Starfall I'm Reading vs Squishy Math Trail
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Starfall I'm Reading
This app helps young children transition from learning to read to reading to learn. It offers a selection of stories and activities designed to build comprehension and fluency using high-frequency words in context. An AutoRead feature models fluent reading and can be toggled off for independent readers.
- Stories and activities for reading comprehension
- Controlled vocabulary with high-frequency words
- AutoRead feature to model fluent reading
- Plays, fiction, non-fiction, comics, and fables
- Audio support for fluency practice
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Starfall® I’m Reading is the fourth step of Starfall’s Learn to Read phonics sequence, which teaches the foundational skills for learning to read. Step 1: ABCs Step 2: Learn to Read Step 3: It’s Fun to Read Step 4: I’m Reading! Starfall I’m Reading is the final step of Starfall’s free early learn-to-read sequence. I’m Reading! focuses on bridging the gap between basic phonics and true reading mastery. The program expands fluency and comprehension through exercise with words from the Dolch and Fry sight word lists. These words are challenging to sound out phonetically, but represent the majority of words found in children’s texts. Familiarity with these words builds confidence and natural ease with reading. The texts cover a wide range of multicultural fiction and nonfiction stories, with clickable words and sentences for fluency assistance throughout. Travel-ready. No internet connection required. Find Starfall I’m Reading, along with 700+ additional activities and counting across reading, math, music, and more in the Starfall app. The Starfall website and applications are program services of Starfall Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) publicly supported nonprofit organization. Starfall® and Starfall.com® are registered trademarks in the US, the European Union, and various other countries. Copyright © 2002–2026 by Starfall Education. All rights reserved. Starfall apps are inclusively designed to support all children, including English Language Learners (ELLs). Starfall also 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.
Squishy Math Trail
This app offers interactive math lessons for children aged 4-12, covering a wide range of topics from counting to algebra. It uses a playful, character-driven approach with hands-on activities and adaptive learning to engage young learners. Progress is tracked, and new skills are unlocked as mastery is achieved.
- Nine math worlds with 12 levels each
- Adaptive learning based on child's level
- Interactive, hands-on math activities
- Progress tracking and skill leveling
- Multiple practice modes including stories and flashcards
- Collectible squishies and unlockable badges
- No ads, accounts, or tracking
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NO ADS. Nine math worlds, one squishy teacher, and a board game your kid already knows how to play. Your child's squishy puts on a costume and teaches math out loud. Your child does every step with their own fingers — taps each apple, fills each piece of chocolate, fuels the rocket a tenth at a time — then answers five questions. Four right and the skill goes up a level. THE LEARNING CENTER: 9 WORLDS, 12 LEVELS EACH • Apple Orchard — counting: count to 20 by touching, count on, what comes next, skip count by 2s, 5s and 10s up to 1,000. • Balloon Fair — adding: count on to 20, then add up to 1,000 in hops of hundreds, tens and ones. • Pirate Cove — taking away: coins walk the plank; count back in hops up to 1,000. • Cookie Bakery — times: trays of cookies are equal groups; count by 2s, 3s, 4s; times tables to 12 × 12. • Pizza Party — dividing: deal slices onto plates so everyone gets the same; division facts to 144 ÷ 12. • Building Site — shapes: circle to octagon, sides and corners, solid shapes, a cube's faces and edges, distance around, squares inside. • Chocolate Factory — fractions: halves to eighths, compare, equal fractions, add and take away, a fraction of a number. • Rocket Range — decimals: tenths and hundredths, place value, compare, add and take away, times 10, rounding. • Mystery Manor — missing numbers and equations: 3 + ? = 7, times before plus, brackets, then n + 4 = 9 and 2n + 1 = 9 on a balance. STARTS WHERE YOUR CHILD IS • A one-minute check finds the right level in every skill, then gets out of the way. • Each world opens at the right age: taking away at 6, fractions at 7, times and equations at 8, decimals at 9, dividing at 10. Younger kids see "When you're older". • Miss one? The squishy shows the working for that exact problem, then moves on. • The board game and flashcards size their numbers to your child's levels, and push a little harder the further into a game they get. A small tag shows a parent the level. MORE WAYS TO PRACTICE • Story Trail: math as tiny stories with your squishy as the hero. The app picks the numbers; the words come from Apple's on-device model or a built-in word bank. • Flashcards: five right in a row steps up, three wrong steps down. After a miss, a hint says the problem another way (on devices with Apple Intelligence). • Squishy Match: 20 levels. Drag a path through squishies that add up to the target, from Make 5 to Make 50. • Number Slide: slide squishies on a 4×4 board; two the same join into the next number. • Squishy Fishing: answer a math question to reel in each catch. Junk and snacks pay more; a rare Golden Prize pays bonus coins, up to 1,000. • Temperature Chamber: slide Celsius or Fahrenheit and watch your squishy freeze solid or melt into a puddle. • The Trail Game: roll the die, solve a problem, hop up the trail. Two players, two ages, one board. SQUISHIES TO LOVE • Fifteen squishies in ten colors, every one made of wobbly jelly. • Coins from every right answer buy squishies and colors in the shop. • 51 badges in eight ladders, from First Hop to Master Detective. Achievements pay bonus coins. • The Playroom: tap, tickle and dance with your squishy. MADE FOR FAMILIES • No ads. No accounts. No tracking. • Everything stays on the device. • One optional purchase, behind a grown-up check: the Squishy Pack ($0.99, once) opens nine more squishies, five more colors, 5,000 coins for every player, and 15 squishy tricks to buy with coins. • Two tricks, Windy and Boo!, listen for how loud the room is. The microphone is asked for only after a grown-up allows it, and nothing is recorded. • Sound with a one-tap mute; respects the silent switch.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Squishy Math Trail at 5.0 against Starfall I'm Reading's 4.2. Squishy Math Trail also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 10 months). Starfall I'm Reading's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (46 vs 3). 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
Both are free to download. Squishy Math Trail sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Starfall I'm Reading asks for nothing beyond the download.
Squishy Math Trail holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starfall I'm Reading has 46 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Starfall I'm Reading ships an update every 10 months, Squishy Math Trail daily. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Starfall I'm Reading | Squishy Math Trail |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (46 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 46 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 102 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Starfall Education Foundation | Thomas Brown |
Customer experience
Starfall I'm Reading
Squishy Math Trail
In-app purchases
Starfall I'm Reading
No in-app purchases
Squishy Math Trail
- Squishy Pack$0.99
Questions
Is Starfall I'm Reading free?
Is Squishy Math Trail free?
Which has better reviews, Starfall I'm Reading or Squishy Math Trail?
Do Starfall I'm Reading or Squishy Math Trail have ads?
Which is updated more often, Starfall I'm Reading or Squishy Math Trail?
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