Comparison

Osmo Coding Jam vs Plugo by PlayShifu

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

Head to head
About

Osmo Coding Jam

This app allows children to create original music by arranging physical coding blocks into patterns and sequences. It offers over 300 musical sounds and enables kids to record and share their compositions with others. It's a STEAM-based experience that teaches coding fundamentals through music.

Highlights
  • Create music with physical coding blocks
  • Compose original tunes
  • Over 300 musical sounds
  • Record and share music
  • Learn coding fundamentals
  • Develop rhythm and melody skills
Read full description

Explore the creative side of coding with hands-on music-making! In Osmo’s Coding Jam, kids arrange physical coding blocks into patterns and sequences to compose original tunes. The game comes with over 300 musical sounds to produce the perfect song. Kids can safely record and share their music with friends, family and the Jam community. “a STEAM-based experience that promotes creative problem-solving.” - VentureBeat “Osmo Coding Jam teaches children coding with music” - Forbes About Osmo Coding Jam: 1. CREATE: Kids 5-12 use coding blocks to create explosive beats. 2. LEARN: Kids get to know coding’s creative side while developing an ear for rhythm, melody, and harmony. 3. SHARE: Once they’ve composed a jam, kids can safely share it with friends, family and the jam community. Learn with our hands-on coding language: Research shows that tangible blocks are a game changer when it comes to helping kids learn. Each of our blocks is a programming command kids can use to create unique jams. As they explore playing with coding blocks, the volume of fun — and learning — gets turned up! * Requires the Osmo Base and Coding Blocks. Each sold separately or as part of Osmo Coding Starter Kit or Osmo Coding Family Bundle. * Compatible with most iPads. Please see our device compatibility list here: https://support.playosmo.com/hc/articles/115010156067 About Osmo Osmo is using the screen to create a new healthy, hands-on learning experience that promotes creativity, problem-solving and social interaction. We do this with our reflective artificial intelligent technology.

About

Plugo by PlayShifu

This interactive AR gaming system uses interchangeable kits and a gamepad to make learning STEM subjects fun and hands-on for children. Kids can play and learn without directly touching the screen, developing skills in math, vocabulary, logic, and critical thinking through engaging games.

Highlights
  • Interactive AR gaming
  • Hands-on STEM learning
  • Interchangeable game kits
  • Develops logic and critical thinking
  • No screen touching required
  • Multiple educational games
Read full description

** PlayShifu Plugo: An interactive AR gaming system to stimulate STEM skills ** Plugo is an AR gaming system that makes STEM super fun and hands-on - 1 gamepad, 7 interchangeable kits, unlimited gaming! Designed for 5-11-year-old kids, each gaming kit offers exciting educational games that are conceptualized to make your child play, learn and have fun—all at the same time. With Plugo, your child can interact and play using various tactile kits without touching the screen. They won’t even realize they’re learning math, vocabulary, dexterity, logical reasoning, critical thinking and so much more. The gamepad is built for all Plugo kits and is compatible with multiple devices. No wires, no electronics or additional hardware; our gaming system requires minimum effort to set-up and play. Plugo app has many games with over 60+ levels for each gaming kit! ** Plugo Link: Construction Kit ** Design structures with hexagon building blocks to solve problems ** Plugo Count: Hands-on Math Kit ** Unravel mysteries and cross hurdles with numbers & arithmetic 
 ** Plugo Piano: Music Learning Kit ** Step into the musical world and get friendly with keys, notes & beats ** S.T.E.A.M. Ahead with Plugo ** S.T.E.A.M. is an integral part of our educational approach to kids’ playtime. -- Science: Explore the underwater world & celestial objects with Plugo Steer. -- Technology: Learn about the functioning of basic electric & sound circuits with Plugo Link. -- Engineering: Build gravity-defying structures with Plugo Link. Build innovative thinking & logical reasoning ability with Plugo Quest. -- Arts: Hone your creative problem-solving skills with Plugo Link. Foray into the world of music with Plugo Piano. -- Mathematics: Learn problem-solving involving numbers & algebra with Plugo Count. ** How It Works ** -- Download the Plugo by PlayShifu app -- Login -- Sync the kits you have -- Unfold the gamepad and place the device in the slot -- Tap on any game to let the fun times roll ** About Team PlayShifu ** We are a passionate team of parents, early learning experts, innovators and technologists that fit together like puzzle pieces. Our aim is to make every experience exciting and meaningful for kids, and we strive to give the best! ** Contact Us ** Your feedback is very important to us. If you have any questions, comments, feedback or need any help, please contact us at reachout@playshifu.com

Screenshots

Osmo Coding Jam4 screens
Plugo by PlayShifu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Plugo by PlayShifu at 4.7 against Osmo Coding Jam's 4.2. Plugo by PlayShifu also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (7.8K vs 272). Osmo Coding Jam's advantage is review sentiment (68% vs 51%). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Plugo by PlayShifu holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plugo by PlayShifu has 7.8K ratings behind it against 272, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of Osmo Coding Jam's written reviews are positive against 51% of Plugo by PlayShifu's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Osmo Coding Jam ships an update every 2 months, Plugo by PlayShifu every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Osmo Coding Jam versus Plugo by PlayShifu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOsmo Coding JamPlugo by PlayShifu
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (272 ratings)4.7 (7.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.3% of reviews — better50.7% of reviews
Number of ratings2727.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size395 MB862 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTangible PlaymobilizAR

Customer experience

Osmo Coding Jam

All ratings272 ratings
Positive75.7%
Neutral9.2%
Negative15.1%
Written reviews60 reviews
Positive68.3%
Neutral10.0%
Negative21.7%

Plugo by PlayShifu

All ratings7,785 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral2.8%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews219 reviews
Positive50.7%
Neutral7.3%
Negative42.0%

User reviews

Osmo Coding Jam

From 272 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and enjoyable gameplay
  • 🎶 Great for learning coding and music
  • 🤩 Inspiring and creative tool
  • ✨ Amazing app experience
  • 👍 Works well on older iPads

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Incompatible with current iPads
  • 🐛 App not working after updates
  • 🐛 Crashing issues
  • 🐛 Glitches and errors
  • 🐛 Does not recognize tiles

Plugo by PlayShifu

From 7.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great learning tool
  • 🎓 Engaging and educational games
  • 🤩 Fun for kids
  • 🧠 Helps with math, spelling, and music fundamentals
  • 💻 Works well on iPads and iPhones

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitchy and buggy app performance
  • 🤔 Confusing or unclear instructions
  • 🙅‍♀️ Inappropriate content (witchcraft)
  • 🤯 Frustrating sync and connection issues
  • 🤖 Poor figure/object detection

Bugs and requests

Osmo Coding Jam

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • Not compatible with current generation of iPads
  • App does not work after returning from a trip
  • App crashes on opening
  • Cannot play on iPad 10
  • Glitches when coding a song
Show 11 more
  • App no longer opens after last update
  • App keeps crashing
  • Pieces don't work and cameras glitchy
  • Camera sensors different combos
  • Loading stops halfway
  • Does not recognize tiles
  • Sound doesn't work on 2018 iPad
  • Horrible detection of grey piece
  • 4th level practice keeps crashing
  • Blue coding blocks not recognized
  • Songs not appearing in categories

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more characters
  • Add a trade character feature
  • Add more updates
  • Add a feature to create own musical characters
  • Add engineer feature

Plugo by PlayShifu

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Camera permissions not working
  • Incorrect math answers provided
  • Spelling mistakes in the app
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add lowercase letter tiles
  • Ability to create custom spelling lists
  • More diverse avatar options
  • Parental controls and profile management
  • Randomize word/puzzle selection

In-app purchases

None

Osmo Coding Jam

No in-app purchases

None

Plugo by PlayShifu

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Osmo Coding Jam free?
Osmo Coding Jam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Plugo by PlayShifu free?
Plugo by PlayShifu is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Osmo Coding Jam or Plugo by PlayShifu?
Plugo by PlayShifu is rated higher. Osmo Coding Jam averages 4.2 out of 5 from 272 ratings, while Plugo by PlayShifu averages 4.7 from 7.8K ratings.
Do Osmo Coding Jam or Plugo by PlayShifu have ads?
Neither Osmo Coding Jam nor Plugo by PlayShifu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Osmo Coding Jam or Plugo by PlayShifu?
Osmo Coding Jam ships an update every 2 months, and Plugo by PlayShifu every 3 weeks. Most recently, Osmo Coding Jam was updated on October 1, 2026 and Plugo by PlayShifu on October 2, 2026.

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