Comparison

Spark Reading for Kids vs Newsela Student

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

Head to head
About

Spark Reading for Kids

This app offers a digital library of age-appropriate books for children in grades 2-8 to improve reading skills. It features interactive comprehension questions, progress tracking, and stories aligned with school curricula. Users can listen to stories and follow along, making reading practice engaging and accessible.

Highlights
  • Age-appropriate books (grades 2-8)
  • Interactive comprehension questions
  • Listen and follow along feature
  • Progress and score tracking
  • Aligned with school curriculum
  • Offline access
Features
Read full description

Cozy up with a good story this fall. Reduce reading struggles without all the pressure! Confidence with reading opens up every other possibility. • Studies show that just 10 minutes of reading a day makes a world of difference, with students recording higher scores in reading proficiency • Question and answer - questions about each story encourage deeper thinking and measure improving comprehension • You build mental strategies by learning to find clues within text that you’ve read • Choose your favorites from hundreds of topics - check out stories from history, from today, and from a world of fiction Explore the app and see for yourself. With practice you can achieve your best score! - Age-appropriate books from 2nd grade through 8th grade levels - Listen to the stories read out loud and follow along - Track student progress and scores - Aligned with school curriculum and common core standards - Curated by teachers and educators to explore every academic subject - Categories include science, sports, history, inventions, food and nutrition, geography, animals, music, mythology, biographies, and more There’s no wi-fi needed to play, so students can take this digital library with them on the go. No information is collected from the device, it is fully secure and COPPA compliant. "This app helped me in my reading. Now I have an A+. I am very happy I tried this app.” Spark Reading is completely free forever. If you choose to subscribe, payment will be charged to your Apple account. You can cancel at any time. We love to hear from you! Please send any feedback or questions to hello@peekaboo.mobi

About

Newsela Student

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
Read full description

Connect what’s happening in class to what’s happening in the world around you. Newsela brings authentic, real-world content into the classroom with embedded scaffolds that build knowledge, reading comprehension, and confidence across subject areas. Explore high-interest non-fiction articles, Generation Genius videos, and interactive PhET Simulations. What students can do in this app: EXPLORE HIGH-INTEREST TOPICS Discover fresh content across current events, science, technology, animals, sports, arts, pop culture, engineering, space, and more. READ YOUR OWN WAY Customize the experience with adjustable reading supports like Language Translation and Listen mode. INTERACT WITH ARTICLES Annotate text, take Polls, complete Checks for Understanding, and use Guided Highlighting. STAY ON TRACK View assignments, check due dates, and set up reminders. TAKE ON READING CHALLENGES Pick from a library of interesting articles, build independent reading habits, and earn classroom rewards. Why educators love Newsela: PROVEN SKILL GROWTH Research shows regular Newsela use can lead to up to four (4) additional months of literacy growth. RELEVANT AND TRUSTED Developed by expert learning designers in partnership with trusted publishers to deliver standards-aligned, engaging content each week. What educators are saying: “We need tools that are ever-changing, just like the world.” - New Jersey educator “Gives [students] something they can practice independently.” - Ohio teacher “They are pushing themselves to read at more difficult levels.” - Virginia teacher “They were able to connect to the novel, thereby bringing it to life.” - Michigan educator Since 2013, Newsela has worked toward one mission: Meaningful classroom learning for every student, every day. To get started, download the app and sign in with your school account or learning management system (LMS). Terms of Service: https://newsela.com/legal/terms Privacy Policy: https://newsela.com/legal/newsela-privacy-policy Help Center: https://help.newsela.com/en/

Screenshots

Spark Reading for Kids4 screens
Newsela Student4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Newsela Student at none against Spark Reading for Kids's 6. Newsela Student also leads on ratings volume (29K vs 8K). Spark Reading for Kids's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. Spark Reading for Kids sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Newsela Student asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Spark Reading for Kids against 4.7 for Newsela Student. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8K and 29K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Spark Reading for Kids's written reviews are positive against 76% of Newsela Student's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spark Reading for Kids ships an update every 10 days, Newsela Student every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Spark Reading for Kids versus Newsela Student: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpark Reading for KidsNewsela Student
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (8K ratings)4.7 (29K ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.7% of reviews — better75.6% of reviews
Number of ratings8K29K — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size350 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPeekaboo Studios LLCNewsela

Customer experience

Spark Reading for Kids

All ratings7,942 ratings
Positive89.1%
Neutral4.0%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews148 reviews
Positive77.7%
Neutral4.1%
Negative18.2%

Newsela Student

All ratings28,929 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral2.8%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews315 reviews
Positive75.6%
Neutral3.8%
Negative20.6%

User reviews

Spark Reading for Kids

From 8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful for reading comprehension
  • 🚀 Engaging and interactive
  • 💡 Customizable reading levels
  • 🤩 Fun and educational

Room to improve

  • 💰 Paid content/subscription required
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🤔 Limited content for higher grade levels
  • 🤖 Robotic/monotonous reading voices

Newsela Student

From 29K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 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

Room to improve

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

Bugs and requests

Spark Reading for Kids

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login/account issues
  • Compatibility problems on older devices
  • Syncing issues across multiple devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • More free content and books
  • Ability to highlight/take notes
  • Customizable reading difficulty
  • Support for dyslexic readers

Newsela Student

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Spark Reading for Kids

Subscriptions6
  • All Access$3.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • All Access$6.993 Months
Show 3 more
  • Annual Subscription3 Days trial$23.991 Year
  • All Access7 Days trial$23.991 Year
  • All Access$23.991 Year
None

Newsela Student

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Spark Reading for Kids free?
Spark Reading for Kids is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Newsela Student free?
Newsela Student is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Spark Reading for Kids or Newsela Student?
Newsela Student is rated higher. Spark Reading for Kids averages 4.6 out of 5 from 8K ratings, while Newsela Student averages 4.7 from 29K ratings.
Do Spark Reading for Kids or Newsela Student have ads?
Neither Spark Reading for Kids nor Newsela Student shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spark Reading for Kids or Newsela Student?
Spark Reading for Kids ships an update every 10 days, and Newsela Student every 2 months. Most recently, Spark Reading for Kids was updated on November 6, 2026 and Newsela Student on November 9, 2026.

Other comparisons