# Freckle by Renaissance vs Newsela Student

The clearest difference is rating: Newsela Student at 4.7 against Freckle by Renaissance's 3.3. Newsela Student also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 40%) and ratings volume (29K vs 522). Freckle by Renaissance's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Newsela Student holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Newsela Student has 29K ratings behind it against 522, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Freckle by Renaissance's written reviews are positive against 76% of Newsela Student's.

Freckle by Renaissance ships an update every 3 months, Newsela Student every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Freckle by Renaissance | Newsela Student |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.3 (522 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freckle-by-renaissance/id708421745/reviews) | **[4.7 (29K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newsela-student/id966371321/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 522 | **29K** |
| Positive reviews | 39.8% of reviews | **75.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 1 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Freckle Education, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/668783523) | [Newsela](https://appshunter.io/developer/966370935) |

## What reviewers say

### Freckle by Renaissance

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freckle-by-renaissance/id708421745)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Newsela Student

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newsela-student/id966371321)

This app offers engaging articles on diverse topics, each presented at five different reading levels. It includes activities and quizzes to deepen understanding, automatically adjusting difficulty to keep learners challenged and motivated. Students can track their progress and practice vocabulary.

**Highlights:** Leveled articles on any topic, Adjustable reading levels, Integrated activities and quizzes, Offline annotation and submission, Real-time progress tracking, Vocabulary practice (Power Words), Curated and custom learning sets

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good app for different reading levels
- 📚 Variety of informative articles
- 🎓 Useful for education and learning
- 🤓 Helps improve reading and vocabulary
- 🙌 Great resource for teachers and students

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🔍 Lack of specific search options
- 💤 Boring or one-sided content
- 🤔 Grading system needs improvement
- 📱 Mobile app issues (login, navigation)

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues on iOS 12
- Binder page frequently freezes or glitches
- Inability to see all available article sets
- Replying and submitting work takes too long

**Requested features**

- Add word definitions or translations
- Implement auto-save for writing assignments
- Introduce a teacher-specific version of the app
- Expand content to include more global news
- Improve multitasking and split-screen support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Freckle by Renaissance free?

Freckle by Renaissance is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Newsela Student free?

Newsela Student is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Freckle by Renaissance or Newsela Student?

Newsela Student is rated higher. Freckle by Renaissance averages 3.3 out of 5 from 522 ratings, while Newsela Student averages 4.7 from 29K ratings.

### Do Freckle by Renaissance or Newsela Student have ads?

Neither Freckle by Renaissance nor Newsela Student shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Freckle by Renaissance or Newsela Student?

Freckle by Renaissance ships an update every 3 months, and Newsela Student every 2 months. Most recently, Freckle by Renaissance was updated on November 1, 2026 and Newsela Student on November 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*