Comparison

Starfall vs Moving Sand

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
Currently charting
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

Moving Sand

Create dynamic art with flowing sand. Choose colors and brushes to draw, experiencing how the sand moves and mixes. Use its fluidity for smooth blends or to create solid shapes, transforming it into living art.

Highlights
  • Dynamic flowing sand simulation
  • Multiple color options
  • Brush selection
  • Smooth color mixing
  • Creating solid shapes
  • Living art creation
Features
Read full description

Let's draw on sand! Choose one of many colors, set the brush and draw. As you draw, the sand will flow in various directions, it's a sand after all. Play with the moving sand, use it to your advantage to get a smooth color mixing or fight against it to make a solid shapes. Moving Sand isn't just a sand drawing experience. It can be used in artist hand to make a living art.

Screenshots

Starfall4 screens
Moving Sand3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Starfall at 75% against Moving Sand's 0%. Starfall also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 15 months) and rating (4.1 vs 3.7). Moving Sand's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads 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. Starfall sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per month. Moving Sand asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Starfall holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starfall has 4.3K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Starfall's written reviews are positive against 0% of Moving Sand's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Starfall ships an update every 2 months, Moving Sand every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Starfall versus Moving Sand: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarfallMoving Sand
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (4.3K ratings) — better3.7 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews74.7% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4.3K — better6
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 15 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank#207 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.07.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStarfall Education FoundationPatryk Zielinski

Customer experience

Starfall

All ratings4,287 ratings
Positive74.9%
Neutral6.5%
Negative18.6%
Written reviews261 reviews
Positive74.7%
Neutral7.3%
Negative18.0%

Moving Sand

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

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

Moving Sand

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Starfall

Subscriptions1
  • Starfall Monthly$5.991 Month
None

Moving Sand

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Starfall free?
Starfall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Moving Sand free?
Moving Sand is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Starfall or Moving Sand?
Starfall is rated higher. Starfall averages 4.1 out of 5 from 4.3K ratings, while Moving Sand averages 3.7 from 6 ratings.
Do Starfall or Moving Sand have ads?
Neither Starfall nor Moving Sand shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Starfall or Moving Sand?
Starfall ships an update every 2 months, and Moving Sand every 15 months. Most recently, Starfall was updated on October 17, 2026 and Moving Sand on October 2, 2026.

Other comparisons