Comparison

DNA Play vs How do Things Fly?

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

Head to head
About

DNA Play

Design and mutate unique creatures by solving DNA puzzles and altering genes. Interact with your creations in real-time through various activities, discovering their personalities and evolving their forms.

Highlights
  • Create over 200 billion unique monsters
  • Solve DNA puzzles to build creatures
  • Alter genes for real-time mutations
  • Interact with monsters in various activities
  • Discover monster personalities and quirks
  • Save monster creations and DNA blueprints
Read full description

Create your own funny monsters and transform them in real-time by building and tweaking their DNA! Over 200 billion unique life forms at your fingertips! Feed your monsters, dance with them, watch them skate, get to know their quirks. • App Store "Best of 2015" • Reached #1 in Kids & Education on the App Store in US, UK & many more countries • Digital Ehon Award - Prize Winner 2017 • Tutora Award - Best Educational App 2017 • "App of the Week" by BBC Focus Magazine • Featured in "Apps of the Month" by The Guardian • "Learning about genetics becomes child’s play" - Cool Mom Tech • "A playful and amusing introduction to a big STEM concept!" - Madison Public Library • "Sneak scientific knowledge under a child’s radar by turning it into a game" - The Sunday Times This fun monster maker game introduces kids to the basic science of DNA in an easy pure-play style. Learn how to build creatures by completing a series of simple DNA puzzles. Get creative and experiment with quirky mutations of different body parts by altering genes. Have fun playing with your monsters and change their form in real-time while they dance, skate, eat or sleep! CREATE & MUTATE Start with a basic unformed figure and complete the gene puzzles to give it a fully grown torso, face and limbs. Then tweak the genes or simply tap on the monster's body parts to trigger mutations. Observe how the tiniest change in the DNA code can lead to unimaginable new characteristics. Watch your monster turn from yellow to red, grow pink hair and 6 eyes, have its ears transform into fish fins and its belly pop out and crave for food. Best of all, these are emotional creatures with vivid personalities, so prepare to be surprised! PLAY & EXPLORE Once you complete all 6 body parts it's time to play with your monsters and have fun! Feed them, tweak them, push them, squeeze them, make them jump or slide! Go for a skateboard ride with them! Get to know their quirks. Do they enjoy being chased by an elephant, being hypnotized or listen to music? Are they afraid of the dark? Discover what makes them sneeze, laugh or cry, how their voice changes after mutating their faces! Try, experiment and evolve! Why stick with 2 short legs when 4 tall ones are so much better for flamenco dancing? Keep transforming and observe which forms look better in various activities! Take photos and share your genetic blueprints so friends can clone your beasts. Build your personal library of ready-to-play, cute little monsters. Science has never been so fun! MAIN FEATURES • A playful introduction to DNA, biology and genetics • Build over 200 billion unique monsters! • Complete the DNA puzzles, swap their pieces to mutate • Tap on body parts to trigger random mutations • Plenty of unexpected and hilarious interactions • Transform monsters in real-time while they dance, sleep, eat, skate & more! • Save your monsters in a ready-to-play library  • Save snapshots of your creations stamped with their DNA code • Parents' section includes basic info on DNA, illustrated tutorial, interaction hints & play ideas • Ideal for kids 4-9 years old • Perfect for STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) • Language neutral game-play • No time limits, free-play style • Exceptional graphics, superb music & original sound design • Safe for kids: COPPA compliant, no 3rd party ads, no in-app purchases PRIVACY POLICY We respect your privacy! We do not collect, store, or share any personal information. Our app does not contain 3rd party ads or in-app purchases and is completely safe for young children. Read our privacy policy here: http://avokiddo.com/privacy-policy. ABOUT AVOKIDDO Avokiddo is an award-winning studio, creating top quality apps for education and playful learning. We think that when you enjoy something, you become one with it; and it is in this creative state that learning takes place. More about us at: avokiddo.com

About

How do Things Fly?

Explore the principles of flight through interactive play with various aircraft. Learn about physics, logic, and scientific concepts in a fun, stress-free environment. Designed for children and families to discover how things fly.

Highlights
  • Interactive flight simulation
  • Learn physics and scientific concepts
  • Pilot planes, helicopters, drones, and balloons
  • Develop scientific thinking and logic
  • Intuitive interface for children
  • Content for ages 5 and up
Features
Read full description

"How Do Things Fly?" is an educational and fun game for learning how flying machines work: the plane, the helicopter, the drone and the hot air balloon... Pilot the different aircraft and watch the different forces interact. What makes an airplane fly? How do you turn or descend? How can a hot air balloon stay in the air? What physical laws are behind all this? Play and learn as you internalize scientific concepts and thus develop scientific thought, logic and curiosity. Why do helicopters have a propeller on their tail? And why do drones have 4 engines? Do they all rotate in the same direction? With "How Do Things Fly?", you can freely play and learn, with no pressure or stress. Think, act, observe, ask questions and find answers. Have fun answering one of the most curious questions: how do planes fly? FEATURES • Helps develop scientific thinking. • Easy and intuitive scenarios, with interfaces that appeal to children. • Includes basic concepts for understanding physics and its laws. • Discover some of the most spectacular flying machines. • Learn how things work, like motors, wings, hot air balloons... • Content for children ages 5 and up. A game for the whole family. • No ads. ABOUT LEARNY LAND At Learny Land, we love to play, and we believe that games must form part of the educational and growth stage of all children; because to play is to discover, explore, learn and have fun. Our educational games help children learn about the world around them and are designed with love. They are easy to use, beautiful and safe. Because boys and girls have always played to have fun and learn, the games we make - like the toys that last a lifetime - can be seen, played and heard. At Learny Land we take advantage of the most innovative technologies and the most modern devices to take the experience of learning and playing a step further. We create toys that could not have existed when we were young. Read more about us at www.learnyland.com. Privacy Policy We take Privacy very seriously. We do not collect or share personal information about your children or allow any type of third party ads. To learn more, please read our privacy policy at www.learnyland.com. Contact us We'd love to know your opinion and your suggestions. Please, write to support@learnyland.com. Terms of Use: http://learnyland.com/terms-of-service/

Screenshots

DNA Play4 screens
How do Things Fly?4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: How do Things Fly? at Free against DNA Play's $4.99. How do Things Fly? also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (80% vs 68%). DNA Play's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (2.2K vs 1). On update cadence, ads 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

How do Things Fly? is free to download; DNA Play costs $4.99 up front. How do Things Fly? sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. DNA Play asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

How do Things Fly? holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DNA Play has 2.2K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of DNA Play's written reviews are positive against 80% of How do Things Fly?'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DNA Play ships an update every 6 months, How do Things Fly? every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
DNA Play versus How do Things Fly?: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDNA PlayHow do Things Fly?
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (2.2K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.6% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.2K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB551 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAVOKIDDOLearny Land

Customer experience

DNA Play

All ratings2,160 ratings
Positive84.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews68 reviews
Positive67.6%
Neutral14.7%
Negative17.6%

How do Things Fly?

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

Bugs and requests

DNA Play

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Food items hard to pick up
  • Glitches and crashes on some devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • More gameplay options and activities
  • Ability to name and save monsters
  • Additional customization options
  • Improved controls and responsiveness

How do Things Fly?

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

DNA Play

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

How do Things Fly?

Subscriptions4
  • Learny Land Pass - Monthly7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Learny Land Pass - Monthly7 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Learny Land Pass - Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Learny Land Pass - Annual7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is DNA Play free?
DNA Play costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is How do Things Fly? free?
How do Things Fly? is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DNA Play or How do Things Fly??
How do Things Fly? is rated higher. DNA Play averages 4.4 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while How do Things Fly? averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do DNA Play or How do Things Fly? have ads?
Neither DNA Play nor How do Things Fly? shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DNA Play or How do Things Fly??
DNA Play ships an update every 6 months, and How do Things Fly? every 4 months. Most recently, DNA Play was updated on October 22, 2026 and How do Things Fly? on October 6, 2026.

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