Comparison

Call the Monster vs NextStep

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

Head to head
About

Call the Monster

This app uses customizable monster voices to encourage children's good behavior. Parents can select from various creatures and use pre-written scripts for common scenarios, with in-call controls to manage the interaction.

Highlights
  • Customizable monster voices
  • Realistic creature calls
  • Professionally written scripts
  • In-call parental controls
  • Multiple fear modes
Features
Read full description

When bedtime turns into a battle, let a monster make the call. Call the Monster plays a realistic, pre-recorded phone call from a monster to your child. You stay in control: you choose the situation, the consequence, and how scary the call gets, then hand over the phone and let the monster do the talking. Every character speaks with its own native voice in English, French and Spanish. HOW IT WORKS • Pick what's happening: not listening, bedtime, or a mess. • Pick the consequence and the tone: gentler or firmer. • The phone rings. Your child answers. The monster takes it from there. • During the call, you can be firmer, praise good behavior, wrap up, or end the call. WHO CAN CALL • Seven monsters: the Boogeyman, the Mummy, the Witch, the Ghost, the Vampire, the Pumpkin King, and the Big Bad Wolf. • Three friendly helpers: Santa's Elf, the Fairy, and the Princess. • Every character has a gentler and a firmer tone. PARENTS ARE IN CHARGE • Every call is scripted in advance, and you decide what happens next. • Settings sit behind a parent gate. • No account needed. Your child's name stays on this device. • After a call, tell us whether it worked. Results are anonymous, and a note is shared only if you choose. Call the Monster Pro unlocks the Bedtime and Mess situations and the Monster's Choice and Take Something Away consequences. Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription. The yearly plan includes a free trial for eligible new subscribers. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms: https://www.callamonster.com/terms Privacy: https://www.callamonster.com/privacy EULA: https://www.callamonster.com/eula

About

NextStep

This app helps you break down large aspirations into manageable steps and track your progress visually. It offers smart organization, key metrics, and a goal health dashboard to keep you motivated. Premium features provide advanced analytics and data export.

Highlights
  • Milestone planning
  • Smart organization with custom categories
  • Visual progress charts
  • Key metrics tracking
  • Goal health dashboard
  • Advanced search and filtering
  • Data export (Premium)
Features
Read full description

NextStep: Your Personal Goals Tracker Transform your aspirations into achievements with NextStep, the powerful goal tracking app designed to break down your biggest dreams into manageable steps. Stop feeling overwhelmed and start seeing real progress. Break Down Big Goals into Actionable Steps: -Milestone Planning: Organize your long-term goals with clear milestones and specific tasks. -Smart Organization: Set priorities, custom categories, and tags to keep everything focused. -Stay Aligned: Connect tasks directly to your goals to ensure every action moves you forward. Visualize & Track Your Progress: -Visual Progress Charts: Instantly see how close you are to completing any goal. -Key Metrics: Monitor completion rates, days remaining, and celebrate every milestone hit. -Goal Health Dashboard: Get an overview of all your objectives and stay motivated. Powerful Analytics (Premium Feature): -Go beyond simple tracking with in-depth data to optimize your performance: -On-time completion rates and trend analysis. -Time investment tracking for better productivity planning. -Category and priority analytics to identify where you spend your time. -Progress velocity to measure your momentum. Smart Organization & Export: -Advanced search with date and progress filters. -Multiple sorting options and archiving for completed goals. -Data Export (Premium): Securely export your goals to JSON, CSV, or PDF for backup or external analysis. Start Your Journey Today! Try NextStep free with tracking for 2 goals. Upgrade to NextStep Premium ($4.99 one-time purchase) for unlimited goals, advanced analytics, data export features, and lifelong access to success. Download NextStep and start achieving what truly matters!

Screenshots

Call the Monster4 screens
NextStep4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NextStep at none against Call the Monster's 2. NextStep also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). Call the Monster's advantage is ratings volume (12 vs 3). On price, ads, monetization model 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. Call the Monster sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. NextStep asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NextStep holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Call the Monster's written reviews are positive against 100% of NextStep's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Call the Monster ships an update every 5 weeks, NextStep fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Call the Monster versus NextStep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCall the MonsterNextStep
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (12 ratings)4.7 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews87.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings12 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size149 MB4 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperRyan BorkerHuy La

Customer experience

Call the Monster

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%

NextStep

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Call the Monster

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Pro yearly3 Days trial$24.991 Year
None

NextStep

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Call the Monster free?
Call the Monster is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NextStep free?
NextStep is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Call the Monster or NextStep?
NextStep is rated higher. Call the Monster averages 4.4 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while NextStep averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Call the Monster or NextStep have ads?
Neither Call the Monster nor NextStep shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Call the Monster or NextStep?
Call the Monster ships an update every 5 weeks, and NextStep fortnightly. Most recently, Call the Monster was updated on October 24, 2026 and NextStep on October 25, 2026.

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