Experience Biology vs Newsela Student
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Experience Biology
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EXPERIENCE BIOLOGY invites students to investigate basic scientific phenomena and concepts in biology through simulations and interactive labs. Using an inquiry-based learning approach, the apps challenge middle-school students with investigations and quizzes based on the students' explorations of each interactive unit. EXPERIENCE BIOLOGY PROVIDES APPS WITH • Dynamic simulations of scientific phenomena and concepts • Scientific background relating to the phenomenon and concepts • Multiple representations through dynamic graphs, tables, and interactive animations • Investigations based on interesting inquiry questions • Thought-provoking quizzes • Activities appropriate for individual learning, small-group work, and teacher-led class instruction EXAMPLES OF EXPERIENCE BIOLOGY UNITS: POND FOOD CHAIN investigates a simple food chain consisting of producers, herbivores, predators, and top predators. Students understand basic concepts relating to an ecological system by changing population sizes, running the simulation, recording the results, and drawing conclusions. How can changing the population size of one species influence the population sizes of the other species in the same food chain? THE BODY AS A SYSTEM explores the physiological responses of walking or running on a treadmill. Students can change the velocity of the treadmill and observe the corresponding changes in the runner's heart rate, respiration rate, body temperature, oxygen consumption, and blushing. What changes occur in our bodies when we increase our rate of walking and running? CELLULAR RESPIRATION examines how the digestive, respiratory, and circulatory systems work together in the process that provides energy to the body's cells. How do the molecules that interact within the cells in this process (the reactants) reach the cells? What happens to the molecules that result from this process (the products)? JOURNEY TO BIOLOGICAL LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION explores biological levels of organization, from the biosphere to atoms, in three ecosystems: the Mediterranean Scrubland, the African Savannah and the Coral Reef. What patterns can you notice as you move up an ecosystem, level by level? INHERITANCE OF A SINGLE TRAIT investigates how traits are transmitted from one generation to the next, using the dominant-recessive pattern of inheritance. The simulation invites students to conduct genetic crosses of plants with different traits, in order to solve five genetic challenges. PHOTOSYNTHESIS invites students to investigate how light intensity and carbon dioxide levels affect the photosynthesis rate, by manipulating these variables under different conditions, graphing the results, and drawing conclusions. What are limiting factors and what role do they play in photosynthesis? THE BEATING HEART examines how blood flows from the body to the heart, lungs and back to the body. The simulation invites students to investigate how the heart works. What is the effect of different levels of physical activity on the heart rate?
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Newsela Student at none against Experience Biology's 6. Newsela Student also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months) and device support (3 vs 1). Experience Biology's advantage is iOS requirement (6.0 vs 15.1). On price 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
Both are free to download. Experience Biology sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Newsela Student asks for nothing beyond the download.
Experience Biology ships an update every 6 months, Newsela Student every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Experience Biology | Newsela Student |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.7 (29K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 75.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 29K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Center for Educational Technology | Newsela |
Bugs and requests
Experience Biology
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
Experience Biology
- Pond Food Chain$0.99
- Cellular Respiration$0.99
- Journey to Biological Levels of Organization$0.99
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- Genetics: Inheritance of a Single Trait$0.99
- The Beating Heart$0.99
- Photosynthesis$0.99
Newsela Student
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Experience Biology free?
Is Newsela Student free?
Do Experience Biology or Newsela Student have ads?
Which is updated more often, Experience Biology or Newsela Student?
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