# Photon Coding vs SAM Root

The clearest difference is rating: Photon Coding at 5.0 against SAM Root's 3.8. SAM Root's advantage is ratings volume (42 vs 2) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Photon Coding holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SAM Root has 42 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Photon Coding ships an update every 3 months, SAM Root monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Photon Coding | SAM Root |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photon-coding/id1282138708/reviews)** | [3.8 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sam-root/id1524652548/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **42** |
| Positive reviews | — | 46.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 148 MB | 92 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Photon Entertainment sp. z o.o.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1281702819) | [SAM Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/1033131753) |

## What reviewers say

### Photon Coding

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photon-coding/id1282138708)

Create programs for your Photon robot using intuitive, icon-based languages like Draw, Badge, and Blocks. Explore your robot's capabilities and build custom programs directly from your mobile device.

**Highlights:** Icon-based programming languages, Draw, Badge, and Blocks modes, Mobile device control, Explore robot possibilities, Create custom programs

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### SAM Root

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sam-root/id1524652548)

Learn programming through interactive robotics with three progressive coding levels, from graphical blocks to Python 3. Control robots in real-time or test your code with a built-in 3D simulator.

**Highlights:** Three progressive coding levels, Graphical blocks to Python 3, Real-time robot control, Built-in 3D simulator, Seamless level switching, Bluetooth robot pairing

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Photon Coding free?

Photon Coding is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SAM Root free?

SAM Root is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Photon Coding or SAM Root?

Photon Coding is rated higher. Photon Coding averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while SAM Root averages 3.8 from 42 ratings.

### Do Photon Coding or SAM Root have ads?

Neither Photon Coding nor SAM Root shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Photon Coding or SAM Root?

Photon Coding ships an update every 3 months, and SAM Root monthly. Most recently, Photon Coding was updated on September 17, 2026 and SAM Root on September 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*