Comparison

Read Live vs Number Rack, by MLC

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

Head to head
About

Read Live

This app provides a structured, audio-supported system to improve reading fluency, phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension for learners of all ages. It offers access to four distinct curriculum options, including support for Spanish readers, and tracks student progress across devices. A Read Live account is required to use the program.

Highlights
  • Four curriculum options
  • Audio-supported system
  • Develops reading fluency
  • Improves comprehension
  • Tracks student progress
  • Spanish reading support
Read full description

Read Live delivers measurable results for struggling and developing readers of all ages. With this app, your students can access their Read Live student stories and exercises in an experience designed to take advantage of the iPad’s capabilities. Improve fluency and phonics skills while supporting vocabulary and comprehension development with Read Naturally Live. Build mastery and automaticity in phonics and decoding with systematic phonics instruction with Word Warm-ups Live. Enable structured, engaging, and independent reading practice with One Minute Reader Live. Help native Spanish speakers or others to learn to read Spanish text fluently with Read Naturally Live–Español. Visit our website to learn more about Read Live: readnaturally.com/go-read-live *** A Read Live account and internet connection are required to use this app. Don’t have an account yet? Don't worry: you can create a free account and start using the program within 1 business day! Read Live was designed by teachers for use in schools. Here's what some teachers are saying: “A great program. Kids enjoy using it. They see their progress in fluency and comprehension skills.” – Special Education Teacher, VT “Love, Love, Love this program to help build our students' fluency. All of the stories are engaging for the students. The technology is easy for both students and teachers to use.” – First-Grade Teacher, WI “This program has dramatically increased the fluency, comprehension and writing abilities of my ELL students. Their MAP scores have risen as much as 15 points in a trimester. It provides great individualization.” – ELL/ESL Teacher, IL KEY FEATURES • Full access to all four curriculum options: Read Naturally Live, Word Warm-ups Live, One Minute Reader Live, and Read Naturally Live–Español. • Structured, audio-supported system keeps students motivated and holds them accountable for their own success. • Develops reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and phonics. • Excellent for Response to Intervention (RTI) or Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). • Student progress syncs across computer and iPad. • Free iPad app for Read Live account holders. ________________________________________ Need support? We’re here to help. Email us at support@readnaturally.com *** IMPORTANT!! You must have a Read Live account to use this app.

About

Number Rack, by MLC

This virtual manipulative tool helps children develop number sense through interactive bead groupings. It supports exploration of addition and subtraction strategies with customizable rows and colors. Ideal for elementary classrooms, it includes annotation and sharing features.

Highlights
  • 1-10 rows of 10 beads
  • Resizable bead covers for subtraction
  • Color-coded bead rows
  • Annotation and drawing tools
  • Math text and writing tools
  • Shareable work via image or code
Features
Read full description

Number Rack facilitates the natural development of children’s number sense. The movable, colored beads encourage learners to think in groups of fives and tens, helping them to explore and discover a variety of addition and subtraction strategies. This virtual version of the manipulative is an open-ended educational tool, ideal for elementary classrooms and other learning environments. FEATURES • Display 1 to 10 rows of beads, 10 beads per row. • Hide beads with resizable covers, which allows teachers or learners to model subtraction or difference problems. • Reverse the colors of rows 6 to 10 to distinguish (or not) groupings of 25 beads. • Use the drawing tools to annotate work and show understanding. • Add equations, expressions, and descriptions with the math text and writing tools. • Share work by saving an image or providing a share code to others. Great for creating the initial setup of an activity, then sharing it with students so they can explore it further.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Number Rack, by MLC at 100% against Read Live's 29%. Number Rack, by MLC also leads on ratings volume (9 vs 1). Read Live's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.2) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 25 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Read Live holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Number Rack, by MLC has 9 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 29% of Read Live's written reviews are positive against 100% of Number Rack, by MLC's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Read Live ships an update every 4 months, Number Rack, by MLC every 25 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Read Live versus Number Rack, by MLC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRead LiveNumber Rack, by MLC
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better3.2 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews28.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings19 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 25 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS14.3 — better14.7
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRead Naturally, Inc.The Math Learning Center

Customer experience

Read Live

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative71.4%

Number Rack, by MLC

All ratings9 ratings
Positive55.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative44.4%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Read Live

No in-app purchases

None

Number Rack, by MLC

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Read Live free?
Read Live is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Number Rack, by MLC free?
Number Rack, by MLC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Read Live or Number Rack, by MLC?
Read Live is rated higher. Read Live averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Number Rack, by MLC averages 3.2 from 9 ratings.
Do Read Live or Number Rack, by MLC have ads?
Neither Read Live nor Number Rack, by MLC shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Read Live or Number Rack, by MLC?
Read Live ships an update every 4 months, and Number Rack, by MLC every 25 months. Most recently, Read Live was updated on November 1, 2026 and Number Rack, by MLC on November 3, 2026.

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