Comparison

Starfall vs Monster Math

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

Monster Math

Embark on an epic math adventure where children explore planets, complete missions, and earn badges while building essential math skills. Designed by educators, this game makes learning addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division fun and engaging through interactive missions.

Highlights
  • Math adventure gameplay
  • Grade-specific math journeys
  • Focus on number sense
  • Aligned with Core curriculum
  • Offline play
  • Progress tracking for parents
Features
Read full description

Embark on an EPIC math adventure with Monster Math games! With Monster Math, kids explore exciting new planets, take on missions to save them, and collect cool badges. And the best part? They’re building their math skills while having a blast playing the game! Students flag off their journey by creating a profile and diving into a math journey adapted for their grade. Monster Math is designed by educators & grounded in research by Math Fact Fluency Expert Dr. Jennifer Bay-Williams. It sets the stage for kids' educational journey and builds their math facts skill step by step as their young minds explore fun and challenging math planets, mastering one math skill at a time in a fun game based format so immersive that they won’t even realize they are learning math. With Monster Math, practicing math is nothing like doing worksheets or just recognizing flashcards.Kids take on mini math missions and build confidence as they get better at addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in a fun and engaging way! Winner of the Brain Child Award and National Parenting Product Award in 2020! WHY MONSTER MATH? Focus on building Number Sense: Instead of rote memorization only, Monster Math focuses on using visual cues to help kids understand how operations work, learn basic and advanced fact strategies, and in general get very flexible with numbers. It’s Engaging: We believe learning should spark joy, be visual, interactive, and fun. That’s why at Monster Math, we create mini math missions that feel like games while helping kids master key concepts! It’s aligned: Every mission in Monster Math is carefully designed to align with the Core curriculum as well as various state curriculums across the US, ensuring that kids are practicing the right skills at the right time. Designed for early elementary Grades: Monster Math covers key math concepts for 1st to 3rd graders, all aligned with Common Core standards. Stress-Free Learning: No time limits, no penalties, and no distractions, just pure math fun in a safe, ad-free environment! Play Anytime, Anywhere: Monster Math works offline, so kids can access the app and enjoy learning on the go, anytime and anywhere! WHAT PARENTS SAY ABOUT MONSTER MATH “My son has ADHD and loves the game. He is able to sit and play for an extended period of time. Without realizing that he is also learning. I highly recommend this game.” — Justin P’s Mom “Super excited that we found this one. I think this is the most fine learning apps online” — Areiladas1013 MONSTER MATH FOR PARENTS Monster Math isn’t just fun, it’s effective! Coming soon: You’ll get clear progress reports and skill breakdowns so you can easily track how your child is improving. MONSTER MATH FOR TEACHERS Monster Math is free for teachers. Use it to build Math fact fluency for your students. With student profiles, multiple kids can use the same device and still track their progress independently. SUBSCRIBE ONCE, LEARN FOREVER Sign up for a free 7-day trial to explore our learning experience. After the trial, subscribe annually for just $59.99/year. With one annual subscription, which works across multiple devices, your child unlocks all missions, updates, and future content. Subscription info: - Makkajai subscriptions are auto-renewable and annual with a 7-day Free Trial - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at the end of the Free trial - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase - Cancellation will not go into effect until the end of the monthly billing cycle For support, questions or comments, write to us at: support@makkajai.com Our privacy policy can be found at: http://www.makkajai.com/privacy-policy Our terms of use can be found at: http://www.makkajai.com/terms Connect with us on Facebook & Instagram

Screenshots

Starfall4 screens
Monster Math4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Monster Math at every 4 days against Starfall's every 2 months. Monster Math also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.1) and ratings volume (35K vs 4.4K). On price, review sentiment, 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 Monster Math sells 3 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

Monster Math holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Monster Math has 35K 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 67% of Monster Math'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, Monster Math every 4 days. Both last shipped on November 9, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Starfall versus Monster Math: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarfallMonster Math
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (4.4K ratings)4.5 (35K ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.6% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings4.4K35K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB212 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStarfall Education FoundationMakkajai Edu Tech Private Limited

Customer experience

Starfall

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

Monster Math

All ratings35,101 ratings
Positive87.1%
Neutral5.2%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews468 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral5.1%
Negative28.2%

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

Monster Math

From 35K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and educational
  • 🚀 Engaging gameplay
  • 🚀 Customizable difficulty levels
  • 👍 Helps improve math skills
  • 👍 Entertaining for kids

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Requires subscription for full access
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches in the app
  • 🐛 Incorrect answers shown in the app
  • 🔒 Misleading as 'free' app
  • 🐛 Repetitive gameplay

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

Monster Math

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Incorrect answers shown in the app
  • Subscription issues and inability to cancel
  • Compatibility problems with older devices
  • Login screen freezes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add multiplication mode
  • Increase difficulty levels beyond 5th grade
  • Provide more customization options
  • Add a pause button
  • Improve progress tracking and reporting

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Starfall

Subscriptions1
  • Starfall Monthly$5.991 Month
3 purchases

Monster Math

Subscriptions3
  • Monster Math Premium$9.991 Month
  • Monster Math Premium$44.996 Months
  • Monster Math Premium7 Days trial$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Starfall free?
Starfall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Monster Math free?
Monster Math is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Starfall or Monster Math?
Monster Math is rated higher. Starfall averages 4.1 out of 5 from 4.4K ratings, while Monster Math averages 4.5 from 35K ratings.
Do Starfall or Monster Math have ads?
Neither Starfall nor Monster Math shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Starfall or Monster Math?
Starfall ships an update every 2 months, and Monster Math every 4 days. Most recently, Starfall was updated on November 9, 2026 and Monster Math on November 9, 2026.

Other comparisons