Comparison

Fireworks Lab vs Skyscrapers by Tinybop

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Fireworks Lab

Design and launch your own unique fireworks displays with realistic particle effects and sounds. This app offers a safe and playful sandbox experience for young children to explore creativity and experiment with different firework combinations.

Highlights
  • Create custom fireworks
  • Realistic particle effects
  • Multi-touch controls
  • Sandbox play
  • Child-friendly environment
Read full description

Create your own amazing fireworks display! Pick your fireworks shape and then customize it by feeding it a colorful treat. Arrange your creations into a display and see them come to life. See your choices launch into spectacular realistic particle effects and sounds, supported by multi-touch to trigger fireworks. The perfect app for toddlers and preschoolers to enjoy fireworks in a playful and safe environment this holiday weekend. Features: - Four types of firework: rockets, fountain, mortar and roman candle - Unlimited color options - Arrange fireworks into a display - Test your ideas and experiment different combinations - No goals or objectives, just a free play sandbox. Child friendly app: - No in-app purchases - No third-party advertising - No social media More fun with fireworks coming in future app updates. We’d love to hear what you think, so get in touch with @cowlyowl on Twitter, Facebook or our website. Created by Cowly Owl, a British micro-studio creating playful digital toys and educational games. http://www.cowlyowl.com/

About

Skyscrapers by Tinybop

Explore the inner workings of tall buildings from foundation to rooftop. Design facades, investigate utilities, and test structural integrity against natural disasters and unexpected events. Learn how people live and work within these massive structures.

Highlights
  • Explore skyscrapers floor by floor
  • Design building facades and tops
  • Investigate structural foundations
  • Test engineering against disasters
  • Manage building utilities
  • Simulate emergencies and repairs
Features
Read full description

Discover how people build, live, and play in skyscrapers. Go up and down, through every floor, and underground. Spark a blackout, fix a pipe, or clog the toilets. Test your building’s engineering when dinosaurs invade, lightning strikes, or the earth quakes. Find out what keeps skyscrapers standing tall and people happy in them all. Skyscrapers is No. 7 in Tinybop’s Explorer’s Library series. Apps in this series have been downloaded more than 5 million times and have won Best of the App Store, App Store Editors’ Choice, Parents’ Choice, and Children's Technology Review Editor’s Choice awards. FEATURES + Explore skyscrapers from the ground, up to the roof. + Design each building’s facade and top with different colors, spires, clock towers, and more. + Investigate a building’s structure, from the foundation to the frame. + See how soil affects a building’s stability. + Test and observe your building’s engineering in lightning storms, earthquakes, and high winds. + Move people throughout the building: up and down in elevators, through bathrooms, and in and out of rooms. + Investigate the utilities: water, electricity, and safety features. + Save the building in emergencies! Put out fires and repair water breaks. + Turn lights on and off. Cause a blackout! FREE handbook Our expert-reviewed handbook is full of facts, interaction hints, and discussion questions to support learning in this app, in the classroom or at home. Download in your app or at: http://tinybop.com/handbooks. Privacy policy We take your and your child’s privacy very seriously. We do not collect or share personal information about your child, nor do we allow any third-party advertising. When the camera, microphone, and other services are used within an app, your information is neither collected nor distributed outside of the app. Read our complete privacy policy at tinybop.com. Tinybop, Inc. is a Brooklyn-based studio of designers, engineers, and artists. We make toys for tomorrow. We’re all over the internet. Visit us: www.tinybop.com Follow us: twitter.com/tinybop Like us: facebook.com/tinybop Peek behind the scenes: instagram.com/tinybop We love hearing your stories! If you have ideas, or something isn’t working as you expect it to, please contact us: hi@tinybop.com. Psst! It's not Tiny Bop, or Tiny Bob, or Tiny Pop. It's Tinybop.

Screenshots

Fireworks Lab4 screens
Skyscrapers by Tinybop4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Fireworks Lab at 85% against Skyscrapers by Tinybop's 32%. Fireworks Lab also leads on price (Free vs $3.99) and rating (4.6 vs 4.1). Skyscrapers by Tinybop's advantage is ratings volume (63 vs 11). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Fireworks Lab is free to download; Skyscrapers by Tinybop costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Fireworks Lab holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Skyscrapers by Tinybop has 63 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Fireworks Lab's written reviews are positive against 32% of Skyscrapers by Tinybop's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Fireworks Lab versus Skyscrapers by Tinybop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFireworks LabSkyscrapers by Tinybop
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating4.6 (11 ratings) — better4.1 (63 ratings)
Positive reviews84.6% of reviews — better31.9% of reviews
Number of ratings1163 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB144 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCowly Owl LtdTinybop Inc.

Customer experience

Fireworks Lab

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.4%

Skyscrapers by Tinybop

All ratings63 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral3.2%
Negative19.0%
Written reviews163 reviews
Positive31.9%
Neutral6.1%
Negative62.0%

Bugs and requests

Fireworks Lab

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Skyscrapers by Tinybop

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Background details disappear when zooming out on skyscraper
  • People turn into colored circles at certain zoom levels
  • App crashes immediately on startup
  • Black screen during gameplay
  • Game freezes on loading screen
Show 4 more
  • App won't launch on iPhone/iPad
  • Download fails despite sufficient storage
  • Incorrect language display (simplified Chinese instead of traditional)
  • Location permission requested unnecessarily

Requested features

14 requests
  • Character customization and personalities
  • Apartment/room customization options
  • Social interactions between characters
  • Character families and relationships
  • More building options and facades
Show 9 more
  • Objectives and progression system
  • Rewards and achievement system
  • More interactive tasks for characters
  • Ability to control characters directly
  • More variety in activities and mini-games
  • Level progression system
  • Character AI that acts independently
  • Shops and commercial spaces
  • More building customization elements

In-app purchases

None

Fireworks Lab

No in-app purchases

None

Skyscrapers by Tinybop

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fireworks Lab free?
Fireworks Lab is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Skyscrapers by Tinybop free?
Skyscrapers by Tinybop costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Fireworks Lab or Skyscrapers by Tinybop?
Fireworks Lab is rated higher. Fireworks Lab averages 4.6 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Skyscrapers by Tinybop averages 4.1 from 63 ratings.
Do Fireworks Lab or Skyscrapers by Tinybop have ads?
Neither Fireworks Lab nor Skyscrapers by Tinybop shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fireworks Lab or Skyscrapers by Tinybop?
Fireworks Lab ships an update every 4 months, and Skyscrapers by Tinybop every 4 months. Most recently, Fireworks Lab was updated on November 1, 2026 and Skyscrapers by Tinybop on November 1, 2026.

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