Comparison

Starfall vs ABCya Games

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

Head to head
About

Starfall

This app offers engaging reading and math activities for children from preschool to 5th grade. It features games, songs, and interactive lessons designed by educators to support early literacy and numeracy skills. The platform also includes accessibility features for children with impairments.

Highlights
  • Reading phonics and fluency
  • Math concepts and operations
  • Interactive games and songs
  • Accessibility features
  • Sequential learning objectives
  • Holiday activities and sing-alongs
Features
Read full description

Starfall® fun activities, games, and songs includes reading, math, music, and more – read, learn, and play preschool to fifth grade. Includes free and subscriber content. Starfall provides an Enhanced Accessible Index for children with visual, hearing, or mobility impairments. For more information, please contact Customer Service at (+1) 303-417-6414. Join Zac the Rat® and his friends on an exciting learning journey, starting with the ABCs and 123s and advancing up to grade 5 grammar and mathematics. Starfall's playful open format intuitively guides children through sequential learning objectives for reading, math, art, music, and social subjects like kindness and caring. *Highlights* *Reading (phonics, fluency, grammar) -- ABCs, Learn to Read, I’m Reading, Talking Library, Punctuation, Parts of Speech *Math -- Numbers, Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication and Division, Geometry and Measurement, Fractions *More -- Holiday Activities, Nursery Rhymes, Sing-Alongs, Interactive Calendar *Why Starfall* *Research based, teacher tested, child approved. The Starfall® systematic approach was created by experienced educators using time-tested instructional methods. *Try it for free. All of the basics for learning how to read are available to everyone. *No advertisements. Whether a free user or subscriber, you won’t see any ads. *Pass it forward! Subscribers gain access to hundreds of additional activities and support the free sections for others to enjoy. *What people are saying about Starfall* Listed on PC Magazine’s “15 best Online Learning Services for Kids,” Think Five’s “Top 5 Most Used Apps by Elementary Teachers,” and as one Parent's Magazine's "70 Best Apps for Families." "Kids can learn about letter recognition, phonics, and reading. Skill acquisition is appropriately gradual... Starfall does an excellent job of offering clear and intriguing early literacy lessons." —Common Sense Media “I truly believe that Starfall set the foundation for my future.” —Sarah, undergraduate at Stanford University *Subscription information* If you choose to purchase a Starfall subscription, a $5.99 (USD) payment will be applied to your Apple ID account upon confirmation of purchase and monthly after that. Your subscription will automatically renew unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. This subscription is valid only for home use. It can be used on devices signed in with your Apple ID, as well as any associated Family Sharing devices. *Additional Info* This app requires an internet connection and is intended for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Grades 1-5. It also supports English language development, special education, and homeschool environments. Privacy Policy: https://teach.starfall.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://teach.starfall.com/terms The Starfall website and applications are program services of Starfall Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) publicly supported nonprofit. Copyright © 2002–2024 by Starfall Education and its licensors. All rights reserved. Starfall® and Starfall.com® are registered trademarks in the U.S., the European Union, and various other countries.

About

ABCya Games

This app offers a vast collection of educational games for children from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade, focusing on math and reading skills. It provides a selection of free games weekly, with an optional subscription to unlock over 300 additional activities and new content added monthly.

Highlights
  • Over 300 educational games
  • Math and reading skills
  • Content organized by grade level
  • New content added monthly
  • No ads
  • KidSAFE Certified
Features
Read full description

A teacher-created phenomenon! Millions of kids, parents, and teachers visit ABCya.com each month, playing over 1 billion games annually. For over ten years ABCya has been one of the most popular pre-K-6+ educational gaming websites in the world! The ABCya iOS app features six free games each week. For even more access to ABCya’s award-winning content, choose an optional in-app subscription and unlock over 300 games! This app requires a connection to the internet. KEY FEATURES • Subscribe to ABCya from within this app or login to an existing account • 300+ games and activities • Fresh content added monthly • Browse by grade level • Content organized by skill • No ads PRESS The New York Times, USA Today, Parents Magazine, and Scholastic, to name just a few, have featured ABCya.com's popular educational games. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period • The user may manage subscriptions & may turn off auto-renewal by going to Account Settings after purchase • No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period ABCya! Games is certified by the kidSAFE Seal Program. The kidSAFE Seal Program is an independent safety certification service and seal-of-approval program designed exclusively for children-friendly websites and technologies, including kid-targeted game sites, educational services, virtual worlds, social networks, mobile apps, tablet devices, and other similar interactive services and technologies. Click on the seal or go to www.kidsafeseal.com for more information. See our full Terms and Conditions at: https://www.abcya.com/terms View our Privacy Policy at: https://www.abcya.com/privacy The ABCya Games app is kidSAFE Certified

Screenshots

Starfall4 screens
ABCya Games4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Starfall at 73% against ABCya Games's 45%. ABCya Games's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.1) and ratings volume (66K vs 4.4K). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Starfall sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per month and ABCya Games sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ABCya Games holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ABCya Games has 66K ratings behind it against 4.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of Starfall's written reviews are positive against 45% of ABCya Games's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Starfall ships an update every 2 months, ABCya Games every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Starfall versus ABCya Games: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarfallABCya Games
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (4.4K ratings)4.4 (66K ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.6% of reviews — better45.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4.4K66K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStarfall Education FoundationCuriosity Media

Customer experience

Starfall

All ratings4,382 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral6.5%
Negative18.5%
Written reviews296 reviews
Positive72.6%
Neutral8.4%
Negative18.9%

ABCya Games

All ratings65,247 ratings
Positive85.1%
Neutral5.5%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews427 reviews
Positive45.0%
Neutral9.6%
Negative45.4%

User reviews

Starfall

From 4.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy and fun learning
  • 🎨 Engaging activities and games
  • 🧠 Helps with reading, math, and more
  • 🌟 Nostalgic childhood memories
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Great for kids of all ages

Room to improve

  • 💰 Limited free content, requires subscription
  • 🔒 Difficulty managing parental controls
  • 🐛 Technical issues like crashes and freezes
  • 📱 Compatibility problems on mobile devices
  • 🔍 Repetitive content and lack of updates

ABCya Games

From 66K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Educational and fun learning games
  • 👍 Engaging and interactive experience
  • 🚀 Variety of games and activities

Room to improve

  • 💰 Subscription required to access full game library
  • 🔒 Forced account creation to play games
  • 🤔 Free games limited to only 6 per week

Bugs and requests

Starfall

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Subscription issues and trouble logging in
  • Freezing and crashing on certain devices
  • Glitches in specific games and activities
  • Compatibility problems with newer OS versions
  • Incorrect pronunciation of numbers and dates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more advanced content for older kids
  • Improve accessibility for visually impaired users
  • Provide offline mode for use without internet
  • Allow customization of character and settings
  • Integrate with other educational platforms

ABCya Games

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Certain games not loading or crashing
  • Sound issues on newer devices
  • Login/account problems preventing access

Requested features

3 requests
  • More free games available without subscription
  • Ability to play full game library without account
  • Option to purchase individual games instead of subscription

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Starfall

Subscriptions1
  • Starfall Monthly$5.991 Month
5 purchases

ABCya Games

Subscriptions5
  • Legacy$9.991 Month
  • ABCya Family Monthly$9.991 Month
  • ABCya Family 6-month$49.006 Months
Show 2 more
  • ABCya Family Yearly$79.001 Year
  • ABCya Classroom Yearly$299.001 Year

Questions

Is Starfall free?
Starfall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ABCya Games free?
ABCya Games is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Starfall or ABCya Games?
ABCya Games is rated higher. Starfall averages 4.1 out of 5 from 4.4K ratings, while ABCya Games averages 4.4 from 66K ratings.
Do Starfall or ABCya Games have ads?
Neither Starfall nor ABCya Games shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Starfall or ABCya Games?
Starfall ships an update every 2 months, and ABCya Games every 5 weeks. Most recently, Starfall was updated on November 7, 2026 and ABCya Games on November 7, 2026.

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