Bug Mazing vs Reading Train
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bug Mazing
This app offers an adventure-based learning experience for young children, focusing on developing critical thinking, memory, and fine motor skills. It features a variety of challenges and mini-adventures covering letters, numbers, colors, and tracing, with adjustable difficulty levels.
- Adventure learning experience
- Develops critical thinking and memory
- Practices letters, numbers, and colors
- Tracing activities
- Over 20 unique challenges
- 5 difficulty levels
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Calling all heroes! Extending the Bugs and Buttons collection into adventure learning, Bug Mazing creates a unique experience of discovery and play. Practice traditional skills with letters, numbers, colors, and tracing or embark on unique quests that require critical thinking, memory, hand-eye coordination, and more. Each quest is generated from over 20 different challenges with 5 levels of difficulty for near endless variations of play. SKILLS: • Critical thinking • Fine motor • Numbers • Counting • Skip counting • Patterns • Letters • Colors • And more… FEATURES: • Designed for ages 3-6, but every child is different. • Adventures include 20+ unique challenges to explore and play. • Unlock 5 levels of difficulty to earn coins and unlimited jewels. • Unlock 7 playable and unique hero bugs. • Play 4 mini-adventures with Letters, Colors, Numbers and Tracing. • Original, detailed, and visually intriguing graphics • Humorous interactions and sound effects • NO In-Apps / NO third party advertising • Parental Gate * Chinese, Japanese, and Korean default to the English alphabet. ** some localizations include more comprehensive voice overs than others. We want and appreciate your feedback! Email: support@littlebitstudio.com Instagram: @littlebitstudio Facebook: @littlebitstudio Twitter: @lilbitstudio
Reading Train
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Every child can learn to read with this library of 140+ playful, Level A picture books, 20 sing-along song books and unlimited train game quizzes. Real Reading, Right from the Start! "No other app is as specifically tailored to the needs of beginning readers." KinderTown.com Now beginning readers can listen, read and record, all by themselves. Play the train game, win coins for the music store, collect and learn new vocabulary words in the train yard. Created by Libby Curran, a People Magazine Teacher of the Year, based on her award winning books. Grand Prize Winner of the 2015 Technology and Reading Award, International Literacy Association. "Beautifully designed storybooks and related games that teach foundational reading": Appolicious.com "A vast selection of mini books to help kids reach reading independence" Geeks With Juniors. Not just a game or set of e-books but a complete reading curriculum from pre-reading to reading independence, building phonics and vocabulary skills, self confidence and a love of reading. Safe for Kids: The Learning Station is a Proud Member of Moms With Apps Kid tested and teacher approved. We are ad-free and take our users privacy seriously. View our Privacy Policy here: http://www.readingtrain.org * Listen, read and record books at the easiest beginning reading level: Guided Reading Level A. * Professional narration: American English. All books can be recorded by users. * Play the train game after every book. * 450+ word integrated dictionary * 20 sing along song books * Unlimited user accounts and individual bookshelves * Powerful reporting tools Books Kids CAN Read. Written by Libby Curran, a People Magazine Teacher of the Year, these fun little books are field tested in real classrooms to get kids started on the path to reading independence. Books Kids LOVE to Read. Children are naturally curious, so encourage them to explore our beginning reading books on the alphabet, numbers, colors, animals, shapes, and science. Beginning readers need to read little books, but the Reading Train's unique design allows kids to explore big ideas, reading to learn at the same time as they learn to read. After reading, they can play the train quiz game, explore the audio dictionary and sing along with song books. Give Your Kids the Tools to Succeed. Stuck on a word? Tap and hold to hear every word and access the built in dictionary filled with hundreds of words. Play a unique quiz game at the end of every book to extend the learning. The Reading Train is packed full of tools to help children succeed, all on their own. Read To Learn- Meets Common Core Standards Kids can choose funny fiction and fascinating nonfiction on kid-friendly topics to build background knowledge while improving letter and sight word recognition, reading comprehension, and phonics skills. Quizzes Disguised as Games. Play the train game after finishing every book, but don't tell them it's a quiz! Check progress on the parent's page which shows books read and recorded and detailed scores on the quizzes. The Right Team for the Job The Reading Train is the culmination of 30+ years of teaching experience. Backed by an all-star team of teachers turned iOS developers and a professional children's musician, the Reading Train is serious about making learning fun. Safe for Kids Kid tested and teacher approved. We are ad-free and take our users privacy seriously. View our Privacy Policy here: http://www.readingtrain.org We welcome your feedback: email: support@readingtrain.org http://www.readingtrain.org http://www.facebook.com/readingtrain Contact Libby with suggestions about books at: libby@readingtrain.org Not compatible with iPad 1. Requires iOS 7 or higher.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Bug Mazing at $0.99 against Reading Train's $9.99. Bug Mazing also leads on update cadence (every 5 months vs every 13 months). Reading Train's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.0). On ads, in-app purchases 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
Bug Mazing costs $0.99 and Reading Train $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Bug Mazing ships an update every 5 months, Reading Train every 13 months. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.
| Parameter | Bug Mazing | Reading Train |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (18 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 51.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 18 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months — better | Every 13 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 128 MB | 870 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Little Bit Studio, LLC | The Learning Station, LLC |
In-app purchases
Bug Mazing
No in-app purchases
Reading Train
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Bug Mazing free?
Is Reading Train free?
Do Bug Mazing or Reading Train have ads?
Which is updated more often, Bug Mazing or Reading Train?
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