Newsela Student vs SiLAS Solutions
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/
SiLAS Solutions
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Our Socially Interactive Learning Avatar Software (SiLAS) can be used in class, virtually, or a hybrid of the settings. Pre-Made lessons are provided to teachers as well as a simulation tool for making avatar based movies to learn SEL in an engaging environment. - Animation Creation - Social Emotional Screener - Progress Monitoring
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: SiLAS Solutions at 11.0 against Newsela Student's 15.1. On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Newsela Student ships an update every 2 months, SiLAS Solutions every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Newsela Student | SiLAS Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (29K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 29K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 261 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Newsela | Christopher Dudick |
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
SiLAS Solutions
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Newsela Student
No in-app purchases
SiLAS Solutions
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Newsela Student free?
Is SiLAS Solutions free?
Do Newsela Student or SiLAS Solutions have ads?
Which is updated more often, Newsela Student or SiLAS Solutions?
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