in our follow-up programme, Stella. - Stella the star and her friends guide children through early language learning in English. - Phonics awareness technology will teach your child sounds, rhyming, segmenting, blending, and the principles of ABCs. - Education is built on foundational skills that will lead your child to successful reading. SELF-PACED PORTABLE EDUCATION: - Reading and learning are mobile thanks to our reading app. - 100% Kid-safe with no ads to distract your child from having fun - Phonics and reading lessons will help support your child’s education. - Tailored learning starts with self-paced reading. ENGLISH READING AND PHONICS LESSONS - ALL AT A GREAT VALUE - Up to 3 users can grow, play, and learn reading and the ABCs. - Once accessed, the programme remains open so that children can revise & consolidate as needed. Set your child up for success with I Can Read, the app where learning to read is fun! Download today to jump-start your kid’s reading. I CAN READ SUBSCRIPTION - We use Apple’s auto-renewing subscription functionality - Please find Apple’s EULA here: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS - Up to 3 children are covered under a single-family subscription - Free to try for 3 days with access to the entire program. Free trial auto-renews to a paid subscription unless cancelled at least 24 hours before it ends. Subscriptions are $26 monthly or $68 quarterly. - You can manage this in your Apple ID settings.

Screenshots

Ask a Mate4 screens
I Can Read4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ask a Mate at none against I Can Read's 2. I Can Read's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.1). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. I Can Read sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Ask a Mate asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ask a Mate ships an update every 5 months, I Can Read weekly. Both last shipped on November 4, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Ask a Mate versus I Can Read: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAsk a MateI Can Read
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.113.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB30 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperBeyond DV LtdVaiva

In-app purchases

None

Ask a Mate

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

I Can Read

Subscriptions2
  • ICR Monthly Plan3 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • ICR Three-Monthly Plan3 Days trial$29.993 Months

Questions

Is Ask a Mate free?
Ask a Mate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is I Can Read free?
I Can Read is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Ask a Mate or I Can Read have ads?
Neither Ask a Mate nor I Can Read shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ask a Mate or I Can Read?
Ask a Mate ships an update every 5 months, and I Can Read weekly. Most recently, Ask a Mate was updated on November 4, 2026 and I Can Read on November 4, 2026.

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