Comparison

Group Star Charts vs Thumsters

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

Head to head
About

Group Star Charts

This app provides a simple, visual system for encouraging positive behavior by awarding stars. It's designed for easy use by children and can be customized for various goals, making it suitable for parents, teachers, and group leaders.

Highlights
  • Star awarding system
  • Multiple chart creation
  • Customizable targets
  • Simple, child-friendly interface
  • Track behavior for groups
  • Positive reinforcement focus
Features
Read full description

Group Star Charts is an effective way to encourage good behavior using a simple and clear system of positive feedback based on awarding stars. The app's appearance and user interface is deliberately simple to make it easy to use and understandable by children of all ages. There is a row for each child which clearly shows the number of stars they have. Tap a row to add a star (up to 99 or a chart-specific target, if required). It's that easy. Tips to get the most out of a Group Star Charts: • Reward good behavior immediately so your child associates the awarding of a star with their behavior. • Don't take stars away. Rewarding positive behavior is more effective than punishing bad behavior. • For older children, setting a target number of stars to reach and sorting by star count can encourage healthy competition. • Create multiple charts for different behaviours or targets. • It's great for parents but can also be used by teachers or club leaders to track rewards for multiple groups of children. • Can also be used for adults, e.g. tracking scores while playing a board game. REVIEWS ======= ***** "Everything I have found until this app have been either overly-complicated or too narrow in focus (just specializing in chores for instance). The multiple chart option allows me to customize stars/points based on any category of work or behavior that I want and the simple interface makes on-the-go tracking a snap." - Androshay, USA. ***** "I use this app for several large group classes I teach & it's been insanely popular with the kids (ages 3-7). They BEG to be quizzed on material we've covered so they can earn 'points'! Love the 'bing' sound each point makes when you award them, which can be heard across the room & really excites everyone. :). Recent update allows for multiple charts, so I can use them for different classes. Awesome!" — Smokdrogi, USA. Please mail support@hacknicity.com or see https://hacknicity.com/groupstarcharts for more information.

About

Thumsters

This app helps parents foster positive behavior and build stronger connections with their children through a reward-based tracking system. It offers tools for habit formation, emotional coaching, and consistent parenting across multiple caregivers, designed for children aged 4-12.

Highlights
  • Real-time behavior tracking (thumbs up/down)
  • Kid-friendly chore list and reward system
  • Emotional coaching and awareness tools
  • Multi-device syncing for caregivers
  • Customizable reward system
  • Designed for ages 4-12
Features
Read full description

You didn’t sign up for tantrums, power struggles, or endless nagging. You just want your kids to listen, without losing your cool. Meet Thumsters – the award-winning parenting app that helps you build better behavior, calmer routines, and deeper connection with your kids. Whether you’re dealing with defiance, meltdowns, or chore resistance, Thumsters gives you a proven, easy-to-use system based on positive reinforcement and emotional coaching—not yelling or punishment. WHY PARENTS LOVE THUMSTERS Track behavior in real-time – Log thumbs up/down and reasons to see patterns at a glance. Create better habits – Reinforce routines and tasks with a kid-friendly chore list and reward system. Coach, don’t correct – Build your child’s confidence and emotional awareness with our Emotions Tracker. Stay consistent – Sync across multiple devices for caregivers, co-parents and therapists. Backed by science – Built with child professionals and recommended by therapists worldwide. HOW IT WORKS Use Thumsters to log your child’s behavior choices—good or bad. Assign tasks or daily routines. Set goals and rewards. Thumsters builds a clear picture of their progress, helping you parent with purpose and coach your child toward better emotional regulation and decision-making. BUILT FOR REAL FAMILIES Works with multiple kids & carers Includes a customizable reward system Designed for ages 4–12 Used by families, teachers, and therapists Recognized by the US National Library of Medicine for behavior support Join thousands of families who’ve said goodbye to chaos and hello to calm and connection. Download Thumsters today and transform your home—one thumbs up at a time. Terms of Use: https://www.thumsters.com/legal/terms-of-use

Screenshots

Group Star Charts4 screens
Thumsters4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Thumsters at Free against Group Star Charts's $0.99. Thumsters also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (874 vs 19). Group Star Charts's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.1). On review sentiment, 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

Thumsters is free to download; Group Star Charts costs $0.99 up front. Thumsters sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Group Star Charts asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Thumsters holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thumsters has 874 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Group Star Charts's written reviews are positive against 69% of Thumsters's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Group Star Charts ships an update every 3 months, Thumsters fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Group Star Charts versus Thumsters: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGroup Star ChartsThumsters
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (19 ratings)4.7 (874 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.6% of reviews68.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings19874 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB92 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperGeoff HackworthKØBEN digital

Customer experience

Group Star Charts

All ratings18 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral5.6%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive63.6%
Neutral9.1%
Negative27.3%

Thumsters

All ratings873 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral5.0%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews134 reviews
Positive68.7%
Neutral14.9%
Negative16.4%

Bugs and requests

Group Star Charts

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Thumsters

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when adding child profiles
  • Sync issues between devices
  • Thumbs up/down disappearing or not registering properly
  • Inconsistent behavior after app updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow kids to track their own progress
  • Add more customization options for goals and rewards
  • Implement better reporting and analytics
  • Improve Apple Watch integration
  • Simplify the process of giving thumbs up/down

In-app purchases

None

Group Star Charts

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Thumsters

Subscriptions7
  • Weekly Premium Subscription$1.997 Days
  • Monthly Premium Subscription3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Monthly Premium Subscription14 Days trial$12.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • 6 Month Premium Subscription3 Days trial$39.996 Months
  • Yearly Premium Subscription7 Days trial$47.991 Year
  • 6 month premium subscription14 Days trial$59.996 Months
  • ThumbsUp full account - 1 year14 Days trial$79.991 Year

Questions

Is Group Star Charts free?
Group Star Charts costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Thumsters free?
Thumsters is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Group Star Charts or Thumsters?
Thumsters is rated higher. Group Star Charts averages 4.5 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Thumsters averages 4.7 from 874 ratings.
Do Group Star Charts or Thumsters have ads?
Neither Group Star Charts nor Thumsters shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Group Star Charts or Thumsters?
Group Star Charts ships an update every 3 months, and Thumsters fortnightly. Most recently, Group Star Charts was updated on November 1, 2026 and Thumsters on November 3, 2026.

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