Comparison

Starfall vs Animate Me

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

Animate Me

Learn to create 3D animations with pre-built characters and intuitive controls. This app teaches the fundamentals of animation through video tutorials, allowing kids to showcase their creativity and storytelling skills. Share your animated creations with friends and family.

Highlights
  • Create 3D animations
  • Pre-built 3D characters
  • Simple controls
  • Intuitive workflow
  • Video tutorials
  • Share creations
Read full description

Create 3D animations of cartoons in a simple and intuitive manner on your tablet or phone. If you ever wondered how they bring characters to life in animation movies like Frozen or Toy Story, this app is for you. Kids can learn to make 3D animations that showcase their creativity and storytelling abilities. *9 Pre-built 3D cartoon characters lets kids quickly and effortlessly learn the basics of 3D animation. *Make 3D cartoons walk, run, jump and talk with simple controls and an intuitive workflow. *Designed by animators from the ground up, this app is an excellent way for kids to learn animation. *Contains video tutorials such as walking, talking and acting to teach the fundamentals of animation. *Upload to YouTube to share creations with your friends and family

Screenshots

Starfall4 screens
Animate Me4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Starfall at Free against Animate Me's $4.99. Starfall also leads on rating (4.1 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 37 months). Animate Me's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On 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

Starfall is free to download; Animate Me costs $4.99 up front. Starfall sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per month. Animate Me asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Starfall holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starfall has 4.3K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Starfall ships an update every 2 months, Animate Me every 37 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Starfall versus Animate Me: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarfallAnimate Me
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.1 (4.3K ratings) — better3.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews74.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings4.3K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 37 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB239 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStarfall Education FoundationArjun Gupte

Customer experience

Starfall

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

Animate Me

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Animate Me

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Starfall

Subscriptions1
  • Starfall Monthly$5.991 Month
None

Animate Me

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Starfall free?
Starfall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Animate Me free?
Animate Me costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Starfall or Animate Me?
Starfall is rated higher. Starfall averages 4.1 out of 5 from 4.3K ratings, while Animate Me averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Starfall or Animate Me have ads?
Neither Starfall nor Animate Me shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Starfall or Animate Me?
Starfall ships an update every 2 months, and Animate Me every 37 months. Most recently, Starfall was updated on October 19, 2026 and Animate Me on October 7, 2026.

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