Comparison

Starfall vs DIY Lake Science

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

DIY Lake Science

Explore freshwater ecosystems with hands-on activities and interactive simulations. Learn about lake mixing, seasonal changes, and the diverse life within aquatic environments through engaging videos and guided experiments.

Highlights
  • Hands-on activities with step-by-step instructions
  • Under the Lake simulation
  • Videos of global freshwater ecosystems
  • Learn about lake mixing and seasonal changes
  • Information on aquatic plants and animals
  • Content for families and educators
Features
Read full description

DIY Lake Science, funded by NSF, allows families and educators to investigate and learn about lakes and other freshwater ecosystems at home, at school, or anywhere you go! Developed by UC Berkeley’s The Lawrence Hall of Science. HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES Includes a dozen, easy to use, hands-on activities to learn about freshwater ecosystems. Each activity includes step-by-step instructions that have been tested by educators, kids, and families. The activity materials are widely available and inexpensive—you probably have many of them in your home. UNDER THE LAKE Want to explore what happens under a lake's surface? In the Under the Lake simulation, you can explore a process called lake mixing and how lakes change across the seasons, in different climates, and for different lake sizes. VIDEOS View collections of videos of lakes and other freshwater ecosystems around the world! Learn about the plants and animals that live in lakes and other bodies of water, the scientists who study freshwater ecosystems, and how people can care for lakes.

Screenshots

Starfall4 screens
DIY Lake Science4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DIY Lake Science at none against Starfall's 1. DIY Lake Science also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 74%) and rating (4.4 vs 4.1). Starfall's advantage is ratings volume (4.4K vs 15). 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. DIY Lake Science asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DIY Lake Science holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starfall has 4.4K ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Starfall's written reviews are positive against 100% of DIY Lake Science's.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Starfall versus DIY Lake Science: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarfallDIY Lake Science
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (4.4K ratings)4.4 (15 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4.4K — better15
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.07.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB193 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStarfall Education FoundationThe Lawrence Hall of Science

Customer experience

Starfall

All ratings4,374 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral6.5%
Negative18.5%
Written reviews274 reviews
Positive74.1%
Neutral7.7%
Negative18.2%

DIY Lake Science

All ratings15 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral6.7%
Negative13.3%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
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

DIY Lake Science

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Starfall

Subscriptions1
  • Starfall Monthly$5.991 Month
None

DIY Lake Science

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Starfall free?
Starfall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DIY Lake Science free?
DIY Lake Science is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Starfall or DIY Lake Science?
DIY Lake Science is rated higher. Starfall averages 4.1 out of 5 from 4.4K ratings, while DIY Lake Science averages 4.4 from 15 ratings.
Do Starfall or DIY Lake Science have ads?
Neither Starfall nor DIY Lake Science shows ads.

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