What is the best number bonds app for kids?
The best number bonds app depends on what your child needs: a drill with a progress report (Squeebles Number Bonds), a plain practice tool for any total (Number Bonds!), or a puzzle that makes them plan bonds to 10 without feeling like a worksheet (Number Beasts, which we make). All four apps below show no ads in their App Store listings, and none sell anything inside the app.
No ads in all four; the real difference is drill versus puzzle.
Who Number Beasts is not for
- Children just starting to count. Number Beasts expects a child who can already add small numbers and wants to plan. For first steps, a finger game or a simple drill comes first.
- Parents who want a report. There is no parent dashboard, no child profiles and no curriculum mapping. Squeebles lists all three.
- Bonds beyond 20. Number Beasts works with 10, then 15 and 20 in the Chaos Laboratory. Squeebles goes to 1,000 and decimals; Number Bonds! lets you set any total up to 9,999.
If you need tracking or big totals, start elsewhere.
How Number Beasts teaches bonds, in 3 steps
- Pick a beast. Your child taps the beast to aim at. The launcher lines up the shot, and with aim assist on the path and the sum appear first, for example BOND 4+6=10.
- Launch a number. Make exactly 10 and the beast pops. Fall short and it grows, now needing a smaller number. Overshoot and it pops while the leftover keeps flying: a 7 into a 5 sends a 2 on to the next beast.
- Plan for par. Every stage has a par. Clearing at or under par without help earns three stars, so the game rewards thinking ahead, not tapping fast.
One design decision we made: the helper tools cost something. Bloop rewinds, Zappo nudges a number by one and Nimbus reveals a winning move, but any tool caps that attempt at two stars. Children can get unstuck, and still have a reason to try once more on their own.
Every launch is a number bond, and leftovers make children think about what remains.
Number bonds apps compared for parents
Checked against each US App Store listing on 3 November 2026.
| App | Price | Bonds covered | Parent tools | Style | Last listed update |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squeebles Number BondsKeyStageFun | $3.99, no ads or IAP | 10, 20, 50, 100, 1,000, decimals to 1 | PIN parent area, per-child stats | 4 drill games, collectable characters | 2021 |
| Number Bonds!aMASE | $1.99, no ads or IAP | Any total from 10 to 9,999 | Settings for the total | 4 exercises of 6 tasks, 2-player mode | 2019 |
| Fun Number BondsDavid Durham | $0.99, no ads or IAP | 5, 10 and 20 | None listed | Animated characters; designed for iPad | 2023 |
| Number Beasts: Bond LabHonest Little Apps (us) | Free, no ads or IAP | 10, then 15 and 20 | None; VoiceOver, Reduce Motion | 45 puzzle stages, Daily Lab, arcade mode | Current |
Who should pick what: for a structured drill with a report, Squeebles. For a cheap, plain tool where you set the total, Number Bonds!. For a younger child on an iPad who needs bonds to 5 first, Fun Number Bonds. For a child who already knows some pairs and likes puzzles, Number Beasts.
Three of the four are paid; ours is the only free one, and it is also the least like a worksheet.
What your child will actually see
Parents' questions about number bonds apps
What are number bonds?
Pairs of numbers that make a total, such as 7 and 3 making 10. Bonds to 10 are often called friends of ten. Knowing them by heart makes later addition and subtraction much easier.
At what age do children learn number bonds to 10?
Usually in the first years of school. Two of the apps on this page, Number Bonds! and Fun Number Bonds, list themselves as made for ages 6 to 8 on the App Store. Number Beasts and Squeebles Number Bonds are rated 4+ without a stated target age.
Is Number Beasts an educational app?
It is listed as a puzzle game, not a curriculum. Every shot is a number bond (make exactly 10, or 15 and 20 in the last world), and the arcade mode keeps a Bond Map of every bond played. There are no lessons, levels by school year or parent reports.
Does Number Beasts have ads or in-app purchases?
No. The App Store listing says no ads, no accounts, no tracking and no in-app purchases, and the whole game works offline.
Which app has a parent progress report?
Squeebles Number Bonds lists a password-protected parent and teacher area with per-child progress. Number Beasts, Number Bonds! and Fun Number Bonds do not list one.
Can my child play Number Beasts without reading?
Partly. Hints are short sentences, such as "Tap the beast to aim at it". Aim assist shows the full path and the sum before a launch, and every beast has a VoiceOver label. A pre-reader will need you nearby for the first stages.
Honest limits
- It is a puzzle game, so children who dislike puzzles may stall around the Gravity Grove mirrors and arrow pads.
- No account means no cloud sync. Progress lives on one device.
- Apple devices only: iPhone and iPad on iOS 18 or later.
- We do not claim it improves test scores. It gives children many chances to make 10 in their heads, and a reason to plan.
If you want a hands-on start away from screens, the Breaking and Making 10 finger game from UChicago STEM Education is free and takes two minutes.
Download free on the App Store
Start with Candy Circuit stage 1 together. One launch, one bond, and you will see in a minute whether it clicks for your child.
Number Beasts: Bond Lab on the App Store · Updated November 2026
Related
- Number Beasts: the make-ten number bond puzzleLaunch a number, make 10, carry the rest. A turn-based number bonds puzzle for iPhone with 45 stages. No ads, no purchases, offline.
- What to do when your child still counts on fingersFinger counting is a normal stage. Pick your child's situation for the next step to try, from counting on to make-ten games, with sources.
- Math games instead of worksheets: which swap fitsWhen worksheets end in tears: compare a card game, a shorter sheet and a make-ten puzzle app, then take a 3-question quiz to pick one.
- Math games to play with grandchildren: week oneA first-week guide for grandparents: a make-ten finger game, a make-ten puzzle to share on iPhone, and a 7-day checklist. No ads, no purchases.