Pizza Hut BOOK IT! vs Explore NC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pizza Hut BOOK IT!
Encourage your child's reading habits with this program that tracks progress and offers rewards. By reading for a set amount of time each day over several weeks, children can earn a free pizza from a participating restaurant.
- Track daily reading time
- Reward reading milestones
- Earn free pizza
- Summer reading program
- Encourage lifelong reading
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Track and reward your child's reading with a free single-topping Personal Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut for each month they reach their goal. *About BOOK IT!* In 1984, Pizza Hut established the BOOK IT! National Reading Incentive Program to motivate children to read more and help develop a lifelong love of reading. For more information, visit www.bookitprogram.com or keep up with BOOK IT! via social media:@bookitprogram and Facebook.com/bookitprogram.
Explore NC
Discover North Carolina's historical and cultural sites through an engaging augmented reality experience. Interactive games and educational content are designed for children aged 5 and up, offering a fun way to learn about the state's attractions.
- Augmented reality experiences
- Interactive games
- Historical and cultural attractions
- Educational content for kids
- Learn about North Carolina sites
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Explore the wonders of North Carolina with this fun and engaging augmented reality experience. Designed for kids age 5+ and their grown-ups, the app takes you to historical and cultural attractions across the state. Highlights include interactive games with the carnivorous Venus flytrap and aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright as well as trips to the North Carolina Zoo, the North Carolina Symphony and a Civil Rights monument in Raleigh. Each experience offers educational and entertainment enrichment for children and families looking to learn more about important sites in North Carolina. This app was developed by PBS North Carolina in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Screenshots
Verdict
Pizza Hut BOOK IT! and Explore NC both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Explore NC's written reviews are positive against 44% of Pizza Hut BOOK IT!'s. Pizza Hut BOOK IT!'s advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (12K vs 6). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Pizza Hut BOOK IT! against 5.0 for Explore NC. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pizza Hut BOOK IT! has 12K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 44% of Pizza Hut BOOK IT!'s written reviews are positive against 100% of Explore NC's.
Pizza Hut BOOK IT! ships an update weekly, Explore NC every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pizza Hut BOOK IT! | Explore NC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (12K ratings) | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 43.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 12K — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 11 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 68 MB | 1.1 GB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pizza Hut, Inc. | Horizon Video Productions, Inc. |
Customer experience
Pizza Hut BOOK IT!
Explore NC
Bugs and requests
Pizza Hut BOOK IT!
Reported bugs
20 issues- App freezes phone and cannot be closed without force restart
- Login screen loops infinitely, trapping users
- Verification codes not sent or delayed for days
- Reward codes fail to generate after reading goals met
- Reward codes display as 'Account too new' error
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- App crashes on startup and won't open
- Timer resets when app is backgrounded or call received
- App times out after few minutes of inactivity
- Avatar selection screen has invisible buttons
- Data lost when switching between devices
- Account data wiped after app updates
- Login credentials not recognized after updates
- Reward redemption button unresponsive or loops music
- Calendar display confusing and difficult to navigate
- Two-factor authentication loop prevents app access
- Email mismatch errors between App Store and app accounts
- Homeschool enrollment not syncing to new school year
- Multiple children showing 'Account too new' error
- Processing spinner hangs indefinitely on reward claim
- App won't load past cover page
Requested features
12 requests- Restore website option for tracking reading
- Allow manual time entry instead of requiring active timer
- Support multiple simultaneous child logins without logout
- Extend logging window to full month instead of weekly
- Enable app to continue running in background
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- Accept multiple forms of homeschool verification
- Reduce documentation requirements for homeschoolers
- Provide alternative authentication methods beyond Apple ID
- Allow immediate reward redemption instead of waiting until next month
- Email reward codes directly instead of in-app only
- Simplify account setup process
- Improve customer support responsiveness
Explore NC
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Pizza Hut BOOK IT!
No in-app purchases
Explore NC
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Pizza Hut BOOK IT! free?
Is Explore NC free?
Which has better reviews, Pizza Hut BOOK IT! or Explore NC?
Do Pizza Hut BOOK IT! or Explore NC have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pizza Hut BOOK IT! or Explore NC?
Other comparisons
