Last reviewed October 2026
What 'free' actually means, app by app
The word 'free' does a lot of heavy lifting in the App Store. Some apps are free to download and free to use; some are free to download but paywalled after ten minutes; some are 'free' only if your school pays. Here's the honest breakdown for UK primary maths.
Truly free apps
MathStar
UK curriculum, Reception to Year 6, ad-free. Free to download and free to play. Optional in-app purchases are cosmetic only — new instruments, stage kit, avatar upgrades. Nothing you buy affects the learning; every table, every skill, every level of the Soundcheck is on the free tier. No school code, no waiting list, no third-party ads.
Hit the Button (Topmarks)
A free browser mini-game. Excellent for a quick warm-up on 2×, 5× and 10×. Not a full learning app — no progress tracking, no adaptive engine, no coverage beyond basic times tables. Good as a supplement.
BBC Bitesize KS1/KS2
Free, curriculum-aligned videos and quizzes from the BBC. Great for topic introduction (fractions, place value, geometry). Not designed for daily fluency practice.
Topmarks (the wider site)
Beyond Hit the Button, Topmarks hosts dozens of free browser mini-games. Quality varies — the maths content is generally solid, the game design is 2010-era.
Not really free
Times Tables Rock Stars, Numbots
Both are excellent apps. Both are B2B-only. Parents can't sign up individually — the school has to hold a subscription. If your school subscribes, kids can log in at home. If not, individual purchase isn't an option.
Sumdog, Prodigy Maths
Freemium. There's a free tier, but the useful content — adaptive learning, curriculum coverage, personalisation — sits behind a paid subscription. The free tier works as a demo, not as a genuine learning tool. Expect frequent 'Upgrade to Premium' prompts during play.
DoodleMaths / DoodleTables
Free trial, then a paid subscription (~£8/month). Well-designed, UK-curriculum, but not free in any meaningful sense once the trial ends.
How to spot a fake-free app before you install
- Check the App Store for 'In-App Purchases'. Every app lists them. Read the top-tier purchase — if it's a monthly subscription, the app is freemium.
- Read the top three reviews. Parents mention paywalls fast.
- Look for a school-only pattern. If the marketing site talks about 'contact us for pricing' or 'get your school signed up', it's B2B — you probably can't buy it as a parent.
The MathStar difference on 'free'
MathStar's business model runs on cosmetic in-app purchases and, eventually, licensed music partnerships. Learning content is free forever, because a maths app that gates fluency behind a paywall doesn't get the reviews it needs to compete with TT Rockstars in schools. That's the trade-off, and it works for families.