Comparison

Starfall vs i

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

i

Access personalized learning resources and educational games on the go. This app provides students with tools for assessment and instruction, complementing their school-based i-Ready program. Engage with interactive content designed to foster academic growth.

Highlights
  • Access i-Ready Assessment
  • Personalized Instruction
  • i-Ready Classroom Mathematics
  • Learning Games
  • Student academic growth tools
Read full description

i-Ready Connect™ for Students is a free app for students who use i-Ready at school. Students can use this app to access i-Ready Assessment and Personalized Instruction, i-Ready Classroom Mathematics, and Learning Games. ABOUT I-READY i-Ready integrates powerful assessments with engaging instruction to help all students grow and succeed. SUPPORT Email: i-readysupport@cainc.com Phone: 800-225-0248 Hours: Monday through Friday, 7:00am – 9:00pm EST For further technical details, visit our System Requirements page at https://i-ReadyConnect.com/login/support.

Screenshots

Starfall4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Starfall at 74% against i's 16%. Starfall also leads on rating (4.1 vs 2.4) and device support (3 vs 1). i's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (23K vs 4.4K). On price, 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. Starfall sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per month. i asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Starfall holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: i has 23K ratings behind it against 4.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Starfall's written reviews are positive against 16% of i's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Starfall ships an update every 2 months, i every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Starfall versus i: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarfalli
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (4.4K ratings) — better2.4 (23K ratings)
Positive reviews74.1% of reviews — better15.6% of reviews
Number of ratings4.4K23K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.1
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB257 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStarfall Education FoundationCurriculum Associates, LLC

Customer experience

Starfall

All ratings4,374 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral6.5%
Negative18.5%
Written reviews274 reviews
Positive74.1%
Neutral7.7%
Negative18.2%

i

All ratings22,724 ratings
Positive33.2%
Neutral4.2%
Negative62.6%
Written reviews1,239 reviews
Positive15.6%
Neutral5.6%
Negative78.9%

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

i

From 23K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Helps improve grades
  • 👍 Enjoyable learning experience
  • 💡 Customized lessons based on skill level

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Incorrect answers marked as wrong
  • 🤯 Mentally exhausting and stressful
  • ⏱️ Lessons take too long to complete
  • 🤖 Annoying and childish characters
  • 🤔 Lessons don't align with classroom learning

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

i

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • Keyboard glitches and input issues
  • Inconsistent scoring and progress tracking

Requested features

4 requests
  • Provide step-by-step explanations for wrong answers
  • Allow skipping of lessons already mastered
  • Improve diagnostic test accuracy and relevance
  • Make lessons more engaging and age-appropriate

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Starfall

Subscriptions1
  • Starfall Monthly$5.991 Month
None

i

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Starfall free?
Starfall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is i free?
i is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Starfall or i?
Starfall is rated higher. Starfall averages 4.1 out of 5 from 4.4K ratings, while i averages 2.4 from 23K ratings.
Do Starfall or i have ads?
Neither Starfall nor i shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Starfall or i?
Starfall ships an update every 2 months, and i every 3 months. Most recently, Starfall was updated on October 26, 2026 and i on October 27, 2026.

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