Comparing ABCmouse to ABCmouse 2

ABCmouse 2 is not just a visual refresh—it’s a total reimagination of the learning experience. It’s the next generation of early learning, built on trusted foundations of ABCmouse and redesigned for today’s kids.

This article provides a side-by-side comparison of ABCmouse vs. ABCmouse 2, highlighting the differences in curriculum, user experience, accessibility, and content updates to highlight what truly sets ABCmouse 2 apart.

The best news for current ABCmouse subscribers: Your ABCmouse subscription includes Premium Access to ABCmouse 2 at no extra charge. This 2-for-1 bonus is good for as long as your ABCmouse subscription is active. Learn more here.

Table of Contents – Jump to Each Section

Learning Through Unstructured Play
App Appearance and Navigation
Subscription Options
Learning Paths
Number of Activities
How You Can Access the Programs
ABCmouse 2 vs. ABCmouse: Feature Comparison

Learning Through Unstructured Play

ABCmouse 2 includes updated versions of kid-favorites from the original app, giving classic activities a fresh and exciting upgrade. Building on that fun, it also introduces My World—a brand-new area with five engaging zones that encourage kids to explore, play, and learn in new ways.

Bot Beats (Coding):

Kids program a robot to dance, introducing them to early coding concepts in a fun and interactive way.

Pet Town (Narrative Play):

An upgraded version of Pet Park, this zone inspires creativity and storytelling with more dynamic options.

Safari (Life Science):

Go on an African safari to spark curiosity and teach life science through immersive exploration.

Hamster Maze (Spatial Logic):

Solve puzzles and care for a pet hamster to develop spatial reasoning and problem-solving skills.

Aquarium (Social-Emotional Learning):

Feed and care for fish to build empathy and emotional awareness.

Screen shot from a fun bots beats game on the updated ABCmouse app.

Screen shot from pet park game on the updated ABCmouse app.

In the original ABCmouse app, kids can enjoy the following activities—found in the My Avatar section:

My Aquarium – Feed and care for fish to encourage empathy and responsibility.

My Hamster – Solve mazes and play with a pet hamster to build spatial and problem-solving skills.

Pet Park – A playful space for kids to interact with virtual pets.

My Room – Decorate a personalized room with furniture and accessories.

App Appearance and Navigation

ABCmouse 2 – Engaging Mobile User Interface: The bright and inviting ABCmouse 2 home screen was designed with usability for young children in mind. And kids who are used to working with apps will find it intuitive to explore this colorful and engaging world of education.

Screen shot from the navigation page on the updated ABCmouse app.

ABCmouse – Lots of Options to Click On: How you navigate the original ABCmouse will depend somewhat on which version (mobile, desktop, web) you are using, but the user interface on all will be more filled with options, which is exciting to some and more overwhelming to others. Navigation is more click/tap based than the swiping used to access content on the ABCmouse 2 app.

Screen shot from the navigation page on the original ABCmouse app.

Subscription Options

ABCmouse – Annual and Monthly Subscription Options: Monthly plans with the First Week Free (Apple) or First Month Free (Google) are available, in addition to discounted annual plans, which offer much greater longterm savings.

Learning Path(s)

ABCmouse 2- Separate Math and Reading Learning Paths: The single Learning Path offered in our original ABCmouse program has been split into separate paths for two reasons. One: It allows children to focus on one area at a time, whether that’s because they love to read most or because they need to work on math skills more frequently. Two: It allows parents and caregivers to set each Learning Path at a different grade level if that’s more personalized for their child. Many children are more proficient with either math or reading skills and this lets them work on activities that are “just right” for each skill.

ABCmouse – One Learning Path: For some children, who have equal skills in math and reading and no favorite subject, having a mix of subject types on the Learning Path offers greater variety and engagement. If children do want to focus only on math or reading during any gameplay session they can do so outside of the Learning Path.

Number of Activities

ABCmouse 2 – 5,000+ Learning Activities, and Growing: Already, the new ABCmouse 2 app offers a comprehensive early learning curriculum featuring more than 5,000 activities, with more added all the time. In the ABCmouse Classroom section, you’ll see the exact number of activities available for each subject and game type. ABCmouse 2 activities encompass Reading, Math, Social Studies, Arts and Colors, and Music.

Screen shot from the classrom page on the updated ABCmouse app.

ABCmouse – 10,000+ Learning Activities: Right now, ABCmouse does have more learning activities than the ABCmouse 2 app, but the activities on ABCmouse 2 are all-new and optimized for the app, and new activities are being added to the ABCmouse 2 app rather than the original ABCmouse app. There’s more than enough in each app to satisfy an eager learner for a long long time. ABCmouse activities encompass Reading, Math, Social Studies, Arts and Colors, and Music.

How You Can Access the Programs

ABCmouse 2 – Mobile Only (Apple, Google): The new ABCmouse 2 has been built from the ground up as a mobile app, using the latest technology and techniques for an incredibly fast and fully optimized mobile experience on tablets and phones. The app is available in Apple’s iTunes store or the Google Play Store (Amazon Kindle Fire is not yet supported). Desktop app and browser versions of the program are not currently available.

ABCmouse – All Platforms: Our original ABCmouse program is available on mobile devices, in addition to a desktop app and via a web browser at www.ABCmouse.com.