Comparison

Freckle by Renaissance vs AR Reading List

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Freckle by Renaissance

This app provides personalized math, ELA, science, and social studies lessons for students. It adapts to each student's learning level, offering engaging content and real-world applications. Teachers benefit from a dashboard to track student progress and identify learning gaps.

Highlights
  • Personalized math lessons
  • ELA and science content
  • Social studies lessons
  • Adaptive learning engine
  • Diagnostic pre-tests
  • Teacher progress dashboard
  • Collaborative learning features
Features
Read full description

Freckle™ by Renaissance®: reach every student at their level. With Freckle, your students automatically work on the Math, ELA, Science and Social Studies lessons that are perfect for them. That way, they are always engaged and challenged, never facing material that is too difficult or easy for them. Freckle has: - Over 49,000 math questions aligned to Common Core and state standards, covering all of K-9 - Over 16,000 ELA questions aligned to Common Core and state standards, covering all of K-8 - Over 800 non-fiction articles that are written at 3 different levels, covering all of K-12 - A diagnostic pre-test so every student starts at the right level - An adaptive engine that automatically gives every student the perfect lesson - Collaborative features that encourage students to help each other - Motivating features to make sure students are engaged - Real-world questions that allow students to practice their math knowledge in exciting real-world settings - A powerful dashboard so teachers and administrators know exactly how students are performing across standards and skills. ==FEATURED BY== - The Wall Street Journal - CNN - EdWeek - EdSurge ==WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING== I would recommend the Freckle app because it is one which is user friendly, and it taps into the different modalities of learning, and it also aids a teacher in differentiation. It is so structured, to point them to assistance, independent of the teacher. And that is what we want to promote: student to student interaction using peer body talk, turn and talk, sharing, and all those things. ~ Dwight Barnes, 4th grade math teacher The dashboard is amazing. Insights are exactly the quick pieces of information a teacher would want at first glance. The grouping tab is really clean looking and is exactly what teachers and administrators want to see on a daily basis. Teachers could literally print that out and use it in their lesson plans when talking about flexible grouping. It does a great job of presenting the information in a simple way. ~ Josh Shaw, Tech Director The teacher dashboard is in a very clear format. I like that I can see in one place how each student in the class is progressing. The green/yellow/red color code is a great visual as well as the specific number within the box. It's helpful that I can hover over each concept and see the explanation of that standard. Overall great product! ~ Jennifer Auten, 2nd grade teacher Freckle - I love the videos! Instead of showing them just a paragraph write up, it's just like a teacher sitting there with them and going over it. I think Freckle is a great app for classes and for schools that have a time-sensitive schedule and it gives them instant feedback and data that can be used in class the next day. ~ Jabari Bush, 5th grade math teacher One of my students got a double digit + double digit problem and he had never done that before. He asked me and I quickly showed him. Next thing I knew he was asking me how to regroup and was doing 2 digit + 2 digit with regrouping, which was extremely impressive to me at this point. I did take a look at the dashboard. It is fantastic. I showed one of my administrators who is also our Math IST and she is beyond impressed. I've been telling a lot of people about it and will continue to do so! Thanks again for making what is now the most vital part of my math class. ~ Jane Alukonis, 1st grade math teacher Freckle is a good solution for our students and our teachers, especially working in an RTI model, teaching CCSS and addressing learning needs within a differentiated instructional model. ~ Emily Klug, 5th grade math ==QUESTIONS? TALK TO US== support@freckle.com @learnfreckle

About

AR Reading List

Scan books using their ISBN or search by title and author to find Accelerated Reader quiz information. Organize your reading with lists for books you've read or want to read.

Highlights
  • Scan books by ISBN
  • Search AR quiz information
  • Filter by title, author, reading level, points, collections
  • Maintain read lists
  • Mark books for later reading
Features
Read full description

AR Reading List is the fast, simple way to find Accelerated Reader books and track reading progress — whether you're a student hunting for your next quiz, a parent guiding your kid's reading list, or a teacher pulling together a classroom shelf. SCAN A BARCODE, GET INSTANT QUIZ INFO Point your camera at any book's ISBN barcode to instantly see its AR quiz number, point value, reading level, and word count. No typing, no searching through long lists. POWERFUL SEARCH THAT FITS HOW YOU THINK Search by title keywords, author name, reading level range, points, or award collection — or combine any of them. Looking for a 3.5 to 4.2 level book worth 5 or more points? Done. Want to browse Newbery Medal winners at a specific level? Done. Award collections included: • Newbery Medal and Honor books • Caldecott Medal and Honor books • Coretta Scott King Award and Honors • ALA Notable and Best Books BUILD YOUR PERSONAL READING LIST Save any book to your list with one tap. Mark books as Unread, Reading, or Read to see your progress at a glance. Filter your list by status to pick what's next. HABITS THAT STICK • Set a monthly reading goal and track how you're doing • Build a reading streak with optional daily reminders • Unlock achievements as you hit milestones • Revisit every book from your search history EVERYTHING YOU NEED ON ONE BOOK PAGE Title, author, series, reading level, points, word count, interest level, topic, and summary — all in one clean view. Plus quick links to Amazon, Google, Goodreads, and archive.org to learn more or read online. FREE, WITH AN AD-FREE UPGRADE AVAILABLE Everything is free to use. Upgrade anytime to remove ads. Whether you're prepping for a quiz, curating a classroom library, or just keeping track of what the kids are reading, AR Reading List has you covered. Questions or feedback? Email arlistsupprt@gmail.com or visit www.arlst.com. AR Reading List is not affiliated with or endorsed by Renaissance Learning, Inc. "Accelerated Reader," "AR," "Renaissance Learning," "Newbery," and "Caldecott" are trademarks of their respective owners.

Screenshots

AR Reading List4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: AR Reading List at 4.4 against Freckle by Renaissance's 3.3. AR Reading List also leads on device support (3 vs 1). Freckle by Renaissance's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 8 months). On price, ratings volume and ads 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. AR Reading List sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Freckle by Renaissance asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AR Reading List holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 522 and 456 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of Freckle by Renaissance's written reviews are positive against 27% of AR Reading List's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Freckle by Renaissance ships an update every 3 months, AR Reading List every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Freckle by Renaissance versus AR Reading List: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFreckle by RenaissanceAR Reading List
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (522 ratings)4.4 (456 ratings) — better
Positive reviews39.8% of reviews — better27.3% of reviews
Number of ratings522 — better456
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFreckle Education, Inc.Seth Baugh

Customer experience

Freckle by Renaissance

All ratings511 ratings
Positive55.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative38.7%
Written reviews88 reviews
Positive39.8%
Neutral8.0%
Negative52.3%

AR Reading List

All ratings326 ratings
Positive85.9%
Neutral4.6%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive27.3%
Neutral3.0%
Negative69.7%

User reviews

Freckle by Renaissance

From 522 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Customizable characters
  • 🚀 Wide range of educational content
  • 👍 Fun and competitive learning experience
  • 🚀 Accurate placement tests

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitches and bugs
  • 🐛 Keyboard issues
  • 🐛 Inconsistent scoring and feedback
  • 🐛 Laggy performance
  • 👎 Boring and repetitive content for older students

AR Reading List

From 456 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful for AR book verification
  • 👍 Great scan and searching (when it works)
  • 👍 Easy to find books with keywords
  • 👍 Useful for AR point calculation
  • 👍 Good concept for AR book search

Room to improve

  • 광고 Excessive and unskippable ads
  • 🐛 Scan feature often fails
  • 🐛 Inaccurate AR quiz information
  • 🐛 Paid version not functional
  • 🐛 Inappropriate ads shown

Bugs and requests

Freckle by Renaissance

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Incorrect answers marked wrong
  • Freezing and crashing issues
  • Keyboard and screen layout problems
  • Inconsistent coin/progress tracking

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more levels and content for each topic
  • Allow placement tests for adaptive learning
  • Improve save/login functionality to prevent data loss
  • Optimize for mobile devices
  • Hire human narrators for stories

AR Reading List

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Scan feature does not work
  • App does not recognize books
  • No quiz available for scanned books
  • App says no quizzes for books that have them
  • Paid version does not work
Show 3 more
  • Search feature returns no results
  • Book icon with '+' sign missing
  • App crashes or freezes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Make ads shorter and closable
  • Automatically recommend books not in system
  • Allow bulk upload requests from libraries
  • Scan book barcode or ISBN for information
  • Enter school login and password for AR program integration

In-app purchases

None

Freckle by Renaissance

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

AR Reading List

One-time1
  • Paid User Upgrade$7.99

Questions

Is Freckle by Renaissance free?
Freckle by Renaissance is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AR Reading List free?
AR Reading List is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Freckle by Renaissance or AR Reading List?
AR Reading List is rated higher. Freckle by Renaissance averages 3.3 out of 5 from 522 ratings, while AR Reading List averages 4.4 from 456 ratings.
Do Freckle by Renaissance or AR Reading List have ads?
Neither Freckle by Renaissance nor AR Reading List shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Freckle by Renaissance or AR Reading List?
Freckle by Renaissance ships an update every 3 months, and AR Reading List every 8 months. Most recently, Freckle by Renaissance was updated on November 1, 2026 and AR Reading List on November 7, 2026.

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