Comparison

Starfall vs Math Kids

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

Math Kids

This app introduces young children to fundamental math concepts like counting, addition, and subtraction through engaging mini-games. It helps develop logical skills and provides a strong educational foundation for early learners.

Highlights
  • Counting objects
  • Comparing numbers
  • Addition puzzles
  • Subtraction puzzles
  • Number identification
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

It's never too early to start your child's education. Preschoolers, kindergarteners, toddlers, and older kids are eager to learn their ABCs, counting, addition, subtraction, and more! The best way to encourage that is to share smart, well-made educational apps and games with them on a daily basis. Math Kids is the perfect introduction to the basics of counting, addition, and subtraction. It will teach your toddler, kindergartener, 1st grader sorting and logical skills along with early mathematics, giving them the perfect foundation for a lifetime of learning. Math Kids is a free learning game designed to teach young children numbers and mathematics. It features several mini-games that toddlers and pre-K kids will love to play, and the more they do the better their math skills will become! Math Kids will help preschoolers, kindergarteners, 1st graders to learn to identify numbers and start training with addition and subtraction puzzles. They'll have a great time completing games and earning stickers, and you'll have a great time watching them grow and learn. Math Kids features a number of puzzles that teach while your child plays, including: • Counting - Learn to count objects in this simple game of addition. • Compare - Children can build their counting and comparing skills to see which group of items is bigger or smaller. • Adding Puzzle - A fun mini-game where kids create math problems by dragging numbers on the screen. • Adding Fun - Count the objects and tap on the missing number. • Adding Quiz - Put your child's math and addition skills to the test. • Subtracting Puzzle - Fill in the missing symbols in the math problem. • Subtracting Fun - Count the items to solve the puzzle! • Subtracting Quiz - See how much your child has improved in their mathematics skills for subtraction. When kids can play while they're learning, they're much more likely to recall information. It also makes them want to learn more frequently, which will give them a huge boost when they start kindergarten. Math Kids also comes with a number of features that help adults monitor and manage their child's progress. Customize game modes to increase or decrease the difficulty, or check report cards to see scores for previous rounds. Math Kids is the perfect introduction to the basics of counting, addition, and subtraction. It will teach your toddler sorting and logical skills along with early mathematics, giving them the perfect foundation for a lifetime of learning. Note to Parents: When creating Math Kids, we focused on building the best possible learning experience for children of all ages. We're parents ourselves, so we know exactly what makes a good educational game, as well as what doesn't. We released Kids Math as a completely free game with no in-app purchases or third party ads. Math Kids is full featured, frustration free, and ready to go. It’s exactly the kind of educational app we want for our children, and we think your family will enjoy it, too! - Best wishes from the parents at RV AppStudios

Screenshots

Starfall4 screens
Math Kids4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Math Kids at 4.6 against Starfall's 4.1. Math Kids also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, 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. Math Kids asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Math Kids holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.3K and 8.7K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Starfall's written reviews are positive against 83% of Math Kids's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Starfall ships an update every 2 months, Math Kids fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Starfall versus Math Kids: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarfallMath Kids
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (4.3K ratings)4.6 (8.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.7% of reviews83.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4.3K8.7K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB248 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStarfall Education FoundationRV AppStudios LLC

Customer experience

Starfall

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

Math Kids

All ratings8,697 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral3.5%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews325 reviews
Positive83.1%
Neutral3.1%
Negative13.8%

User reviews

Starfall

From 4.3K 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

Math Kids

From 8.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and engaging for kids
  • 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 💡 Variety of math exercises
  • 🎉 Rewarding system with certificates and stickers
  • 🆓 Free and ad-free app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional freezing or crashing issues
  • 🌐 Lack of language options (Russian not working)
  • 🤔 Some users find the content too easy

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

Math Kids

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Russian language not loading properly
  • Drag and drop functionality not working as expected

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add more advanced math levels
  • Provide ability to adjust difficulty settings
  • Introduce new game modes or themes

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Starfall

Subscriptions1
  • Starfall Monthly$5.991 Month
None

Math Kids

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Starfall free?
Starfall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Math Kids free?
Math Kids is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Starfall or Math Kids?
Math Kids is rated higher. Starfall averages 4.1 out of 5 from 4.3K ratings, while Math Kids averages 4.6 from 8.7K ratings.
Do Starfall or Math Kids have ads?
Neither Starfall nor Math Kids shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Starfall or Math Kids?
Starfall ships an update every 2 months, and Math Kids fortnightly. Most recently, Starfall was updated on October 19, 2026 and Math Kids on October 20, 2026.

Other comparisons