Newsela Student vs Minga
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Newsela Student
This app offers engaging articles on diverse topics, each presented at five different reading levels. It includes activities and quizzes to deepen understanding, automatically adjusting difficulty to keep learners challenged and motivated. Students can track their progress and practice vocabulary.
- Leveled articles on any topic
- Adjustable reading levels
- Integrated activities and quizzes
- Offline annotation and submission
- Real-time progress tracking
- Vocabulary practice (Power Words)
- Curated and custom learning sets
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Connect what’s happening in class to what’s happening in the world around you. Newsela brings authentic, real-world content into the classroom with embedded scaffolds that build knowledge, reading comprehension, and confidence across subject areas. Explore high-interest non-fiction articles, Generation Genius videos, and interactive PhET Simulations. What students can do in this app: EXPLORE HIGH-INTEREST TOPICS Discover fresh content across current events, science, technology, animals, sports, arts, pop culture, engineering, space, and more. READ YOUR OWN WAY Customize the experience with adjustable reading supports like Language Translation and Listen mode. INTERACT WITH ARTICLES Annotate text, take Polls, complete Checks for Understanding, and use Guided Highlighting. STAY ON TRACK View assignments, check due dates, and set up reminders. TAKE ON READING CHALLENGES Pick from a library of interesting articles, build independent reading habits, and earn classroom rewards. Why educators love Newsela: PROVEN SKILL GROWTH Research shows regular Newsela use can lead to up to four (4) additional months of literacy growth. RELEVANT AND TRUSTED Developed by expert learning designers in partnership with trusted publishers to deliver standards-aligned, engaging content each week. What educators are saying: “We need tools that are ever-changing, just like the world.” - New Jersey educator “Gives [students] something they can practice independently.” - Ohio teacher “They are pushing themselves to read at more difficult levels.” - Virginia teacher “They were able to connect to the novel, thereby bringing it to life.” - Michigan educator Since 2013, Newsela has worked toward one mission: Meaningful classroom learning for every student, every day. To get started, download the app and sign in with your school account or learning management system (LMS). Terms of Service: https://newsela.com/legal/terms Privacy Policy: https://newsela.com/legal/newsela-privacy-policy Help Center: https://help.newsela.com/en/
Minga
This app digitizes school operations, replacing manual tasks with an all-in-one campus management solution. It simplifies hall passes, check-ins, behavior tracking, and attendance, freeing up staff time for student success.
- Digital Student ID
- Digital Hall Pass
- Community & Communication
- Check In
- Behavior & Rewards
- FlexTime
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Schools across the country are embracing Minga for streamlined campus management. Minga is your all-in-one solution for bringing school operations into the digital age. Forget about the old days of paper, spreadsheets, and time-consuming manual tasks. With Minga, things like hall passes, school check in, tardy slips, behavior reports, rewards, and attendance are all a breeze. This means less busy work for staff and more time spent on helping students succeed. Minga’s seamlessly integrated modules include: • Digital Student ID • Digital Hall Pass • Community & Communication • Check In • Behavior & Rewards • FlexTime Use Minga to: • Consolidate software, reduce costs • Boost campus security and efficiency • Simplify Hallway Management • Foster positive student behavior • Manage and Reduce Tardies • Streamline communication and events • Integrate with SIS • Leverage data-rich reports And much more…
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Newsela Student at 76% against Minga's 12%. Newsela Student also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (29K vs 7.8K). Minga's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and chart position (#207 vs unranked). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Newsela Student holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 29K and 7.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Newsela Student's written reviews are positive against 12% of Minga's.
Newsela Student ships an update every 2 months, Minga every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Newsela Student | Minga |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (29K ratings) — better | 3.0 (7.8K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.6% of reviews — better | 11.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 29K — better | 7.8K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #207 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 183 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Newsela | Change Gamers |
Customer experience
Newsela Student
Minga
User reviews
Newsela Student
From 29K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Good app for different reading levels
- 📚 Variety of informative articles
- 🎓 Useful for education and learning
- 🤓 Helps improve reading and vocabulary
- 🙌 Great resource for teachers and students
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🔍 Lack of specific search options
- 💤 Boring or one-sided content
- 🤔 Grading system needs improvement
- 📱 Mobile app issues (login, navigation)
Minga
From 7.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great for school schedules and updates
- 👍 Helpful for students to interact with school
Room to improve
- 🐛 Glitchy and confusing interface
- 🔒 Invasive permissions and privacy concerns
- ⏱️ Overly restrictive time limits for bathroom breaks
- 🚫 Unnecessary and controlling for students
Bugs and requests
Newsela Student
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login issues on iOS 12
- Binder page frequently freezes or glitches
- Inability to see all available article sets
- Replying and submitting work takes too long
Requested features
5 requests- Add word definitions or translations
- Implement auto-save for writing assignments
- Introduce a teacher-specific version of the app
- Expand content to include more global news
- Improve multitasking and split-screen support
Minga
Reported bugs
3 issues- Frequent crashes and loading issues
- Unreliable connectivity on school WiFi
- Inconsistent functionality across devices
Requested features
3 requests- Allow more flexible bathroom break times
- Improve app stability and performance
- Provide more privacy and less monitoring of students
In-app purchases
Newsela Student
No in-app purchases
Minga
No in-app purchases









