Mental Maths Drill vs Abacus Trainer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Mental Maths Drill
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Mental Maths Drill is the fastest way to sharpen your arithmetic โ no pencil, no calculator, just you and the numbers. Whether you're a student preparing for exams, or someone who wants to think faster, Mental Maths Drill gives you the tools to improve at your own pace. 7 CATEGORIES Practice Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Negative Numbers, Percentages, and Order of Operations (BODMAS). Each category is carefully designed to build real-world number sense. THREE DIFFICULTY LEVELS Start with single digits, work up to double and triple digit challenges. Every level feels meaningfully harder โ not just bigger numbers, but sharper thinking required. TIMED DRILLS Race against the clock in focused sessions. All scores are normalised to answers per minute, so every session is comparable regardless of length. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Personal bests are saved for every category and difficulty combination. Beat your record and know exactly where you're improving โ and where to focus next. MISTAKE REVIEW Every wrong answer is logged. Review your mistakes at the end of each session so you learn from them, not just move past them. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Abacus Trainer
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Train your brain to calculate without a calculator. Abacus Trainer teaches mental arithmetic the Japanese soroban way - slide real beads first, then learn to see the abacus in your head. 160 levels across 8 grades take you from your very first bead to full Flash Anzan speed, one small step at a time. THREE WAYS TO PRACTICE - Show All: every number on screen at once. The gentle way in. - Flash Anzan: numbers flash one by one and get faster each level. Builds working memory, focus and calculation speed. - Auditory Anzan: nothing to read. Numbers are spoken aloud and you calculate purely by ear. INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL SOROBAN Slide the beads with your finger on a real 5-bead soroban. Guide markers show what each rod is worth, and a free sandbox lets you build any number you like. Answer on the abacus itself or on the keypad - whichever trains you better. A CURRICULUM THAT ACTUALLY RAMPS - Addition first, subtraction from Grade 2, decimals from Grade 7. - Number chains grow from 3 numbers up to 12; values from 1 digit to 3. - Flash speed tightens from 2.0 seconds down to 0.4 seconds per number. Every level is at least as hard as the one before it, so there are no difficulty cliffs - just steady progress. MULTIPLY AND DIVIDE ON THE BEADS Step-by-step lessons show every bead move for multiplication and division on the soroban, then short practice sets let you try each shape, from 2 digits by 1 up to 3 digits by 2. BUILD YOUR OWN DRILL Custom Mode lets you set everything: addition and subtraction, multiplication or division, number of digits, rows, question count, flash speed, negatives and decimals. Ideal for competition prep or for drilling the one thing you keep getting wrong. PROGRESS YOU CAN SEE Accuracy, answer times, questions answered, best runs and unlocked badges - per grade and over time. Watch your average answer time drop week after week. COLLECT COMPANION CATS Level up to unlock and customise your own cat companion. Cozy, calm visuals with a dark theme make long practice sessions easy on the eyes, and the whole app stays suitable for all ages. WHO IT IS FOR Kids starting soroban or abacus class. Students training for mental arithmetic and speed-math competitions. Parents looking for screen time that actually teaches something. Adults who want to keep their brain sharp and add faster than they can reach for a phone. Practice runs offline, so a train ride or a waiting room is a training session. Free to download, supported by ads. One optional purchase removes the ads for good - every level, every mode and every cat is there either way, and nothing is locked behind a payment. Available in 8 languages including English, Indonesian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, French, Italian, and Vietnamese. Download Abacus Trainer and start seeing the beads in your head.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Abacus Trainer at none against Mental Maths Drill's 2. Abacus Trainer also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). Mental Maths Drill's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Mental Maths Drill sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Abacus Trainer asks for nothing beyond the download.
Mental Maths Drill ships an update weekly, Abacus Trainer every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mental Maths Drill | Abacus Trainer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly โ better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No โ better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Farid Ahmad | Doni Winata |
In-app purchases
Mental Maths Drill
- Monthly$0.991 Month
- 6 Months$4.996 Months
Abacus Trainer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Mental Maths Drill free?
Is Abacus Trainer free?
Do Mental Maths Drill or Abacus Trainer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mental Maths Drill or Abacus Trainer?
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