Comparison

ER School District vs Smart Tales

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

Head to head
About

ER School District

Stay informed about your local school district with personalized news and updates. Access important information, contact details, and receive timely notifications. Get involved with your school community through this official communication tool.

Highlights
  • Personalized news feed
  • District and school news
  • District tip line
  • Customizable notifications
  • District directory access
  • Contact information management
Features
Read full description

The official ER School District app gives you a personalized window into what is happening at the district and schools. Get the news and information that you care about and get involved! Anyone can: -View District and school news -Use the district tip line -Receive notifications from the district and schools -Access the district directory -Display information personalized to your interests Parents and students can: -View and add contact information

About

Smart Tales

This app offers over 2500 interactive educational games and stories for children aged 2-11. It covers reading, writing, STEM, and math, with a focus on personalized learning paths and inclusivity for all learners, including neurodivergent children. Parents can monitor progress and set limits.

Highlights
  • Interactive educational games
  • Award-winning stories
  • Math skills development
  • Reading and vocabulary building
  • STEM and science exploration
  • Logic and reasoning challenges
  • Personalized learning paths
Features
Read full description

Give your child the tools to thrive in school, at home, and beyond and make screen time productive with fun, educational and non addictive games and stories. With 2500+ interactive activities, award-winning stories, and science-backed games, Smart Tales® is the go-to learning app for kids aged 2 to 11. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or caregiver, it’s built to support every learner—including neurodivergent children—with a focus on inclusivity and engagement. “Smart Tales has been a game-changer. My child now asks to practice multiplication tables!” “I love that I can track progress and feel confident it’s not just screen time—it’s real learning.” “As a busy single mom, it’s the only app I trust when I need 20 focused minutes.” What Smart Tales® Helps Your Child Achieve: -Master MATH SKILLS and go beyond with addition, subtraction, multiplication, division & time tables -Build a LOVE FOR READING with read-along stories and vocabulary-rich adventures -Practice real-world SCIENCE: human body, space, nature, and fun experiments -Strengthen LOGIC and REASONING through coding challenges and brain games -Develop BETTER BEHAVIOR and emotional regulation through STORIES rooted in values and kindness -Progress at their own pace with a personalized LEARNING PATH -Learn anywhere with OFFLINE ACCESS and multi-device support BUILT FOR ALL TYPES OF LEARNERS Smart Tales® was crafted with inclusivity at its core, certified for kids on the autism spectrum and built to support neurodivergent learning styles. Whether your child is ahead, behind, or simply learns differently, Smart Tales® adapts to their needs. AWARDS & RECOGNITION **Apple App Store: 2025 Essential App for Kids Mom’s Choice Award® National Parenting Product Award Academics’ Choice™ Brain Toy Award Parent and Teacher Choice Award™ Kids Safe Certified 5 Stars – Educational App Store** PROGRAMS THAT GROW WITH YOUR CHILD READING PROGRAM Nurture early literacy with phonics, read-alongs, sentence building, and story comprehension. Smart Tales® builds a love for reading by making every word part of an adventure. MATH PROGRAM From counting to multiplication and time tables, every activity is designed to strengthen core math skills through engaging, gamified lessons. SCIENCE PROGRAM Explore topics from animal facts and senses to geography, photosynthesis, and astronomy. Real-world learning, simplified and made fun. FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS -Monitor learning with the Parent Area -Set time limits, track achievements, and adjust difficulty -Aligned to U.S. State Standards -Created by educators, backed by child development research Whether you’re prepping your preschooler for kindergarten, reinforcing classroom learning, or just looking for smarter screen time, Smart Tales® gives your child a solid educational foundation—and makes them love learning. Download Smart Tales® today—where every tap leads to growth. Let's keep in touch! hello@smarttales.app support@smart-tales.freshdesk.com Visit our website: smarttales.app Terms of Service: https://smarttales.app/terms-and-conditions/

Screenshots

ER School District4 screens
Smart Tales4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Smart Tales at 4.6 against ER School District's 2.5. Smart Tales also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (19K vs 8). ER School District's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Smart Tales sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. ER School District asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Smart Tales holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smart Tales has 19K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of ER School District's written reviews are positive against 55% of Smart Tales's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ER School District ships an update every 9 months, Smart Tales every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
ER School District versus Smart Tales: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterER School DistrictSmart Tales
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (8 ratings)4.6 (19K ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews54.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings819K — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#180 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB289 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEast Rutherford Board of EducationMarshmallow Games SRL

Customer experience

ER School District

All ratings7 ratings
Positive42.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative57.1%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Smart Tales

All ratings18,327 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral5.0%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews374 reviews
Positive54.8%
Neutral3.2%
Negative42.0%

Bugs and requests

ER School District

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Smart Tales

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Incorrect shape identification
  • Subscription issues and double charges
  • Content not loading properly
  • Accessibility features not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • More writing and grade-level options
  • Improved voice-text synchronization
  • Better customization for child's level
  • Easier unsubscription process
  • Compatibility with family sharing

In-app purchases

None

ER School District

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Smart Tales

Subscriptions10
  • Premium Weekly$3.997 Days
  • Premium Monthly7 Days trial$5.491 Month
  • Monthly Learning Plan for Kids7 Days trial$14.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Premium Monthly$14.991 Month
  • Smart Tales Semi Annual$29.996 Months
  • Smart Tales Quarterly$34.993 Months
  • Smart Family Promo$39.991 Year
  • Yearly Promo Subscription$54.991 Year
  • Yearly Learning Plan for Kids7 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$89.991 Year

Questions

Is ER School District free?
ER School District is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smart Tales free?
Smart Tales is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ER School District or Smart Tales?
Smart Tales is rated higher. ER School District averages 2.5 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Smart Tales averages 4.6 from 19K ratings.
Do ER School District or Smart Tales have ads?
Neither ER School District nor Smart Tales shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ER School District or Smart Tales?
ER School District ships an update every 9 months, and Smart Tales every 3 weeks. Most recently, ER School District was updated on November 6, 2026 and Smart Tales on November 8, 2026.

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