Comparison

Gliders by Design vs VEXcode V5

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

Head to head
About

Gliders by Design

Design and build your own handheld gliders using your iPad or Mac. This application provides authentic glider analyses and predictions, empowering users to learn about flight through hands-on creation. It's a rewarding way to explore aerodynamics and engineering principles.

Highlights
  • Handheld glider design
  • Authentic glider analysis
  • Flight predictions
  • Build and fly custom designs
  • STEM learning tool
  • School success
Features
Read full description

Harness the incredible power of your iPad or MacOS desktop computer. Design impressive handheld gliders that you can easily put together. Create whole squadrons of your very own designs that you can make soar! Have a contest to see who can design and build the best glider. All you need is our software, along with your iPad, scissors, a metric ruler, card stock and/or balsa wood, a little clay, and a bottle of super glue (for card stock gliders) or a hot glue gun (for balsa wood gliders). This software is a true designing application that includes authentic glider analyses and predictions. It requires a bit more effort to design and build your own gliders to fly instead of just watching simulations, or using prebuilt designs, but the payoff can be well worth it. By building your own gliders you will quickly learn much more about flight, while likely feeling far more empowered and satisfied seeing your designs glide off into the distance. The software is already a great success at many schools (students 11 years old and up).

About

VEXcode V5

This coding environment helps students of all ages learn programming through a user-friendly interface. It supports a consistent experience across different learning levels and robot platforms, making computer science accessible and engaging.

Highlights
  • Intuitive drag-and-drop interface
  • Consistent experience across learning levels
  • Robot control and sensor integration
  • Built-in video tutorials
  • Multilingual block support
  • Example projects for learning
Features
Read full description

From elementary school through college, VEXcode is a coding environment that meets students at their level. The intuitive layout of VEXcode allows students to get started quickly and easily. VEXcode is consistent across Blocks and Text, across VEX IQ and VEX V5. As students progress from elementary, middle, and high school, they never have to learn a different blocks, code, or toolbar interface. As a result, students can focus on creating with technology, not trying to navigate a new layout. Drive Forward is the new Hello World We all know that robots attract kids to learn. VEX Robotics and VEXcode are providing opportunities for students of all ages to participate in learning the code that makes these robots work. VEX makes computer science come to life through collaborations, hands-on projects, and engaging experiences. From classrooms to competitions, VEXcode helps to create the next generation of innovators. Drag. Drop. Drive. VEXcode Blocks is the perfect platform for those new to coding. Students use the simple drag and drop interface to create functioning programs. Each block's purpose can easily be identified using the visual cues like its shape, color, and label. We've designed VEXcode Blocks to allow those who are new to robotics to get their robot up and running faster. Now, students can focus on being creative and learning computer science concepts, not stuck trying to figure out the interface. More accessible than ever VEXcode even helps across language barriers, allowing student to read blocks and comment programs in their native language. Drag & Drop. Powered by Scratch Blocks. Students and Teachers will feel instantly at home with this familiar environment. Video Tutorials. Grasp concepts faster. Built-in tutorials cover every aspect needed to get up to speed fast. And more tutorials are coming. Help is always there. Getting information on blocks is fast and easy. These resources were written by educators, in a form both teachers and students will grasp quickly. Drivetrain Blocks. A breakthrough in simplicity. From driving forward, making precise turns, setting speed, and stopping precisely, VEXcode makes it easier than ever to control a robot. Setup your VEX robot. Fast. VEXcode's device manager is simple, flexible, and powerful. In no time at all you can setup your robot's drivetrain, controller features, motors, and sensors. 40+ Example projects to choose from. Jumpstart your learning by starting with an existing project, covering every aspect of coding, controlling robots, and learning to use sensors.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Gliders by Design at 100% against VEXcode V5's 23%. Gliders by Design also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.6) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). VEXcode V5's advantage is price (Free vs $4.99) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 30 months). On 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

VEXcode V5 is free to download; Gliders by Design costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Gliders by Design holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VEXcode V5 has 22 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Gliders by Design's written reviews are positive against 23% of VEXcode V5's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gliders by Design ships an update every 30 months, VEXcode V5 every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Gliders by Design versus VEXcode V5: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGliders by DesignVEXcode V5
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better2.6 (22 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better23.1% of reviews
Number of ratings222 — better
Update frequencyEvery 30 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB777 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSeeds SoftwareVEX Robotics, Inc.

Customer experience

Gliders by Design

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

VEXcode V5

All ratings22 ratings
Positive36.4%
Neutral4.5%
Negative59.1%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive23.1%
Neutral7.7%
Negative69.2%

In-app purchases

None

Gliders by Design

No in-app purchases

None

VEXcode V5

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Gliders by Design free?
Gliders by Design costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is VEXcode V5 free?
VEXcode V5 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Gliders by Design or VEXcode V5?
Gliders by Design is rated higher. Gliders by Design averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while VEXcode V5 averages 2.6 from 22 ratings.
Do Gliders by Design or VEXcode V5 have ads?
Neither Gliders by Design nor VEXcode V5 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gliders by Design or VEXcode V5?
Gliders by Design ships an update every 30 months, and VEXcode V5 every 6 weeks. Most recently, Gliders by Design was updated on September 23, 2026 and VEXcode V5 on September 30, 2026.

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