Comparison

Pocket Code vs Arduino Science Journal

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

Head to head
About

Pocket Code

Develop and play your own games, animations, and interactive applications directly on your mobile device. This visual programming tool is inspired by educational initiatives and offers a free, open-source platform for creative coding.

Highlights
  • Create games and apps
  • Develop animations
  • Interactive art creation
  • Music video production
  • Visual programming system
  • Share creations
Features
Read full description

Create, play, and share your own games, animations, interactive art, music videos, and many other kinds of apps, directly on your iPhone! Pocket Code is ideally suited for the Hour of Code during the Computer Science Education Week http://csedweek.org/ organized by code.org, the European Code Week http://codeweek.eu/ as well as other similar initiatives. Catrobat is a visual programming system and a free open source non-profit project. Catrobat and the software developed by the Catrobat team are inspired by the work of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab.

About

Arduino Science Journal

Transform your smartphone into a science notebook. Use your device's sensors and connect external hardware to gather real-time data, conduct experiments, and analyze findings. Ideal for students to explore the world scientifically.

Highlights
  • Use smartphone sensors
  • Connect external Arduino sensors
  • Record and analyze real-time data
  • Conduct interactive experiments
  • Enhance lesson plans
  • Cross-platform support
Features
Read full description

The Arduino Science Journal (formerly Science Journal, an initiative by Google) is free and allows you to gather data about the world around you by harnessing the sensors in your smartphone as well as sensors connected to Arduino. The Science Journal transforms smartphones and tablets into science notebooks that encourage students to explore their world. The Arduino Science Journal app is recommended for students from 10 to 18 years of age. About Arduino Science Journal With the Arduino Science Journal, you can learn interactively, conduct experiments and iterate on findings. • Enhance your existing lesson plans: use the Science Journal with activities and assignments you have already prepared • Classroom & home-school friendly: you don’t have to be in a classroom setting to start exploring. The Arduino Science Journal can be used to run experiments straight away, as long as you have your smartphone or tablet with you! • Move learning outside: the use of mobile devices along with the types of experiments we offer encourage students to get out of their seats and open their eyes to the world around them through the power of science • Science and data have no secrets: you can easily record your observations, store your data sensors in real-time and analyse them, just as a proper scientist! • Connect the digital and the physical world from your pocket: go through a series of simple tutorials and start having fun with science With built-in device sensors as well as external hardware, you can measure light, sound, movement, and much more. You can also compare results, and even set triggers. Together with the external hardware, (not included with the app), students are enabled to conduct more complex experiments, and advance in their scientific studies. As long as the external sensors are compatible with a Bluetooth-connecting device such as a microcontroller, there is no end to what experiments the students can make. Some popular sensors that the app can work with are: light, conductivity, temperature, force, gas, heart rate, respiration, radiation, pressure, magnetism, and many more. The app is classroom-friendly, since students can sign in on any device and access their experiments to continue exploring the world, wherever they are! Permissions notice: • Bluetooth: needed to scan for Bluetooth sensor devices. • Camera: needed to take pictures to document experiments and for the brightness sensor. • Photo Library: needed to store pictures taken to document experiments and for adding existing photos from your library to experiments. • Microphone: needed for sound intensity sensor. • Push notifications: needed to inform you of recording status when backgrounding the app. Benefits of using the Arduino Science Journal • It’s free and simple to use • Easy setup: download the app and start exploring with your phone’s built-in sensors • Cross-platform support • Portable: enhance your home learning or bring your device outside to study the world around you • Fully compatible with Arduino hardware: keep experimenting with the Arduino Science Kit Physics Lab, as well as the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense board • Google Drive integration, as well as local download --- Terms and Conditions: https://www.arduino.cc/en/sj-terms-conditions Privacy Policy: https://www.arduino.cc/en/privacy-policy Children's Privacy Policy: https://www.arduino.cc/en/privacy-policy/children-privacy-policy

Screenshots

Pocket Code4 screens
Arduino Science Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Arduino Science Journal at 4.4 against Pocket Code's 3.0. Arduino Science Journal also leads on review sentiment (59% vs 34%) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 114). Pocket Code's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Arduino Science Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Pocket Code asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Arduino Science Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Arduino Science Journal has 1.1K ratings behind it against 114, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of Pocket Code's written reviews are positive against 59% of Arduino Science Journal's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pocket Code ships an update every 3 months, Arduino Science Journal every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pocket Code versus Arduino Science Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocket CodeArduino Science Journal
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (114 ratings)4.4 (1.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.7% of reviews58.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1141.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperInternational Catrobat Association - Verein zur Foerderung freier SoftwareArduino LLC

Customer experience

Pocket Code

All ratings114 ratings
Positive43.0%
Neutral14.9%
Negative42.1%
Written reviews255 reviews
Positive33.7%
Neutral20.0%
Negative46.3%

Arduino Science Journal

All ratings1,102 ratings
Positive86.0%
Neutral3.4%
Negative10.6%
Written reviews75 reviews
Positive58.7%
Neutral5.3%
Negative36.0%

Bugs and requests

Pocket Code

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Arduino Science Journal

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App often crashes when trying to add sensors
  • Sensor selection menu doesn't work
  • Freezes on loading dashboards with blank screen
  • Stopped working after iOS 15 update

Requested features

5 requests
  • iCloud sync
  • CSV export for data analysis
  • Velocity sensors using GPS
  • Arduino sensor integration
  • Buzzer with variable range

In-app purchases

None

Pocket Code

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Arduino Science Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Teacher Monthly Plan1 Month trial$7.991 Month
  • Yearly Teacher Plan1 Month trial$63.991 Year

Questions

Is Pocket Code free?
Pocket Code is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Arduino Science Journal free?
Arduino Science Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pocket Code or Arduino Science Journal?
Arduino Science Journal is rated higher. Pocket Code averages 3.0 out of 5 from 114 ratings, while Arduino Science Journal averages 4.4 from 1.1K ratings.
Do Pocket Code or Arduino Science Journal have ads?
Neither Pocket Code nor Arduino Science Journal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pocket Code or Arduino Science Journal?
Pocket Code ships an update every 3 months, and Arduino Science Journal every 2 months. Most recently, Pocket Code was updated on September 21, 2026 and Arduino Science Journal on September 19, 2026.

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