Comparison

Bug Mazing vs Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Adventure learning experience
  • Develops critical thinking and memory
  • Practices letters, numbers, and colors
  • Tracing activities
  • Over 20 unique challenges
  • 5 difficulty levels
Read full description

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

About

Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead

This app offers a comprehensive reading curriculum for young learners with over 300 picture books, songs, and interactive quizzes. It supports listening, reading, and recording, building phonics and vocabulary skills. Designed by an award-winning educator, it aims to foster a love of reading and confidence in beginning readers.

Highlights
  • Library of 300+ picture books
  • Sing-along song books
  • Interactive train game quizzes
  • Listen, read, and record functionality
  • Integrated word dictionary
  • Progress reporting tools
  • Unlimited user accounts
Features
Read full description

Every child can learn to read with this growing library of 300+ playful picture books, 21 sing-along song books and unlimited train game quizzes. "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. Pay once and receive all the books PLUS regular updates with brand new books at no additional cost! Play the train game, win coins for the music store, collect and learn new vocabulary words in the train yard. Created by Libby Curran, 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. Please note this is the same app as Reading Train Endless Books Songs & Games but includes all books with no in-app purchases. "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 3 different beginning reading levels. * 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 leveled books on 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 reading comprehension and foundational 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

Bug Mazing4 screens
Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Bug Mazing at $0.99 against Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead's $9.99. Bug Mazing also leads on ratings volume (18 vs 2). Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 52%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.0). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Bug Mazing costs $0.99 and Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bug Mazing has 18 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Bug Mazing's written reviews are positive against 75% of Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bug Mazing ships an update every 5 months, Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Bug Mazing versus Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBug MazingReading Train Full STEAM Ahead
Price$0.99 — better$9.99
Rating4.8 (18 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.7% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings18 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size128 MB1.4 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLittle Bit Studio, LLCThe Learning Station, LLC

Customer experience

Bug Mazing

All ratings18 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews29 reviews
Positive51.7%
Neutral6.9%
Negative41.4%

Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

Bug Mazing

No in-app purchases

None

Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bug Mazing free?
Bug Mazing costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead free?
Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bug Mazing or Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead?
Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead is rated higher. Bug Mazing averages 4.8 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Bug Mazing or Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead have ads?
Neither Bug Mazing nor Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bug Mazing or Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead?
Bug Mazing ships an update every 5 months, and Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead every 3 months. Most recently, Bug Mazing was updated on November 1, 2026 and Reading Train Full STEAM Ahead on November 1, 2026.

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