TurtleArt vs ScratchUP
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TurtleArt
Create visual art using code by snapping together puzzle-like blocks. This app offers a gentle introduction to programming concepts through a constructionist learning environment, encouraging creativity and mathematical thinking.
- Drag and drop coding blocks
- Art and math integration
- Save and share creations
- Remixable sample projects
- No levels or explicit goals
- Constructionist learning environment
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TurtleArt is an app that lets you create images with code. Snap puzzle-like blocks together to give the turtle a sequence of commands and watch your image take shape. Recommended ages 9+ CREATE WITH CODE We created TurtleArt to make images at the intersection of art and math. It also happens to be a gentle introduction to coding. TurtleArt has a small vocabulary. This makes it a microworld, not a general coding environment like many other block based systems. TurtleArt is 'hard fun'! FEATURES - Simple drag and drop blocks - Samples for exploring and remixing - Help materials to answer your questions - Save images to the Camera Roll to share with friends and family - Copy and paste any TurtleArt image into a new project and see its code - No levels, no puzzles, no explicit goals - No third-party advertising - No in-app purchases A CONSTRUCTIONIST LEARNING ENVIRONMENT TurtleArt is rooted in Seymour Papert’s constructionism, where children learn best by making things that are personally meaningful. In the late 1960s Seymour Papert and his colleagues started developing the Logo programming language. The early versions of Logo introduced the Turtle, a cybernetic creature that responded to commands and established an environment rich in mathematical thinking. ABOUT TurtleArt is brought to you by the Playful Invention Company. We play. We invent. The company is a playground for its founders, Paula Bontá and Brian Silverman. Check out our website www.playfulinvention.com to see other projects and passions. PRIVACY We take kids' privacy very seriously. We do not collect personal information of any kind. Children will never be exposed to in-app purchases or third-party advertisements while playing with the app.
ScratchUP
This app allows users to learn, teach, and play with code. It offers a variety of features for creating educational activities, including sensor integration, machine learning capabilities, and math tools. Compatible with Scratch files, it provides an offline coding experience for students and educators.
- Scratch file compatibility (.sb2, .sb3)
- Sensor event integration (touch, keyboard, camera, Bluetooth)
- Machine learning for object and sound recognition
- Body detection, Handpose, and Facemesh
- QRCode scanner
- Math tools for learning
- Offline app functionality
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ScratchUP is the perfect app for students, teachers, and anyone who wants to learn coding. Use it in the classroom or at home to create interactive projects, explore programming concepts, and design educational activities with endless possibilities. Scratch-compatible: open and save .sb2 and .sb3 files with ease. Build richer projects by combining touch events, keyboard input, camera features, and Bluetooth sensor data. A fullscreen offline app packed with powerful features: - Virtual keyboard for managing key events - Bluetooth connection to devices such as micro:bit - Body Detection, Hand Pose, and Face Mesh powered by machine learning - QR code scanner - Train your own object recognition models with machine learning - Import Teachable Machine models to recognize objects and sounds - Built-in math tools for easier learning - Control the front and back cameras directly in code - New Function extension for creating more advanced programs - New option to hide blocks in the interface and in scripts for a cleaner workspace - Native iPadOS export to share projects instantly via AirDrop or email - Export scripts as images to easily add them to worksheets, lessons, or other documents Code, learn, teach, and play — all in one app. Enjoy!
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ScratchUP at $0.99 against TurtleArt's $9.99. ScratchUP also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 40%) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 12 months). TurtleArt's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 4.0). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
TurtleArt costs $9.99 and ScratchUP $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
TurtleArt holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 4 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of TurtleArt's written reviews are positive against 75% of ScratchUP's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
TurtleArt ships an update every 12 months, ScratchUP every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TurtleArt | ScratchUP |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $0.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (4 ratings) — better | 4.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 476 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Playful Invention Company | Ulrich PICAUD |
Customer experience
TurtleArt
ScratchUP
In-app purchases
TurtleArt
No in-app purchases
ScratchUP
No in-app purchases









