The Bedtime Express vs Maddi's Fridge
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Bedtime Express
Embark on a nightly adventure with animated bedtime stories featuring unique characters and interactive elements. Help passengers on their journey home and tuck them into bed with calming activities. Discover new stories and locations each night for a relaxing end to the day.
- Animated bedtime stories
- Interactive passenger journeys
- Calming narration and illustrations
- Nightly changing stories
- Variety of characters and locations
- Interactive bedtime routines
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"The Bedtime Express by Unit11 is a stunning and delightful app for your kids at bedtime! The perfect app to create a relaxing time and help your kids to go to bed!" 5/5 funeducationalapps.com "This app has delightful illustrations, animation and calming narration. Beautifully done!" 5/5 Reading Buddies Board the "Bedtime Express" for the perfect animated bedtime story. Meet the unusual passengers on their way home at the end of the day and visit them in their homes to say goodnight. Each night, the train stops at different locations and picks up different passengers. One night you could be making Badger a hot chocolate and playing "I-Spy" with the fox family. The next night, you could be helping the Mouse family find their lost tickets and waking a sleeping Polar Bear! Once you have stamped all the passengers' tickets, the train pulls into the last station and you are taken to each of the passengers' homes to put them to bed. To send them off to sleep, you'll need to do things like switching off lights, closing curtains or lighting a log fire. Children will love meeting the adorable characters and helping them on their journey. There are 6 different groups of passengers, from meerkats to polar bears, and 5 different locations to visit, from the city to the arctic. The story is packed with highly detailed illustration and animation and the gentle pace of the story provides a calm atmosphere at bedtime. Climb aboard the Bedtime Express and discover who has boarded the train tonight! www.unit11apps.com | facebook.com/unit11apps
Maddi's Fridge
This interactive storybook app brings a heartwarming tale of friendship and empathy to life. Children can explore themes of childhood hunger and trust through engaging animations, two reading modes, and fun educational games. It's a beautifully animated digital adaptation of an award-winning picture book.
- Interactive storybook
- Two reading modes (Read to Me, Read by Myself)
- Tap-to-discover animations
- Three educational games (Word Search, Memory, Color Me!)
- Resource guide for helping friends
- Professionally narrated story
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Based on the award-winning picture book loved by educators, parents, and kids alike! Sofia and Maddi are best friends. But while Sofia’s fridge is full, Maddi’s fridge is almost empty. When she discovers Maddi’s secret, Sofia promises not to tell. Can Sofia help her friend without breaking her promise? This beautifully animated and interactive storybook app brings Maddi’s Fridge to life like never before, inviting children to explore themes of empathy, trust, friendship, and childhood hunger through a heartwarming story and engaging play. FEATURES: Two Reading Modes – Read to Me: Enjoy the professionally narrated story with lively animations and synchronized word highlighting, perfect for early readers. – Read by Myself: Turn off narration and read at your own pace while still enjoying interactive animations. Tap-to-Discover Interactivity Touch illustrations to uncover hidden animations and sounds. Fun & Educational Games Includes 3 entertaining games with multiple difficulty levels: – Word Search – Memory Game – Color Me! PLUS a resource guide for helping friends with empty refrigerators. Award-winning Story – International Literacy Association (ILA) Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Award – Christopher Award, Books for Young People – UN Sustainable Development Goals Reading List – Goal 2: Zero Hunger – Included on 4 State Book Award lists: MI, NV, TX, and WA – Read by Actress Jennifer Garner for Storyline Online Praise for Maddi's Fridge App: "Maddi’s Fridge is a warm, beautifully illustrated storybook app that transforms an award-winning picture book into a meaningful digital experience. With expressive narration, vocabulary tools, hidden animations, and enriching games, it supports both emotional and academic growth." –Spencer Riley, Educational App Store (5 star rating) "This app is wonderful.... It’s thoughtfully created, warm, and entirely kid-friendly — a great digital version of the book." –KidLit Grove, blog for parents and educators "The story itself is beautiful and important, a gentle look at childhood hunger, friendship, and wanting to help someone you care about.... The new Maddi’s Fridge app is such a clever way to bring the book to life.... the app adds a fun, interactive layer that really keeps kids engaged." –Vanesa Josevski, children’s book author "....a super cute app.... It is the sweetest story about a little girl and her friend who has an empty fridge and she wants to help her get food. It is an animated story, but it also has the actual words on the pages and it highlights each word as it reads it." –Brandy Bruce, K/1 Intervention Specialist, Dawson-Bryant Elementary School Praise for Maddi’s Fridge (the book): “...an incredible resource for shining a light on childhood hunger, and an apt tool for teaching empathy to young children.” –Feeding America “...a great starting point for discussions about hunger, charity, and talking to an adult when something seems wrong with a little friend....” –Children’s Book Review “...this title is notable.... A thoughtful and well-executed look at the challenge of childhood hunger.” –Kirkus Reviews Maddi’s Fridge is more than a story—it's a meaningful experience for children and families to enjoy together, with interactive features that spark curiosity and important conversations. Download now to explore the power of kindness and the importance of helping others. -------------------------------------------------- Maddi's Fridge Written by Lois Brandt, illustrated by Vin Vogel Mobile App copyright © 2026 by Flashlight Press Mobile App developed with and animated by digiXL All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction, in whole or in part, in any form. www.flashlightpress.com/maddis-fridge/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Maddi's Fridge at every 6 weeks against The Bedtime Express's every 11 months. Maddi's Fridge also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 87%). The Bedtime Express's advantage is ratings volume (24 vs 8). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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
The Bedtime Express costs $1.99 and Maddi's Fridge $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for The Bedtime Express against 4.9 for Maddi's Fridge. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 8 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of The Bedtime Express's written reviews are positive against 100% of Maddi's Fridge's.
The Bedtime Express ships an update every 11 months, Maddi's Fridge every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Bedtime Express | Maddi's Fridge |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (24 ratings) | 4.9 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 86.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 24 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 125 MB | 144 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Unit11 | URIM Publications |
Customer experience
The Bedtime Express
Maddi's Fridge
In-app purchases
The Bedtime Express
No in-app purchases
Maddi's Fridge
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Bedtime Express free?
Is Maddi's Fridge free?
Which has better reviews, The Bedtime Express or Maddi's Fridge?
Do The Bedtime Express or Maddi's Fridge have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Bedtime Express or Maddi's Fridge?
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