Comparison

Starfall vs Magic Sketch by Boogie Board

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

Magic Sketch by Boogie Board

This app digitizes drawings made on a physical electronic writing tablet, allowing users to save, edit, and enhance their creations with drawing tools. It captures artwork using a mobile device's camera and offers a fun way to interact with physical drawings.

Highlights
  • Scan physical drawings
  • Edit and draw on creations
  • Save digital artwork
  • Vivid rainbow color integration
  • Requires physical Magic Sketch tablet
Read full description

Magic Sketch™ by Boogie Board® is a fun electronic writing tablet that lets kids doodle, trace, and play in vivid rainbow colors! The free Magic Sketch app makes it easy to save and edit your Magic Sketch creations! CAPTURE YOUR CREATIVITY The Magic Sketch app uses your mobile device camera to scan your Magic Sketch writing surface. EDIT YOUR CREATION The Magic Sketch app includes tools to draw and edit your creation! FEEDBACK OR HELP? E-mail us anytime at customerservice@buffalogames.com Requires use of a Magic Sketch writing tablet, sold separately in stores.

Screenshots

Starfall4 screens
Magic Sketch by Boogie Board3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Starfall at 73% against Magic Sketch by Boogie Board's 12%. Starfall also leads on rating (4.1 vs 2.6) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 10 months). Magic Sketch by Boogie Board's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Magic Sketch by Boogie Board asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Starfall holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starfall has 4.4K ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Starfall's written reviews are positive against 12% of Magic Sketch by Boogie Board's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Starfall ships an update every 2 months, Magic Sketch by Boogie Board every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Starfall versus Magic Sketch by Boogie Board: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarfallMagic Sketch by Boogie Board
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (4.4K ratings) — better2.6 (18 ratings)
Positive reviews72.6% of reviews — better11.8% of reviews
Number of ratings4.4K — better18
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 10 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank#191 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStarfall Education FoundationBuffalo Games, LLC

Customer experience

Starfall

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

Magic Sketch by Boogie Board

All ratings18 ratings
Positive38.9%
Neutral5.6%
Negative55.6%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive11.8%
Neutral17.6%
Negative70.6%

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

Magic Sketch by Boogie Board

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Starfall

Subscriptions1
  • Starfall Monthly$5.991 Month
None

Magic Sketch by Boogie Board

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Starfall free?
Starfall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Magic Sketch by Boogie Board free?
Magic Sketch by Boogie Board is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Starfall or Magic Sketch by Boogie Board?
Starfall is rated higher. Starfall averages 4.1 out of 5 from 4.4K ratings, while Magic Sketch by Boogie Board averages 2.6 from 18 ratings.
Do Starfall or Magic Sketch by Boogie Board have ads?
Neither Starfall nor Magic Sketch by Boogie Board shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Starfall or Magic Sketch by Boogie Board?
Starfall ships an update every 2 months, and Magic Sketch by Boogie Board every 10 months. Most recently, Starfall was updated on November 7, 2026 and Magic Sketch by Boogie Board on November 2, 2026.

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