Hearty App Review: Cost, Free Access and an Alternative for Under-4s
Hearty: Everyday Bonding offers ready-made activity ideas for parents and children to do together. Its own website aims it at children aged 4 and up, so if yours is younger, this page will help you decide.
- Free to download
- No account needed
- No screen time for your child
On a laptop?Scan to get Mooshie on your iPhone.
The quick answer
- Who it’s for: Hearty’s website says it is for kids aged 4 to 10, and elsewhere says it works best for 4 to 12. Mooshie is built for 6 months to 4 years.
- Is Hearty free? You get 3 days of free access, then a subscription is needed to keep using it.
- Cost: UK App Store in-app purchases range from £4.99 to £39.99, with monthly, 6-month and yearly plans that aren’t clearly matched to prices.
- Our honest take: for a baby or toddler, Mooshie is the closer fit. For a child over 4, Hearty may suit you better.
Hearty vs Mooshie at a glance
| Hearty | Mooshie Moments | |
|---|---|---|
| Who uses the screen | Mainly the parent; some activities include videos your child may watch with you | The parent only. Your child never uses the screen |
| Ages | 4 to 10 or 4 to 12, according to Hearty’s website | 6 months to 4 years |
| Free version | 3 days of free access, then a subscription is required | 3 coached activities a week, no account needed |
| Price (UK) | In-app purchases from £4.99 to £39.99, including a £29.99 yearly plan | £9.99 a month or £29.99 a year, 7-day free trial |
| Platforms | iPhone and Android | iPhone only for now (Android and iPad later) |
| Types of activity | Games, science experiments and videos, sorted by goal, interest and situation | Play matched to age and stage, the time you have and today’s mood |
| What you need at home | Mostly simple household materials; some reviewers mention buying extras like balloons, paper cups and straws | Nothing, or everyday household items. No toys to buy |
| Best for | Shared offline activities with school-age children | Babies and toddlers, including tricky moments like tantrums and bedtime |
Prices and features checked November 2026 from each app’s own website and the UK App Store. They can change, so check before you subscribe.
What is the Hearty app?
Hearty: Everyday Bonding is a subscription app of activity ideas for parents and carers to do with their children. It is built around spending about 20 minutes a day of quality time together. Ideas are sorted by goal, interest and situation, so you can look up something for when you’re tired after work, for a weekend, or for when you’re out and about. Categories include Fun and Bonding, Family Time, Development, Daily Activities, On The Go and Education, and Hearty says new ideas are added every week.
The activities are a mix of games, science experiments and videos, and Hearty positions them as offline play, an alternative to screen time.
Hearty app activities: which ages do they suit?
This is the most important thing to check. The app stores don’t give a child age range, but Hearty’s own website describes it as for kids aged 4 to 10, and also says it works best for 4 to 12.
Mooshie is the other way round. It is built only for 6 months to 4 years, so every activity is designed for babies and toddlers. If your child is under 4, Mooshie is likely the closer fit. If they are 4 or older, Hearty may suit you better, and that is a perfectly good reason to choose it.
How much does Hearty cost, and is it free?
Hearty is free to download, but its App Store listing says you need to buy a subscription to use it. Plans include 3 days of free access.
At the time of writing (November 2026), UK App Store in-app purchases range from £4.99 to £39.99. Apple lists monthly plans at £4.99, £5.99 and £9.99, 6-month plans at £19.99 and £39.99, and a yearly plan at £29.99, without saying which you’ll be offered. Hearty’s website doesn’t show prices.
Some reviews mention billing problems, such as being charged without access, trouble restoring purchases, or a subscription bought on the website not showing in Apple settings. If you sign up, make a note of where you paid.
Try Mooshie free this week.
3 coached activities every week, free. No account, no toys to buy, and your child never touches the screen.
What Hearty does well
- Ideas for real-life moments. Sorting by situation, like after work or on the go, makes it quick to choose.
- Bonding first. The focus is on doing things together offline, not on your child using a screen.
- Variety. Games and science experiments keep older children interested.
- Well rated. It has 4.6 stars from 365 UK App Store ratings and 4.5 on Google Play from around 2,840 reviews.
Hearty or Mooshie for a toddler?
With a 2 year old, the day rarely goes to plan. Mooshie asks how today is going, whether that’s high energy, a hard moment or winding down, plus how much time you have, then picks from 5,918 activities for your child’s age and stage. Most need nothing or everyday household items. Each one gives you How to play steps, words to say and a Brain Bit on why it helps. Afterwards, What that built shows the skills practised, the Growth tab shows progress over time, and the journal keeps a note and photo.
For the hardest bits of toddlerhood there are Lifesavers for tantrums and meltdowns, potty training, picky eating, sleep regression, bedtime and separation anxiety. Parents can also add additional needs, such as speech and language delay, Down syndrome or cerebral palsy, so activities that won’t suit are filtered out and adaptation tips appear. Your child’s details stay on your phone.
Mooshie’s limits: it has no video demos, it is iPhone only for now, it doesn’t start until 6 months, and it is newer with fewer reviews.
Parents and experts on Mooshie
“I used to spend 30 minutes looking for an activity on Pinterest, get overwhelmed, and just turn on the TV. Mooshie takes 5 seconds.”
“Finally, an app that tells me to put my phone away. The activities are actually doable with stuff I have in my junk drawer.”
“As a pediatric OT, I love that these activities build core developmental skills without feeling like ‘homework’ for parents.”
Why parents choose Mooshie over Hearty
Made for under-4s
Every Mooshie activity is designed for 6 months to 4 years, while Hearty’s own site aims at children aged 4 and over.
Free beyond a few days
Mooshie’s free plan gives you 3 coached activities every week with no account and no time limit. Premium adds a 7-day free trial.
Help for toddler flashpoints
Lifesavers cover tantrums, potty training, sleep regression and separation anxiety, the moments that matter most at this age.
Other Hearty alternatives
- Speech Blubs: A speech practice app for ages 1 to 8 where the child copies videos of other children; your child uses the screen.
- Kinedu: A video-led development plan from pregnancy to age 6, with milestone tracking and expert classes.
- The Happy Child: Free daily parenting lessons for any age, if you want ideas on approach rather than activities.
- Lovevery app: Stage-based guidance for babies and toddlers, built around Lovevery’s Play Kit toys.
Questions parents ask
Is the Hearty app free?
Hearty is free to download and includes 3 days of free access. After that, the App Store listing says you need a subscription to use the app. Mooshie, by contrast, gives 3 coached activities a week free with no account.
How much does Hearty cost in the UK?
UK App Store in-app purchases range from £4.99 to £39.99, covering monthly, 6-month and yearly plans. The yearly plan is listed at £29.99. Apple doesn’t show which price you will be offered, so check in the app first.
What age is the Hearty app for?
Hearty’s website says it is for kids aged 4 to 10, and also that it works best for 4 to 12. For babies and toddlers from 6 months to 4 years, Mooshie is designed specifically for that age.
Is Hearty good for toddlers?
Hearty isn’t aimed at toddlers according to its own site. If your child is under 4, look at our 2 year old activities and toddler activities, or try Mooshie free.
Do Hearty activities need special supplies?
Most use simple household materials, according to the App Store listing. Some reviewers say certain activities need things like balloons, paper cups and straws. Most Mooshie activities need nothing or everyday household items.
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