Times Tables - Multiplication

Review by eFreeware

If you are helping a child get multiplication facts to stick, or you want a few minutes of arithmetic practice yourself, Times Tables - Multiplication is the sort of app that fits into small gaps in a day. BrainSoft Apps built it around flashcards and short rounds rather than long lessons, and the whole thing is organized around the multiplication table as the core skill.

It is free, carries ads, and offers in-app purchases, with a 4.5 average from 13,144 ratings and more than a million installs. That is a lot of company for a drill app, and it suggests the format is doing something right for a broad audience.

The premise is narrow on purpose: multiplication and division facts, practiced repeatedly until they are quick. What I like about that focus is that it does not pretend to teach a whole math curriculum. It picks one job and builds several ways to do it.

What the app is actually built around

The developer describes the app as a set of multiplication flashcards wrapped in game formats, which is a fair description of what the modes suggest. It is aimed at two groups: students and school kids who need the basics of arithmetic and mental math, and adults who want to keep their mind in shape. Those are different motivations for the same exercise, and the app does not force you to choose one.

The subject matter runs from 1 to 20, which is wider than the usual ten-by-ten table. That matters if a child is being pushed past the standard range at school, or if an adult wants a slightly harder warm-up than the elementary facts. The developer also pitches it as useful for preparing for math tests and exams, which is the kind of claim I would treat as a direction rather than a promise.

That combination is consistent with what it does: it turns repetition into something closer to a challenge than a worksheet.

How a round comes together

There are three modes, and they serve different moments. Training mode lets you pick the size of the table you want to work on, either up to 10 or up to 20, and then choose the type of exercise: a test, a true-or-false round, or an input round where you type the answer. That choice of format is the part I find most useful, because typing an answer and judging whether a statement is true ask for slightly different kinds of recall.

Study mode is the reference side of the app. You can look through the tables from 1 to 20, then check yourself with multiplication and division examples. Having the division side included is a sensible addition, since division facts and multiplication facts reinforce each other, and it gives the app a second angle on the same knowledge.

Test mode works as an exam simulator, in the developer's words, and lets you choose a complexity level: light, middle or complex. The app then sets the intensity to match, so a younger student and an adult working on speed can land in different places without changing apps. After a training session or a test, you can see which questions you answered correctly and which you did not, which is the feedback loop the whole design depends on.

Why the repetition loop holds attention

The feature that makes this more than a stack of cards is the repetition system. The developer describes it as intelligent and built around looking at your errors and trying again. For a subject where the goal is automatic recall, that is the right instinct.

The app also shows the correct answer to each question, so a mistake comes with the information needed to fix it. Combined with the post-round review of right and wrong answers, that gives a clear picture of where the gaps are. The developer suggests practicing every day and frames the whole thing as a step-by-step way to remember the tables at home, which is a realistic way to use an app like this: short, regular sessions rather than one long sitting.

There is a competitive flavor to the presentation as well. The developer talks about becoming the king of maths and about improving grades in elementary school, and the game framing is clearly meant to make the drilling feel less like homework. Whether that lands depends on the student, but the structure supports it.

Cost, ads and what you get for free

The app is free to download and supported by ads. It also offers in-app purchases. If you are installing this for a child, that combination is worth knowing about before you hand over a device, since ads and purchase options both sit inside an educational app.

The recent update covers bug fixes and improvements, which shows the app is still being maintained. The original release was in March 2021, so it has had time to settle.

None of this changes the core value: the practice modes, the tables to 20 and the review of wrong answers are the substance of the app, and they are available in the free version.

What I would keep in mind

The scope is deliberately limited to multiplication and division facts. That is the point of the app, and it does not try to be a general math tutor. It concentrates on multiplication practice, with tables, drills and a review of wrong answers.

The difficulty levels and the table sizes give you room to grow, but the app still asks for regular short sessions to be useful. A student who opens it once a week will get less out of it than one who uses it for five minutes most days. That is true of any drill tool, and it is worth being honest about.

The ads and the in-app purchases are the other thing to weigh.

A focused pick for table practice

I would recommend Times Tables - Multiplication to parents and teachers who want a straightforward way for a child to practice the tables up to 20, and to adults who want a short mental arithmetic routine. The three modes cover study, practice and testing, and the review of wrong answers gives the practice a direction.

It is not a broad math course, and it is not trying to be. It is a drill app with a clear subject, a sensible difficulty ladder and a free entry point. If that matches what you need, it is a reasonable install; if you want a fuller curriculum, the focus here will feel narrow.

What's new in version 2.4.9

Bug fixes and improvements