Merge Object Viewer vs Spike™ LEGO® Education
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Merge Object Viewer
Explore hundreds of 3D digital teaching aids with this app. Students can interact with models of rocks, mammals, cells, and more. The app also allows users to upload and view their own 3D objects on a compatible device.
- Hundreds of 3D teaching aids
- Interactive 3D models
- Learn about science and biology
- Upload and view custom 3D objects
- Hands-on digital learning
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PLEASE NOTE: This app requires a Merge Cube and a smartphone or a tablet to play. To find out how to get a Merge Cube and to learn more, visit our website at: https://www.MergeCube.com. Object Viewer puts hundreds of digital teaching aids in the palm of your hand! Students can learn about rocks and minerals, mammals, reptiles, lifecycles, cells, and so much more using different collections of hands-on 3D models. Students can also upload, view, and share their own 3D objects on the Merge Cube. If you have any questions or suggestions, we would love to hear from you! Contact us at any time at support@MergeEdu.com. Privacy Policy: https://MergeEdu.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://MergeEdu.com/terms-of-use
Spike™ LEGO® Education
This app facilitates playful STEAM learning for students, designed to work with specific LEGO® Education kits. It helps develop computational thinking through coding, encourages building and experimentation, and supports programming for various projects and competitions.
- Icon-block, word-block, and text-based coding
- Develop computational thinking
- Build, tinker, and experiment with LEGO® creations
- Program and debug designs
- Create stories with LEGO® Minifigures
- Prepare for FIRST® LEGO® League competitions
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Engage every student in playful STEAM learning with the LEGO® Education SPIKE™ App. Designed for use with the LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Portfolio, the SPIKE App is a powerful tool that helps teachers facilitate engaging, hands-on STEAM learning. When combined with SPIKE Essential or SPIKE Prime, the SPIKE App allows students to: - Develop computational thinking skills using a progression of icon-block, word-block, and text-based coding. - Build, tinker, and experiment - progressing from simple creations to complex structures. - Learn to program, test and tweak designs, debug and optimize, create stories with LEGO® Minifigures, prepare for FIRST® LEGO® League competitions, and more! *** IMPORTANT*** This is not a standalone educational app. This app is used to program LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential and LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime, which are sold separately. Please contact your local LEGO Education reseller for further information. LEARN MORE: LEGOeducation.com/Teacher-resources For app support, contact LEGO® Education at https://support.legoeducation.com. LEGO, the LEGO logo and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group. FIRST® LEGO® League is a jointly held trademark of FIRST® and the LEGO Group. ©2026 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Spike™ LEGO® Education at none against Merge Object Viewer's 4. Spike™ LEGO® Education also leads on review sentiment (69% vs 48%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. Merge Object Viewer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Spike™ LEGO® Education asks for nothing beyond the download.
Spike™ LEGO® Education holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spike™ LEGO® Education has 3.5K ratings behind it against 390, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Merge Object Viewer's written reviews are positive against 69% of Spike™ LEGO® Education's.
Merge Object Viewer ships an update monthly, Spike™ LEGO® Education every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 12, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Merge Object Viewer | Spike™ LEGO® Education |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (390 ratings) | 4.8 (3.5K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 48.1% of reviews | 68.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 390 | 3.5K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 414 MB | 227 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Merge Apps | LEGO Education |
Customer experience
Merge Object Viewer
Spike™ LEGO® Education
User reviews
Merge Object Viewer
From 390 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Engaging AR STEM tool
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 👍 Seamless object merging
- 👍 Extensive file format support
- 👍 Convenient sharing options
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🐛 Slow rendering/loading
- 🐛 Compatibility issues on older devices
- 🔒 Paywall for full access
- 🐛 Unstable login/account management
Spike™ LEGO® Education
From 3.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Awesome
- 🚀 Super good
- 🚀 Great app
- 👍 User friendly and easy to use
- 👍 Engineering Excitement in Kindergarten
Room to improve
- 🐛 Restricted features due to LEGO's focus on profits
- 🐛 Missing basic quality of life functionality
- 🐛 Doesn't work on iPad
- 🐛 Slow loading and issues with connectivity
- 🐛 Tutorials have limitations
Bugs and requests
Merge Object Viewer
Reported bugs
4 issues- Objects not loading or displaying incorrectly
- App freezing or closing unexpectedly
- Labeling/annotation issues with 3D objects
- Compatibility problems on iPads and older iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Adjustable lighting for 3D objects
- Ability to snap objects together
- Camera button for capturing scenes
- Restore VR support
- More free 3D content options
Spike™ LEGO® Education
Reported bugs
3 issues- Bluetooth connection issues
- Unable to flash hub or connect
- Incompatibility with programs written in previous version
Requested features
5 requests- Hub-to-hub control
- RC features
- Merge Inventor app into one
- Add more color options for color sensor
- Bring back Python coding support
In-app purchases
Merge Object Viewer
- Object Viewer Premium Monthly14 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Merge EDU Individual14 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Object Viewer Premium Annual14 Days trial$99.991 Year
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- Merge EDU Individual14 Days trial$99.991 Year
Spike™ LEGO® Education
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Merge Object Viewer free?
Is Spike™ LEGO® Education free?
Which has better reviews, Merge Object Viewer or Spike™ LEGO® Education?
Do Merge Object Viewer or Spike™ LEGO® Education have ads?
Which is updated more often, Merge Object Viewer or Spike™ LEGO® Education?
Other comparisons
